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October 4, 2010 at 2:15 pm #2413
scout1067
ParticipantWell, in four months from today I will either have completed my MA or wasted several years of study. I started my final thesis class today. If all goes well, my degree will be conferred on 15 February 2011. School will finally be over although I am sure the learning will not.
October 4, 2010 at 2:29 pm #22488Aetheling
ParticipantGood luck on your studies !! 🙂
October 4, 2010 at 2:52 pm #22489DonaldBaker
ParticipantGood luck! You'll be fine just don't pick a topic that's too hard to research.
October 5, 2010 at 12:04 am #22490Phidippides
KeymasterYes, good luck to you. If I have a piece of advice to give, it would be simply this: don't worry about making something extremely grand or perfect. Just work to get it done…you can always follow up and complete that “perfect” research paper in the future…. 😀
October 5, 2010 at 7:54 am #22491scout1067
ParticipantThanks for all the good sentiments 🙂
October 5, 2010 at 12:55 pm #22492Vulture6
ParticipantGood luck Patrick – no small accomplishment!
October 6, 2010 at 8:10 am #22493scout1067
ParticipantOk, my happiness was premature. Due to family circumstances I have to drop the class and will not be able to start until December now. 🙁 I guess in-laws really are for messing up the best laid plans.
October 6, 2010 at 12:55 pm #22494DonaldBaker
ParticipantOk, my happiness was premature. Due to family circumstances I have to drop the class and will not be able to start until December now. 🙁 I guess in-laws really are for messing up the best laid plans.
You can go ahead and start gathering your sources and researching. You don't have to be enrolled in the class to get started. Do what you can and be ahead of the curve come December.
October 6, 2010 at 1:49 pm #22495scout1067
ParticipantOh, I am already about 3/4 done with the first draft. I actually started working on it before I signed up for my first MA class 2 1/2 or 3 years ago..
October 6, 2010 at 2:38 pm #22496Phidippides
KeymasterThat's impressive. I don't know how many such opportunities you have like this where you are, but you might be able to use parts of your paper as topics to submit to conferences for presentation. That would make you even more of an authority (as far as your cv is concerned) on your topic.
October 7, 2010 at 1:17 pm #22497scout1067
ParticipantI have thought about that but there are few conferences over here that I can get to and even fewer that cover topics like mine. I do plan on trying to turn my thesis into a book after I am done though.
October 7, 2010 at 4:04 pm #22498donroc
ParticipantA general question about the state of a college MA thesis today. Have things changed over the decades that you can select your own? When I was in grad school during the 1950s, many professors told us what thesis to write about, parts of which which typically ended up later uncredited in one of their books.
October 7, 2010 at 4:16 pm #22499Phidippides
KeymasterA general question about the state of a college MA thesis today. Have things changed over the decades that you can select your own? When I was in grad school during the 1950s, many professors told us what thesis to write about, parts of which which typically ended up later uncredited in one of their books.
I think that would be highly unusual in today's world (at least, without permission). I completed my MA thesis this past Spring and had not heard about anything like that. I imagine that a professor who wouldn't even credit a student in a publication for research performed would have to be pretty old school.
October 7, 2010 at 6:44 pm #22500donroc
ParticipantA general question about the state of a college MA thesis today. Have things changed over the decades that you can select your own? When I was in grad school during the 1950s, many professors told us what thesis to write about, parts of which which typically ended up later uncredited in one of their books.
I think that would be highly unusual in today's world (at least, without permission). I completed my MA thesis this past Spring and had not heard about anything like that. I imagine that a professor who wouldn't even credit a student in a publication for research performed would have to be pretty old school.
I had heard things had changed. A good thing. By the way, back in the early 70s, UCLA stopped language and thesis requirements for M.A.s. I do not know if they ever reinstated those qualifications.
October 7, 2010 at 7:02 pm #22501scout1067
ParticipantI can only speak for my school but I got to choose my own topic. I have to submit a proposal for approval but the choice of what to write about is my own.
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