Most student projects begin in the Autumn Term, and many take place over the entire final year. At York, where I teach, students get a couple of weeks at the start of term to make their choices, and then the final decisions are made a few weeks into the term.
The majority of students tend to wait until that point to start thinking about their project. My suggestion is that you begin this process as soon as possible. If you start making some progress on your project now, you will be able to hit the ground running when you start officially.
But isn't that dangerous, given that my project choice isn't finalised? What if I can't get that project, and so any input I do is wasted? How can I find time to do this as I'm so busy working or travelling to University?
These are all good and sensible questions, and it may be true that there is no guarantee right now that you will get your project. However, there are several reasons why it's good to make a start, and they don't need to take up too much time:
- You will arrive back at university/college mentally prepared and raring to go.
- This helps you to quickly focus on your work and make the most of the facilities there.
- You will gain some background knowledge on the subject, and this gets you thinking.
- Some thoughts and ideas have a long 'gestation period', so the earlier you can start, the more sophisticated your ideas can become because they have time to grow.
- Even if your idea or focus changes, it is by being proactive that helps you to grow. It's often said by martial artists that it's easier to change direction if you're already moving, than to suddenly move in a new direction from being stationary.
- It puts a proper perspective on your project. When you're back at studying there will be many other pulls on your time, yet the project is often the biggest thing you will do.
So what sort of things can you do ahead of time?
1) Read about Project Management. This is going to sound like yet another shameless self-promotion, but you could do worse than getting the book (see below) and start working through it. Seriously, running your own project is one of the biggest changes and challenges you will encounter in your whole education, and it takes many people by surprise. Be prepared.
2) Read about your subject. Do everything you can to become an expert in the area you are studying. Find out what the major topics are. Look out for books, and get hold of some of the best, or visit your library. Make a reading plan and try to do some every day. Find out what the most important journals are. Search the web - not just once, but trying out different keywords and persevering. Be hungry to find knowledge in your area.
3) Contact your potential supervisor. Some of you will have done this already. The supervisor is in a good position to recommend some key topics for you to look into, or maybe some important references for you to read.
4) Make notes. Get a notepad, or use an electronic note-taking system such as Evernote or Google Keep or OneNote and starting making this subject your own. Keep a record of everything you do, ideas you have, things you've read, things you want to read, questions for your supervisor. By writing it down you will mentally begin the process of managing your project.
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For more information
In the book Managing Your Project, Chapter 3 is all about the things that you can do to get going on your project and to mentally prepare for the process, and is worth working through before the project actually starts.
Chapter 3 is actually available (in its entirety) free of charge on the sample that you can see on the Amazon website here. Just click on the cover's “Look inside” or download a sample to your Kindle or Kindle reader app (available on most major platforms).
Managing Your Project: Achieving Success with Minimal Stress < NEW: Print Version >
Also available on Kindle: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0164RXKLI
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