Letter Forty: Can a Thesis be Too Personal?

But one only has to ask the experience of two opposing sports teams on a championship game about what 3-7 score means to know that numbers, facts, carry stories and meanings.

And that who the person reporting on the score is matters because there are many stories to be told about 3-7. I mean I can think of at least four off the top of my head - a story of a underdog, a story of a reigning champion, a story of both teams not making the most of the game, a story of a coach’s final season. Same 3-7 score.

To finally get directly to your thesis question: a thesis is already personal. It’s always personal. Whether people acknowledge it or not.

Letter Thirty-Four: Dear Does Everyone Hate Their Work By the End

I do believe everyone goes through a stage - or many stages - of feeling disenchanted, confused, disappointed, and disliking of the thousands of words they have to output for a dissertation.

Hatred could be and definitely has been a part of it for people (it’s such a recognizable experience that there’s a meme I’ve seen on academic accounts that reads something like “I know a paper is ready to submit once I hate it”).

As could feeling disconnected or apathetic. So I don’t want to say that all the emotional experiences of this stage look and feel the same to people, but it appears as though it is a part of everyone’s journey.