Computing & Information Services

Thesis and Your Senior Year

So you're a senior, or about to be one, and you're a little confused. You have now reached the final stage of your undergraduate education at Reed. This set of web pages (assembled by CUS with help and text from the Registrar's Office) is intended to help make your senior year go as smoothly as possible. Hopefully this page will give you the information you need to avoid some common pitfalls and generally just help survive the year. If you have questions about anything on these pages, e-mail CUS, call us at x7525, or come visit our office opposite the IRCs.

The Senior Handbook

The Senior Handbook, published every year, contains useful information for the anxious senior:

Global deadlines, divisional deadlines.
Planning your year -- stuff to think about at the beginning, middle, and end.
The process of turning it in.
Degree requirements and credit information.
Credit evaluation, academic requirements, check list of requirements.

Helpful Resources

Getting Videos, Audio, and Other Media through the IMC for your thesis.
Doyle O.W.L. - Reed's Online Writing Lab. The web pages help you in a variety of ways with styles guides and general help. Or you can go to the writing center located in the Quantitative Skills Center on the first floor of the ETC building.
Thesis Desk both Fall and Spring.
Grants and Awards.
Lottery Macs.
Formatting Your Thesis (also see the Senior Handbook).

Thesis Templates

We have two templates available: one for Microsoft Word and one for LaTeX. The version was made with Word version 10 for Mac OSX but should work with any reasonably recent version of Word—97 or newer, Windows or Mac. The Word template takes the form of a substantial introduction and tutorial, so the first thing you should do when you want to use it is take the time to read it. Please don't download this and pass it along! We make changes from time to time, and the most recent version will always be here.

Download Thesis Template for Word (Last Updated: June 2007).
Download Thesis Template for LaTeX (Last Updated: August 2006).

If you have questions about using Word you can go to the online help page. Drop-in consulting is available any time the Help Desk is open. Or you can e-mail CUS or call us at x7525 or come visit our office opposite the IRCs. The sooner you come and talk to us with questions, the better, particularly if you're doing anything that involves graphics, tables or charts.

Spring 2008- CUS is holding a special Thesis formatting session on Fridays from 3-5 in ETC 205. Drop by for help with both LaTeX and Word formatting! Other ways to get help include, visiting our web pages, emailing cus@reed.edu, calling 777-7525, or stopping by the help desk while it's staffed.

Life After Thesis

Believe it or not, life continues after thesis, and there are some things you should start thinking about now.

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