Student Life

A Letter to the Juniors on the Senior Thesis

Posted on March 24, 2023March 24, 2023 by Agnes Robang

Students sitting in rocky dining hall working on their senior thesis. — *Students working hard at thesis bootcamp*

Hello juniors!

Spring is always a rollercoaster of a semester. We have just about 6 more weeks of school before spring classes are over! Before you know it, you will be a senior and will have to start thinking about the big T – thesis. I recommend you take a little bit of time to think about your thesis – maybe you’ve already started after reading Ryan’s great post around choosing a topic. You don’t have to have all of the answers right away, but at least you would already have given it a bit of thought and let your ideas brew at the back of your mind.

Senior Thesising 101: Choosing your Topic

Posted on March 8, 2023March 8, 2023 by Ryan Champeau

Princeton building at night with light snow. Tree in center of frame and lights casting a glare — *The first snow of the semester indicates that senior thesis season is upon us!!!!!*

Senior thesis. Senior thesis. Senior thesis. By this time of year, you have most likely heard seniors in the middle of the night at Firestone or at Coffee Club study breaks, thinking about, stressing about, and working on their senior thesis. In my last post, I wrote about one of the first and most important steps of the senior thesis process, choosing the right adviser (see here). Now, I walk through what I believe to be another pivotal moment for the senior thesis process: choosing a topic. For SPIA majors and presumably for many other majors as well, it may seem difficult to narrow down your project to one specific topic when the major is so broad and diverse. Throughout my time at Princeton, I have taken classes in law, environmental policy, psychology, economics, ethics and more, and I enjoyed them all. But, I eventually had to choose one topic to write a full thesis on. So, without further ado, here are some steps on choosing the right topic for you.

Wintersession: A Fun Chance to Discover New Interests

Posted on March 1, 2023February 28, 2023 by Kate Weseley-Jones

The start of a new semester can be an adjustment, especially after a long and relaxing break. In the spring, I often end up feeling overwhelmed by internship applications, which Amaya recently wrote about. A few weeks ago, though, I found myself overwhelmed in a far more positive manner; I came back to campus early this year for Wintersession, and was amazed by the huge selection of opportunities both on and off campus. Wintersession is a recent Princeton initiative, giving students the chance to teach and participate in workshops, classes, and trips during the last two weeks of winter break. This past Wintersession, some of the offerings included a class on blacksmithing and a skiing trip. Free, short-term programs are the perfect chance to step out of your learning comfort zone. A particularly engaging class could spark your interest in an unfamiliar (or even underexplored!) topic, opening up new avenues for potential research.

Entrance to Lewis Library — This Wintersession, I attended a class in the Maker Space located inside Lewis Library.

Experiences in the ReMatch+ Program: An Interview with Kasey Shashaty ’23 – Part 2

Posted on February 24, 2023February 24, 2023 by Agnes Robang

Last spring, I interviewed Kasey Shashaty. In this second part of my interview, we discuss specific challenges in her transition between virtual and in-person research and reflections on how this experience in the PULSe Lab has influenced her perspective on research and her plans for the future.

Woman is standing next to a research poster at a poster presentation session — *Kasey presenting her research.*

Kasey Shashaty got her jumpstart in research through the ReMatch+ program organized by the Office of Undergraduate Research. ReMatch+ is a summer mentorship program that pairs first-year and second-year students with a graduate student or postdoctoral fellow as they work on a summer research project. Read on to learn more about her research experience!

Exploring Places and Creating New Spaces: An Interview with Nal Xaviera ‘25

Posted on February 22, 2023February 20, 2023 by Alexis Wu

On campus, Nal Xaviera ’25 is a member of Engineers Without Borders: Kenya, Community House After School Programs, and an assistant for the Visual Resources Department.

College is a wonderful place to explore your interests. It’s a time to meet new people, engage with different disciplines, and explore what you’re truly curious about. Perhaps one of the most apt examples of such opportunities is the Office of International Programs’s International Internship Program (IIP).

Senior Thesising 101: Choosing Your Adviser

Posted on February 17, 2023February 17, 2023 by Ryan Champeau

Image of night sky above a Princeton building with comet streaking overhead — Whether it’s to look at a comet in the middle of the night or to hang out with friends, you should always find time to step away from your thesis and take everything in during your last few months on campus. *Photo Credit: Ryan Champeau*

Everyone has heard of the spooky ~senior thesis~ since the second that they stepped on campus for their official Princeton tour. It may feel far away at the time, but trust me, coming from a second semester senior, it comes around quicker than you expect. I am currently in the writing process, but it has been a long journey even getting to this point. Surprisingly, though, I have loved writing my thesis. It does not feel like work because it is a topic that I am truly passionate about. My goal for my final PCUR posts is to walk you through my thesis journey to hopefully make you feel better about yours. This post will start with one of the first steps of the thesis process: finding an adviser.

PCUR Archives: Tips for Winter Break

Posted on January 10, 2023December 13, 2022 by Caitlin Larracey

Image depicts courtyard area with grey bricks and fresh snow. A squirrel is in the corner and in the center are a set of archways. — *Campus is quieter during wintersession, but there’s still plenty to do! (Photo Credit, Denise Applewhite)*

Ryan closed us off in December with a wonderful post about different ways you can schedule (or not schedule) your time over winter break. To her work, we’d like to invite you to take a look back at some other posts on how you might build research, restoration, and recreation (of the educational kind) into your winter break. Check out the posts below!

iFly and I Rest: Making the Most of Winter Break

Posted on December 14, 2022December 13, 2022 by Ryan Champeau

Photo of hand holding a takeout container with mini donuts covered in chocolate and powdered sugar. A blue food truck is in the background. — *The outdoor food festival takes place on Prospect at the end of Wintersession. From donuts to skiing to iFly, you should definitely check it all out!*

Winter break is long and much-needed. It is a time to relax, rejuvenate, and reflect on the semester. In this post, I will give advice on how to make the most of the next few months, but I recognize that you know yourself best and should choose to spend your break in whatever way makes you happiest. Without further ado, here are my takeaways from the last 3 winter breaks:

Add-Drop Period Survival Guide

Posted on December 12, 2022December 12, 2022 by Virginia Cobbs

Woman with head in her hands looks stressed while staring at computer screen — *How I feel trying to pick classes at the crack of dawn every semester*

If you’re anything like me, course selection is a perfect storm of stress and chaos. It’s at the crack of dawn for some reason, TigerHub feels like it was designed on Microsoft Word, and you are making decisions that have a direct impact on your future. And sometimes it all goes wrong. Seeing that big red X on a course you really wanted to join may be disheartening, but it is not the end of the world! I am here to offer some advice for surviving the magical solution to all your course selection woes: add-drop period.

Learning to Stay Productive During Reading Period

Posted on December 9, 2022December 8, 2022 by Kate Weseley-Jones

While reading Ryan’s recent post about dean’s date traditions and reading period excitement, I started thinking back to all of the things I wish I did differently during my first reading period. Today, I want to approach the same topic of reading period, but from a slightly less exciting (although necessary) angle: how to actually buckle down and stay productive when studying for finals. Unlike fall finals last year, reading period this December will be fully on campus, and for most of us, won’t require navigating studying from home. Here’s some of my advice for how to take full advantage of reading period for a strong end to the semester.

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