Topic Idea and Illustrations by: Enya Cruz

Dictionary Definition of Thesis:

the•sis

noun

1. a statement or theory that is put forward as a premise to be maintained or proved. 

Thesis is an important requirement to get your college degree. You could say that this is the “final boss stage” that you need to overcome before you graduate. 

You need to propose a thesis statement that you want to prove, gather lots of information to prove your theory, and defend it from the panel. Just by thinking about it could be a little daunting, but you would be bulletproof if you thoroughly prepare for it. 

So, we came up with some tips that we would like to share to the Kids, who are currently working on their thesis and preparing for their defense.

Tips:

• Choose a topic that interests you, or something that you are passionate about. 
• Just consider how much CREDIBLE information you could gather with your chosen topic. 
• Learn to focus and manage your time. 
• getting your thesis statement is just the first step to proceeding to the real thing, which is actually writing your thesis paper. 
• there are many sections in a thesis paper, so you must set a deadline for yourself every section/chapter. 
• Please…please, do not cram the Review of Related Literature (aka RRL)
• Doing the RRL would require a lot of time and effort. Basically, you need to look for previous research studies related to your topic.
• With this, you could compare and contrast which solutions worked, based on the past research, or what are the things that have not been explored yet.
• Paraphrase and cite sources to prevent plagiarism.
• Always use proper citations as plagiarism is a grave issue in schools.
• If your thesis is done by group, always choose the people who would really contribute in doing the requirement! Of course, you also have no right to slack off and you need to pull your weight in the group ;)
• If your thesis is done individually, manage your time carefully and do not be afraid to ask your thesis adviser whenever you encounter problems. 

Defense Tips:

• Take extra measures when studying your thesis paper. 
• The panel will test how well you know your topic, and how efficient you could defend your proposed solution. 
• Anticipate the questions that your panel could ask you. It would be very much helpful if you list these questions down, and prepare answers in advance. 
• Practice, practice, practice!!
• you could do a trial run in presenting your thesis topic! Ask your friends and present it in front of them, or, you could present it in front of the mirror. In this way, it would somehow help you break off those jitters when presenting. 
• Wear formal but comfortable clothes during your thesis defense
• Consider and listen to the comments of your panel. 
• these comments and recommendations are much needed for the betterment of your paper

GOOD LUCK! 😊