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THE

BEST TIME

TO JOIN

THE WORKSHOP

START WITH THE END IN MIND

THESIS WRITING TIMELINE CHECKLISTS

Thesis Writing Checklist

Thesis Timeline Checklist

2 YEARS TO GRADUATE

Outstanding time to join

Streamline your thesis writing time by exploring a thesis topic, literature review, research plan, and developing your paper inside class assignments. Talk to advisors and faculty about possible topics. A great time to plan for your future. And a smart way to capitalize on writing parts of your paper throughout your program. This is for "advanced" planners who like to finish on time using our 2-year Thesis Writing Timeline Checklist.

Dissertation students typically take two years to write their papers as topics and specific research questions must be investigated.

Excellent time to join

You have 1 year left until graduation. There may still be time to develop your thesis inside class assignments. Start preparing now for your Directed Studies (thesis) class and have assignments done (or started). It's time to start deciding what your thesis topic will be and use our 1-year Thesis Writing Timeline Checklist.

Faculty favorite or "preferred" choice for you to start your thesis.

1 YEAR TO GRADUATE

9 MONTHS TO GRADUATE

Optimal time to join

You have 9 months left until you reach the goal of graduating. Time to plan in advance how to complete your paper. You are basically writing your paper in one (1) academic year or in 2 terms using our 9-month Thesis Writing Timeline Checklist. Time is ticking and your thesis topic should be known and research started. Double-check your deadline dates.

6 MONTHS TO GRADUATE

Important time to join

You have a short 6 months until you want to graduate. Time will pass quickly now and you will need to use our 6-month Thesis Writing Timeline Checklist to write your paper. You should be well on your way with a topic, writing, and communicating your intent to graduate with faculty, advisor, or committee.

This plan works well if you have a completed paper and cannot get approval from your committee, and have competing demands for your time (e.g., work, family, and obligations) to re-work (correct) your paper.

6 WEEKS TO GRADUATE

Critical time to join

It is "go time." The clock is now about 6 weeks before your deadline. First, do not let your enrollment lapse. Stay enrolled and join the workshop to complete your thesis. Put life on hold for a short period of time and realize success. You got this, and so have 25% of our students!

This plan is excellent if you have a completed paper and cannot get approval from your committee (e.g., have a "term paper" and not a "thesis paper," not "thesis" writing quality, or lacks university format style guidelines). Dedicate 6-weeks to reworking your paper to graduate.

Faculty question: Do students really complete their papers in 6 weeks? We answer them, "Yes!" They are a little surprised at this and usually respond, "Wow." (see stats below)

Who are our graduated students?

Where do you see yourself?

We took a survey in 2021 to learn more about our recently graduated students.

Here's what 40 Thesis Writing Workshop graduated students had to say:

64% of students indicated they did not graduate according to their planned time
78% of students wished they had started earlier in their program to work on their thesis
35% of students had dropped out of their program and re-enrolled to finish their thesis—by enrolling in the Thesis Writing Workshop
15% of students wrote a project paper and 85% wrote a thesis paper
93% of students believed they would not have graduated without joining the workshop

How long were you in the Thesis Writing Workshop?

(40 responses)

2 years

1 year

9 months

6 months

6 weeks

All Google survey responses were anonymous.

Student Survey

THESIS WRITING TIMELINE CHECKLISTS

Available to All Workshop Students

Timeline Checklists are located in the Getting Started Island Training area

Select image to enlarge

AVAILABLE

6-Week Checklist
6-Month Checklist
9-Month Checklist
1-Year Checklist (shown)
2-Years Checklist (2 pages)

Note: All Timeline Writing Checklists are customized to the amount of time until graduation to help maintain accountability and keep track of the writing progress.