Kyra: The last big challenge – writing a thesis

For each master programme the criteria for the thesis will be a little bit different, but for Sports Physiology it makes up 3/4 of the second year credits. A thesis starts with a general topic and my tip is to start thinking about this on time. You don’t need a complete literature review at the start of September, but having a general idea of what you would like to write about at the start of your second year will be very helpful. This can also help you find a supervisor, so don’t be afraid to talk to your professors. They have the best idea of what realistic topics are for the thesis and can lead you in the right direction.

At the beginning of your degree project, you’ll need to submit a proposal. From my experience, the most important thing is to have a general idea and a clear research gap. Once you’ve been given the green light for your topic, the planning phase begins. For me this meant coming up with a protocol, creating questionnaires, finding participants and so much more. I definitely underestimated the amount of time that goes into the preparation.

Another factor I did not fully consider is that it might be hard to find participants. Being flexible with your inclusion criteria and spreading the word early really helps. A few things you can do are put up posters, post on Facebook, talk to people on campus and ask your friends. At the same time, try not to put too much pressure on yourself, supervisors don’t expect huge numbers of participants.

Once data collection starts, things become quite intense for a while, with a full schedule of analysis, writing, communication with participants, and meetings with your supervisor. It’s a pretty demanding period, but also a really interesting learning experience where everything starts to come together. On top of that, you’ll be reading many articles and constantly writing on your paper. Therefore, don’t forget to take breaks and spend some time with your friends. Sometimes taking a little break will help you be even better when you return to your work.

My set-up in the Sports Physiology Lab

After having collected all your data, it is data analysis and a whole bunch of writing. This is where I am currently at, with about four weeks left before I have to hand in my paper and defend my thesis. What I take from the experience so far is that while it is definitely stressful, I’ve also proven to myself that I am capable of doing research on my own. At the start of the year I would not have believed you if you told me I would be testing in the lab on my own, so it really gave me some great experience. But am I very excited for my project to finish and for summer vacation to start? Definitely!

So, do you already know what you are going to write your thesis about?