On May 1st, I defended my master’s thesis. Ever since I decided to continue my education and apply for a master’s of sociology, I’ve been dreaming of the day when I would present a finished copy of my thesis and hear the words “You passed!” However, the journey to get there was not what I had initially expected.
At the beginning of this school year, I had a half-finished Ethics application and a long process ahead of me. By December, my Ethics application was finally approved, and I was ready to begin recruiting participants for my study. Slowly but surely, I started receiving emails from individuals who were interested in participating, and I began scheduling interviews. Although I was nervous at first, my favourite part of the entire thesis experience was meeting and having conversations with the participants in this study. As a researcher, it was interesting to hear the first-hand experiences of different individuals who were impacted by my thesis topic, and I felt grateful for the opportunity to listen to their stories. Once the interviews were over and I had obtained enough information to begin writing, I started transcribing and coding each interview. To my surprise, I enjoyed this process way more than I thought I would, and I was excited to see my project finally coming to life.
Once my coding was complete, the writing process had begun! For two weeks straight, I was dedicated to completing the results section of my thesis. Day in, and day out, I became well acquainted with the study rooms in the Bracken Health Sciences Library (booking available here) and I solely operated on the Pomodoro Technique (i.e., working for 25 minutes, then taking a 5-minute break, on repeat). After two tiring and difficult weeks, I had reached my goal, and my results section was finished!
Before I knew it, I was putting the final touches on my thesis and my defence date was booked. To say that I was anxious was an understatement. I couldn’t believe that I would be discussing the details of my thesis in front of a panel of professors, who were experts in this field. What would they think of my work? Would they agree with my research findings?
Two weeks later, it was time to defend. The moment that I had been waiting for was here, and it felt like I was in a trance. After answering countless questions and sitting in the waiting room for what felt like an eternity, I was told that I passed! Looking back, I’m shocked by how quickly this school year went by, but I’m proud of myself for pushing through and producing my best work. If I could go back in time and give myself one piece of advice, it would be: enjoy the moment before it’s gone.
Next stop… graduation!