Is 8 weeks realistic for a 20,000-word master thesis without experience?

Yes, it is absolutely possible to write your thesis in eight weeks, but I completely understand why you are feeling terrified right now. Taking on a twenty-thousand-word project for the first time is incredibly daunting, especially when you are studying abroad and trying to navigate a new academic system. It is completely normal to feel like you are drowning in the research phase, and trying to stick to a rigid timeline when you are already stressed usually just leads to more procrastination. Think of this less like climbing a massive mountain all at once, and more like running a steady daily marathon where you just need to cross small, manageable milestones each day. To make this realistic without burning out, you should aim for about four to five hours of focused, deep work every day, targeting around five hundred words a day. Since you are in sociology, try to lock down your methodology and data analysis in the first two weeks so you have a solid foundation. Do not try to write a perfect first draft; just get your ideas down on paper because you cannot edit a blank page. If you treat this like a regular part-time job with set hours, you will be amazed at how quickly the pages start piling up. You have already made it this far in your master's program, so trust in your abilities and take it one single paragraph at a time.