About Mat, Grace and your thesis
Your thesis. It’s the final achievement crowning your studies. It asks for hard work, patience, research and persistence. Not only from the students, but also from the thesis seminar supervisors and, maybe you weren’t aware: the Thesis Seminars Coordinator. At International Studies, we’re very lucky to have a dedicated Thesis Seminars Coordinator – devoted to smoothly coordinating the process of planning and organization.
Mat Immerzeel, who has fulfilled this role for the past years, will now pass it onto Grace Rowicka.
In this double interview you’ll get anecdotes and advice for the thesis writers as well as the supervisors. We thank Mat for his work and we welcome Grace into this new position!
Mat, can you tell us a bit more about your role as the Thesis Seminars Coordinator? And what is your best advice for students when it comes to their thesis?
Mat: To start with an impression of the extent of the organization: usually some 350-400 students enroll for a thesis seminar in the second semester, and somewhat less in the first semester. They all have to be placed in one of the twenty to forty seminars according to their specific area and preferred disciplines and topic, which in itself is already a challenging puzzle. It is the coordinator’s task to channel this process and support the supervisors’ team to carry out their multiple tasks. Other activities include the organization of the process of finding second readers and search for solutions to individual problems in concert with the supervisors, study coordinators and Programme Board. In short, the coordinator is the spider in the web; he or she coordinates, advises, troubleshoots, and encourages.
The large number of students and extent of the supervisors’ team requires not only a fair, standardized trajectory for all, but also clear rules and a tight schedule which demands a lot of the students’ time management. The writing of a thesis is a time-consuming process! I can only advise students to fully focus on this matter rather than spread your attention to plural courses. It might cost you blood, sweat and tears, but there is always light at the end of tunnel: a little over 99% of the theses submitted in the past second semester were graded with a pass. In short, staying on schedule, good communication with your supervisor and submitting are certainly rewarding!
You’re retiring this month. We’re sad to see you go! What is the most touching story you’ve experienced with students and lecturers?
Mat: Thank you, it’s sad to me as well but I had a great time at International Studies! The most touching moments are always when a student who had experienced a lot of problems has finally passed, often with a lot of dedication of the supervisor, extra help from Grace as thesis coach, and the support of other staff members. I recently supervised a student who had tried to write a thesis at several earlier occasions. Knowing that he might need some additional help, I half-jokingly offered him extra support in exchange of baklava in case of a pass, sweet oriental pastry. He accepted the challenge with a big smile, and we developed an excellent working relationship which resulted in a fine thesis graded with an 8. At the day of the graduation ceremony, he suddenly came back to our initial ‘agreement’ and asked me if I would be present to receive the promised delicacy. Alas, due to the covid restrictions I was not allowed to attend the event. It’s good to know that there still is baklava waiting for me somewhere out there, but the knowledge that this student finally stepped over his own shadow also tastes sweeter than honey….
Grace, welcome! You are taking over this important task from Mat. Can you tell us a bit more about yourself?
Grace: Thank you. I’m happy to join the International Studies team! In a way I have already been part of it for two years as a thesis coach for a selected group of students who got stuck in the thesis writing process. Thesis coaching combines feedback on academic writing with personal coaching techniques, and it is unique to International Studies.
I’m bringing in experience as a lecturer and researcher of Native American languages of Washington State, coordinator of studies, student counselor, instructor in academic writing and as personal coach. And, of course, as an international, like many of our students and staff. I came from Poland to do my PhD in linguistics and I grew my roots here.
That sounds like a lot of useful experience. Do you have any advice for the lecturers when it comes to thesis seminars?
Grace: Research shows that students learn from giving (peer-)feedback even more than from receiving it. They become more aware of what counts in thesis evaluation and get new ideas by reviewing their fellow-students’ work. You can set up peer-feedback rounds via Turnitin in Brightspace. Clear criteria and stepwise instruction on what to pay attention to are crucial.
Additional assignments (in between the proposal, the literature review and the first draft) can also help your students divide the thesis project into smaller steps. For instance, an annotated bibliography or a literature matrix can be a good preparation for the literature review and a very rough draft of the (expected) conclusion can help the student to improve their argumentation.
Thanks Grace, that sounds super helpful. Welcome in your new role! Mat, thank you so much for your contribution the past years. Is there anything you’d like to add?
Mat: Yes, a message to the students. You should fully engage in your thesis subject, you will like it, be overwhelmed by it or hate it at the end. But don’t forget to let it go once you have left International Studies. You are ready for the next challenge in your life; make good use of what you learned with us!