Thesis Support

The Writers Room offers a variety of resources for Wesleyan seniors working on a thesis, regardless of topic or department. In an effort to add to the support available for thesis writers, we have expanded our events and programs. All services are, of course, free. We look forward to working with you!

Fall 2026 Thesis Writing Programs

Thesis Mentor Program

Thesis mentors are trained peer writing tutors that offer one-on-one support to students working on theses, senior essays, or capstone projects. Thesis mentors help writers revise their drafts, set weekly goals, brainstorm, and build accountability into their schedules.

Learn more and apply for a mentor here. Applications are now closed (but read on for more supports!). Due to limited staffing, we cannot guarantee mentors for all applicants but will notify all applicants of final decisions on September 17.

Didn't apply in time or didn't get paired with a mentor? You'll be able to apply for a thesis mentor in the Spring semester too!

Thesis Writing Retreat

This fall, the Writers Room is hosting a writing retreat for thesis writers. Writing retreats are where thesis writers come together to... write! Writing means reading and taking notes and organizing your ideas and talking to others and taking a walk and eating a snack. We'll have timed writing sessions, lunch from 12:30-1pm, and tutors on staff to work with you.

The Fall 2026 Thesis Writing Retreat will be held on Friday, November 6th from 12:30-4pm in PAC 100.

In addition to providing food and space to work on your thesis, the Writers Room will also offer an optional workshop: "Building a Writing Schedule for the Year" from 2-3pm during the retreat. Writing a thesis takes time. And for many thesis writers, this is the first moment in their academic history that they will work on a project for months on end. As such, this workshop will guide students through the process of creating a writing schedule for the academic year. We will focus on (1) breaking down the large task of 'writing a thesis' into smaller SMART goals and (2) scheduling deadlines for each of these SMART goals.

Food will be provided! Please RSVP here if you plan to join so we know how much food to order!

Weekly Write-Ins

Thesis and capstone writers are invited to weekly write-ins at the Writers Room. These take place on Wednesdays from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Enjoy coffee, tea, and snacks while working alongside other thesis-writers!

Thesis Writers' Moodle

Join our events remotely, find a community, exchange drafts, and share tips and resources all in our dedicated Moodle! Don't let the thesis process become more difficult or lonely than it needs to be. You can find the moodle in the "Community Moodle" bucket.

Resources for Thesis Writers

As you plan your project:

Blank Monthly Calendars - Break up your project and set smaller deadlines.
Blank Weekly Calendar - Feel like there's no time to get started? Track how you already spend your time.
Daily Planner/ Organizer printable templates
- Writing Center created
- Design your own daily planner with your own
  - with Canva: templates available by subjects/tasks (sign-in with Google for free usage and download)
  - with Creately
Managing your writing project with digital tools:
- with Notion
- with Trello

Having trouble getting started?

Procrastination - Understand what procrastination is, why it's happening, and how to stop it from taking over your project.
Apps for staying focused
Writing Tips for When You're Feeling Stuck
- Prompts for stuckers to keep your writing groove and reflect about your project.
- Short video on feeling stuck in writing by the writing center
Move From Research To Writing - You can research forever! Use these tips to get writing regularly.
Before Breakfast Podcast
- "Choose the ideas that matter most" - Narrow your to-do list to what's most important.
- "Embrace the thrashing" - Manage and value your time.

Strategies for tackling big projects:

Mindfulness - Prioritize your body and emotions with some of these ways of incorporating mindfulness into your writing process.
The Must-Do Method - Get your priorities straight with these quick steps.
Pomodoro Technique - Stop that overwhelmed feeling from taking over by dividing your time and interspersing breaks.
Batchotasking - Monotasking and batching are a great team.
Lists and project management - Which type of list is right for you?

Citations and note-taking software:

Zotero - Organize your resources and get citations instantly.
Evernote - Save all sorts of web sources and also make to-do lists.

The basics of citations and style:

Chicago Turabian Quick Guides - Citation examples from CMOS.
Chicago Turabian Tip Sheets - Formatting help from CMOS.
MLA - The basics of MLA from the Purdue OWL.
APA - The basics of APA from the Purdue OWL.

To hear about other writers' projects:

Using all of your languages when writing:

Reading a lot of material quickly
Using Foreign Languages in Academic Writing (The Purdue Owl)

Check out some words of wisdom from past thesis writers:

During drop-add, consider adding a course that’s tangentially related to your thesis topic. It can help you look at your thesis through a different lens, and you might find some fantastic sources you can use in your thesis.
-Former thesis writer, class of 2018

I wrote my thesis in Anthropology and German Studies. A significant portion of it was ethnographic. In the humanities, as well as the more qualitative social studies fields like anthropology, the thinking that you do happens through writing, not beforehand. A lot of people spend a large portion of their thesis year planning what they are going to write about. My strategy was just to keep writing, and it was through the process of writing that I finally landed on what ended up being my central argument in my thesis.

-Anna Apostolidis, class of 2019, Anthropology & German Studies

If conducting an experiment, take advantage of any time you spend waiting to do writing. Write what you can when you can. While waiting on IRB approval, I wrote my introduction and methods. When I got my data, I just had to write results and a discussion. My thesis was done about a month early!

-Katie Vasquez, class of 2020, High Honors in Psychology