Archived Blog Posts: Preparing the Final Year Project for Seniors
In a video titled "Senior Thesis Spotlight: Standing on the Shoulders of Giants", Princeton students and the Assistant Director of Undergraduate Research share valuable tips and resources for writing a successful senior thesis.
The video begins by discussing the importance of structured feedback and community support. One approach emphasised is participating in writing workshops and seminars, such as the Writing Seminar at Princeton. In these seminars, students read and critique peers' drafts, meet with professors for one-on-one or group feedback, and revise their drafts based on this input.
Building a supportive community with classmates and faculty is also highly valued. Such communities encourage open discussion, shared challenges, and collective growth, all of which help sustain motivation during the demanding thesis-writing process.
Princeton's undergraduate research office recommends meeting early and regularly with faculty advisors to discuss thesis topics, methodologies, and drafts. The Assistant Director of Undergraduate Research advises students to plan their thesis timeline carefully, seek diverse sources, and use institutional resources such as Special Collections or academic databases to deepen research.
Jodie De Jesus, a Princeton student who wrote a thesis on the Survivor fandom, stresses the importance of choosing a topic that genuinely interests you and documenting the process through blogs or journals, which help clarify thinking and track progress.
Though the video does not provide a direct, detailed toolkit from the Assistant Director, these combined student experiences and institutional practices reflect key strategies endorsed at Princeton: engage deeply with your topic, use peer and faculty feedback rigorously, cultivate community support, and leverage Princeton’s rich research resources.
For further detailed guidance, students often consult Princeton’s Office of Undergraduate Research and Writing Resources, attend thesis workshops, and review senior thesis archives for examples of successful projects.
The video concludes with a "Save" option, a link to email a friend the video (Opens in new window), a "More" option, a link to share the video on Reddit (Opens in new window), and a link to print the video (Opens in new window).
[1] Source: Princeton University Undergraduate Research [5] Source: Princeton University Office of Communications
This article is not a direct transcript of the video but a summarised and simplified version for easy reading.
A junior student might find it beneficial to start working on a paper by attending writing workshops, such as Princeton's Writing Seminar, and seeking feedback from classmates and professors to improve their work. Moreover, undergraduate research can contribute significantly to education-and-self-development, as demonstrated by Princeton's emphasis on using diverse sources, planning a careful timeline, and leveraging institutional resources for a successful learning experience.
