Starting thesis early

[NavyMom]

I just finished my first year of the program, and I have two more (part-timer).

 

I have a topic, and I have my first advisor.  I also have major jitters. 

 

Has anyone started early, or know anyone that started early - and benefited from it?  There is a class or two that I still need to take that I might possibly use for my thesis, but wondering how far I can get before taking these classes...

 

My advisor is off for the summer on a sabbatical.  So my question to all of you is... what do you suggest I do for my first step to this enormous project?

 

[GeoDUDE!]

Read.

[sierra918]

I started reading and writing my background and methodology chapters during the summer between my first and second years. I agree that reading all the relevant literature and highlighting or taking notes on anything you want to incorporate or cite is probably how you want to start.

[happy little pill]

Read as much as you can as early as you can. Also, write out in Word any quotes that you think will be important and write "around" the quotes. Make sure to take notes about why you thought that those particular passages were important.

 

I cannot emphasize how much time you waste when you're in the thick of things (my draft is due in five days) and you haven't done that kind of prep work. I am kicking myself now because I would be much more productive if I had a running quote document.

Edited May 27, 2015 by happy little pill

[rising_star]

Read, read, read. Take detailed notes. That said, be prepared for your topic to change, especially if you've got 2 years to go.

[WriteAndKnit]

I'm anticipating working on my thesis in the coming spring semester, and I've narrowed my topic enough to start reading and narrowing more. 

 

I'm a taking-notes-while-reading kind of person (writing out the citations as I go), so writing the thesis itself shouldn't be as terrible when I get to it. 

[jannajohnson891]

I would advice you to read a lot of books right now and make some notes, don't make the same mistakes like a lot of students do, who postpones everything and then dont sleep several weeks. I've made such a mistake when i had to do research paper on database management systems, i was thinking that i have a ton of time, but in the end i haven't slept for 3 nights.

[shadowclaw]

Definitely read, read, read and take some notes. I was a full-time masters student (not part-time like you), but I started reading and thinking about methodology before I even started my program. I had my proposal pretty much complete at the beginning of my second semester, and a pretty thorough annotated bibliography written up by the end of my second semester. Granted, I kind of had to get it all together in order to do my research over the summer (and it involved international travel, so I had to get that stuff planned well in advance), but I was definitely ahead of the other members of my cohort by a long shot. And guess who was the only person to graduate on time in the spring!

Yeah, you have 2 years left, which is a good chunk of time, but that also means you have more time to collect more data. I would have been thrilled to have two years of data instead of just one. Even if you don't want/need extra data (or maybe your project is more literature based), getting whatever you can get done as soon as possible will make your life so much easier down the road when you're writing it up and have a deadline to meet to graduate.

[eeee1923]

In addition to reading and writing the methodology chapter, I would suggest that you start writing the introduction and background chapters while the literature is still fresh in your mind.