After I settled down, I started up my "thesis activity" again (I say "thesis activity" because, as implied in earlier posts, there is much more to writing a thesis than just research). I read through all of the "Human Subjects Approval" (HSA) material twice, and then took the exam. Unfortunately, the first time around, I just barely failed by one question (I got 77.5%, and I needed 80% to pass). I'm sure you can imagine how frustrating it was to read through all of that material twice and fail. Instead of using up all of my energy on frustration, though, I decided to try a new approach to help me remember the material, and I went though all of the stuff I got wrong one more time. Finally, the second time I took the exam, I passed with over 90%! ^_^
Because I was on such a long hiatus from this blog, I will offer you TWO pieces of advice instead of one:
Advice Tidbit #1:
If you plan on studying abroad in a country where you are planning to do research, expect lots and lots of delays. While studying abroad, you need time at the beginning to get things like housing and school registration in order, and to orient yourself with the new setting. The best time to start (or re-start) your research, or even your "thesis activity" is after you feel you have settled down because if your mind is cluttered with worries of how your course registration paperwork got lost, or of how much longer it will take for your baggage to arrive, you will probably be more focused on that and will not be able to concentrate properly.
Advice Tidbit #2:
When you are studying for your human subjects approval exam, go through the material twice. The first time, read (yes, just read) all of the material properly and think about which material is the most important to remember (there will be a lot). The second time, go through the material again, but take notes where necessary (at least for me, I tend to remember things better if I write them down). Then, after having read your notes once or twice, take the exam. If you fail, you can see which answers you got wrong (at least on the Rutgers exam), and you can read up more on those points before you take the exam a second time.
Goals:
-Come up with a solid thesis question (note: I have one floating around my head, I just need to talk to my advisor back home about it)
-Create a rough outline of subtopics
-research current events as well as not-as-current-but-still-relevant articles involving SG, the banking reform and the economic crisis both in French and English
note: I have abandoned the idea of finding a secondary thesis advisor here because unless you're in their class, or unless helping you will benefit them personally, french professors are usually very aloof. Also, there are no politics or economics departments in the school I am currently enrolled at, therefore any professor here who knows anything about my field will have no interest in taking on the responsibility of being my advisor.
another note: I did not get selected to be a part of the Law, Society and Justice fellowship, so from here on out, I will be going full speed ahead with my current thesis topic.
On a more optimistic note: I have an account at the bank that I wish to do a case study on (societe generale), and my personal teller (yes, you have a personal teller in french banks who deals with you directly and knows you very well, bank-wise) told me that she would be more than willing to help me if I had any questions for my research. Furthermore, the main headquarters of Societe General is in La Defense (easily accessible by the Paris metro), so should I need to conduct interviews on a higher level, travel will definitely not be an issue. ^_^
