Class of 2017, it’s your senior year. This year you’re the top dogs of North Central. While being a senior encompasses many fun and exciting events and privileges, there are also many upcoming stressors. Senior year is the year of a very daunting task: writing the infamous senior paper.

The senior paper is basically an extended essay covering a topic of choice. The topic that is chosen is studied and analyzed extensively for months. After mastering the topic, a thesis is developed raising a controversial question that will be both supported and refuted throughout the paper. This can seem impossible and very intimidating, but here are some tips and tricks to remember to get through the process smoothly.

1. Don’t choose a narrow/vague topic. Make sure it’s something that can be written about extensively.
2. Support the argument, don’t just report information
3. Choose a topic that interests you. You’ll be researching and writing about it for months, you don’t want to get bored.
4. If possible, find an advisor that can coach you through your paper and can be used as a resource for information.
5. Stick to deadlines, even work ahead. It’s senior year, don’t slack now.
6. Don’t forget to record every source used.
7. Make sure to proofread. Just because you’re done, doesn’t mean you’re done. Take the time to show that you care about your work.