“While they’re debating, that means they’re not looking for an adviser,” says Social Studies DUS Anya Bernstein.

Gerald E. Wootten III ’05, an economics-turned-government concentrator, says that while some people procrastinate in choosing topics, those who know their topics early should have certain tools at their disposal.

“I would’ve liked to have a thesis adviser one year prior to my due date,” Wootten says. “I would have had better help in how to approach my research and saved a lot of time.”

The need to fulfill informal guidelines, such as working in a lab in freshman or sophomore year for science concentrators, often complicates students’ plans for finding advisers as well.

“It’s unfortunate that up until recently, it hasn’t been formally vocalized that working in a lab is going to help students find an adviser,” says Alexa L.M. Von Tobel ’06, co-chair of the Undergraduate Psychology Student Organization (UPSO).

Moreover, departments have different expectations about how early students must start looking for thesis advisers.

“It is possible that some students might be confused about when to start,” S.C. Samuel Kou, Statistics co-head tutor, wrote in an e-mail.

Most departments strongly suggest beginning the search no later than the spring of junior year, while other departments—like Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Statistics—say students should start much earlier.

COMPETITION

In departments with low faculty-student ratios—where a particular handful of professors may be in high demand as thesis advisers—the process can be competitive and stressful.

Some department administrators emphasize the need to increase faculty awareness of and exposure to potential thesis writers.

Earth and Planetary Sciences Head Tutor John H. Shaw says that of the 35 faculty members in his department, about a quarter of them advise theses.

He says, though, that “it’s not a lack of willingness,” but more a lack of awareness on the part of faculty members. According to Shaw, faculty members who have more contact with students through their courses or labs tend to advise more thesis writers.

“You need some mechanism to put [thesis advising] higher on the radar screen” of professors, he says.

According to Economics DUS Jeffrey G. Williamson, many students flock to a core group of professors reputed for being good advisers or who specialize in popular research areas.