Hello everyone, welcome to another blog post written by yours truly, Jake Long. Today we will talking about the elusive perfect thesis statement because now is the time when we get our first speeches of the year. According to UNC Writing Center, a thesis statement is a roadmap for the paper that tells the reader what to expect from the rest of the paper. At times, it is appropriate to write your thesis statement after writing the body sections of your paper because you may not be ready to refine your main ideas until after exploring what you have to say. A thesis statement should give a reader a one sentence synopsis that they can refer to if questions arise as to how certain points relate to your topic. Let’s say you’re writing a paper on the effectiveness of the University bus system and your thesis reads, “The University bus system offers a beneficial service for students who need to get from one end of campus to the other in a short amount of time.” If later in the paper you wrote, the bus drivers are reckless and put students walking calmly to class at risk of getting hit in order to deliver their passengers on time, then a reader can reflect back on the goal of your paper and recognize your dedication to staying on theme is lacking. A better secondary topic would be a personal anecdote of a time when the bus system got you to class on time. This idea would be both clarify and support your thesis statement, and your reader will appreciate being prepped for what is to come in your writing.