The 'anyone else writing a dissertation' thread?

[mrs quoad]

Got about 300 words to type on mine.

Gonna get it printed on Monday

*high fives for everyone*

In yet? Nicely

62,500 words now transcribed...

Seven down five to go!

 

[Kidda]

Got about 300 words to type on mine.

Gonna get it printed on Monday

*high fives for everyone*

can i have some of your work ethic please?

i spent four hours planning all my different chapters yesterday so now have a good breakdown of the structure and whats going to go in each chapter and have a spare couple 1000 words to expand on a few parts.

Ive been up four hours and still havent started writing yet though

i want to have 3000 words researched, referenced and written by the end of tomorrow

 

[mrs quoad]

can i have some of your work ethic please?

i spent four hours planning all my different chapters yesterday so now have a good breakdown of the structure and whats going to go in each chapter and have a spare couple 1000 words to expand on a few parts.

Ive been up four hours and still havent started writing yet though

i want to have 3000 words researched, referenced and written by the end of tomorrow

How'd it go, chap?

Finally started writing this morning!

And broke my 'dissertation' file into six separate section / chapter files. So's it's easier to keep my focus / not get lost

Up to about 4,000 words; but - most importantly - I've got chapter structures together for three of 'em. And the literature review's looking spot-on. The methodology has a smidgen of promise. I'm not so sure about the rest.

*hopes VP's going ok!*

 

[kalidarkone]

This thread is scaring me I've yet to even start Uni- will be In Sep 08. It is also making me determined to plan ahead and sort my time management shit out. I do things very slowly, but deeply and throughly, so therefore need to start early as possible.
Good luck with it all people -it will be me in 3 years time hopefully!

 

[Sugarmouse]

Does anyone else not read and re read their chapters once theyre finished. I just cant stand to do it. I use spellchecker so I get to run through that, then I leave it.

In my B.A dissertation I read it for the first time 6months after graduation, and I noticed a few errors such as repetition and less-than-perfect paragraphs.So perhaps I will make the effort to re read this time, I ust find it tiresome!

 

[aqua]

Tdetermined to plan ahead and sort my time management shit out.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha *breathe* hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

do you think we don't plan?

 

[Spion]

Does anyone else not read and re read their chapters once theyre finished. I just cant stand to do it. I use spellchecker so I get to run through that, then I leave it.

In my B.A dissertation I read it for the first time 6months after graduation, and I noticed a few errors such as repetition and less-than-perfect paragraphs.So perhaps I will make the effort to re read this time, I ust find it tiresome!

I write for a living. And, IMO, you just have to re-read stuff. There will always be errors or things you could change

 

[aqua]

I write for a living. And, IMO, you just have to re-read stuff. There will always be errors or things you could change

absolutely

and at PG level you won't get away with anywhere near as much as at UG level

 

[jugularvein]

i finished mine about three weeks ago. It was hell but i got it done. it was on value chains in the fuel cell industry

 

[mrs quoad]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha *breathe* hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

do you think we don't plan?

This, basically.

 

[Sugarmouse]

absolutely

and at PG level you won't get away with anywhere near as much as at UG level

True I have noted that watchinmy marks slide!Lol
Although I honestly just want to pass, that's all.
I just find the whole re reading thing sooo tiresome! I am my own worst critic.I will be there forever correcting and obsessing and changing things!

 

[kalidarkone]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha *breathe* hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

do you think we don't plan?

Nah- not sayin that! I mean I feel for all of you I get in the same state as you all but about tiny incy wincy essays and the thought of a dissertation is scary and if that pushes me into managing my time better then good!

 

[Vintage Paw]

*hopes VP's going ok!*

Aw, you thought of me

I had a rather major breakthrough last night. Now it is all clear as mud in my mind.

I have about 6,000 words of utter shite at the moment, but a clear(ish) idea of how it'll all pan out. I've still got an awful lot to do (which, scarily, includes last-minute research and a re-reading of the central book - which, thankfully, is short), and I'll be an utter wreck by the end of it, but ...

... I'm reasonably confident there'll be a first class 12,000 word dissertation being bound at Staples on Wednesday afternoon (3 copies: 2 for them, and 1 extra in case something goes wrong).

My brain is turning to puddles of poo at the moment though, so I'm drinking a big mug of hot chocolate laced with more brandy than is probably advisable, then I'm going to bed in the hope I can get up bright and early and work through the entire day. I haven't been able to get to sleep before 3 for the past few nights, and it means I'm sleeping in too late and not getting enough work done during the day. I might take some sleeping tablets if I've got any too (herbal, of course).

 

[Fledgling]

My undergrad dissertation was one long painfest and was largely written in the last 30 hours before the deadline because I hated every bit of writing I'd spent the last four months doing. I never start early enough, hoping to reel off 3000 words of good copy in a few hours. This would be possible in theory but I cannot concentrate on writing for longer than 40mins.

Now I have two 3500 word essays in for next Thurs and a 2000 word research proposal. I've written 550 words. I like collecting sources and reading them but writing is so painful. I wonder if I should be doing this at all. But here I am so have to get on with it.

I sometimes wonder what would happen if I started early and really took the time. But then I wonder whether starting at a different time would mean I would have missed out on discovering an important point. I spend a lot of time in anguish over counterfactuals.

Bibliographies are easy. I always mention that not all sources made it to the final draft. This allows you to add extra sources. Honest people though with guilt complexes (like me) do actually mean they didn't make the final draft. But you can try it and put in unread things.

Agony, and such a shame. I feel guilty, surely I should be enjoying my studies? Can I do better? Is this approach inevitable? Arrghhhh!

 

[Vintage Paw]

My undergrad dissertation was one long painfest and was largely written in the last 30 hours before the deadline because I hated every bit of writing I'd spent the last four months doing. I never start early enough, hoping to reel off 3000 words of good copy in a few hours. This would be possible in theory but I cannot concentrate on writing for longer than 40mins.

Now I have two 3500 word essays in for next Thurs and a 2000 word research proposal. I've written 550 words. I like collecting sources and reading them but writing is so painful. I wonder if I should be doing this at all. But here I am so have to get on with it.

I sometimes wonder what would happen if I started early and really took the time. But then I wonder whether starting at a different time would mean I would have missed out on discovering an important point. I spend a lot of time in anguish over counterfactuals.

Bibliographies are easy. I always mention that not all sources made it to the final draft. This allows you to add extra sources. Honest people though with guilt complexes (like me) do actually mean they didn't make the final draft. But you can try it and put in unread things.

Agony, and such a shame. I feel guilty, surely I should be enjoying my studies? Can I do better? Is this approach inevitable? Arrghhhh!

Are you me???

Seriously, I leave everything to the last minute because I'm scared if I spend more time over it I'll actually find out I'm not very good.

I'm hoping it won't get to the point where the majority of the writing is done on Tuesday and Wednesday (the deadline is Thursday morning), but I suppose leaving it til this point isn't very clever either.

(Every essay I've submitted over the past 2 years has been started at approx. 7pm the night before it's due. I've gotten firsts - and sometimes extremely fabulous firsts - for all but 1 of them. I'm not sure whether this is a "Good thing", or a "Bad thing" (in quotes because I got my best mark for the essay I had the most last minute trouble over and it included that text))

 

[Fledgling]

Are you me???

Seriously, I leave everything to the last minute because I'm scared if I spend more time over it I'll actually find out I'm not very good.

I'm hoping it won't get to the point where the majority of the writing is done on Tuesday and Wednesday (the deadline is Thursday morning), but I suppose leaving it til this point isn't very clever either.

(Every essay I've submitted over the past 2 years has been started at approx. 7pm the night before it's due. I've gotten firsts - and sometimes extremely fabulous firsts - for all but 1 of them. I'm not sure whether this is a "Good thing", or a "Bad thing" (in quotes because I got my best mark for the essay I had the most last minute trouble over and it included that text))

Plenty of similarities except that you appear less peturbed than me. The difference between undergrad and postgrad is that I now have several things due on the same day.

I've lost all confidence in timing really. In January I submitted 5 essays. The one I was reaonably proud of got the lowest mark, one I thought could have been better got a high mark but loads of criticism and a rushed madcap one was fine. The other two got the best marks and I did the least amount of work for that unit. So I'm totally flummoxed by the whole thing and have no idea how to approach things. I thought the January set would all be borderline; they came out much higher.

This threw me because I realised I could now get a higher classification than expected, although this depended on me handing in equal quality work. Also I agonised that I didn't deserve these results or that the whole thing was seriously dumbed down.

It used to irk me at undergrad when people made a point of "not doing any work" and still getting a good mark. Now I've realised it's only about me and that I probably won't change my approach. I think I read a lot but don't write much early on. I quite like reading journal articles, but having to be "reflexive" (urgh) about them dulls me. By the time I've written one draft I've had more than enough and end up saying sod it.

The dissertation is on over the summer, locking me inside instead of having one last free summer. I'm cutting it short too to go abroad. Have 10 weeks to do 12-15000 words which is manageable. But if I had longer I'd only prolong it and going on this trip matters to me.

Edited to add: just browsed your website, wish I was finishing this soon instead of having my dissertation over the summer. Would have planned my summer similar (substituting hiking for photos). For a while I refused to give up reading books unrelated to the course even if that menat doing less course work (defiantly I might add) but these last two weeks put paid to that.

 

[equationgirl]

i finished mine about three weeks ago. It was hell but i got it done. it was on value chains in the fuel cell industry

And are there any?

 

[mrs quoad]

(Every essay I've submitted over the past 2 years has been started at approx. 7pm the night before it's due. I've gotten firsts - and sometimes extremely fabulous firsts - for all but 1 of them. I'm not sure whether this is a "Good thing", or a "Bad thing" (in quotes because I got my best mark for the essay I had the most last minute trouble over and it included that text))

I used to do exactly that.

And get pretty much those marks.

And then... Well. I guess I sobered up and became more of a workaholic than an alcoholic

Try starting earlier and see how well you do then Only without all the bullshit, stress and fernaffle

 

[mrs quoad]

Oh, sodding cockflaps. 45 minutes of email-to-supervisor-writing down the drain thanks to a structural glitch with Cambridge's effing email.

Cocking sodflaps.

 

[Kidda]

How'd it go, chap?

it didnt

and neither did it for the rest of the week.

I do now have 500 words of one of my chapters done (started at 2am) i work better at night.

Im buzzing on it at the moment

3000 before bed, 3000 tomorrow, then i have untill wednesday to fit in another 3000 around work before printing on thursday.

Ive emailed my tutor for a few days extention as i started placement late i dont have the advantage of everyone else (4 extra weeks with nowt else to do but write) and have been working two jobs and trying to do all my reports at the same time, so starting a dissertation has been pretty hard going.

finished placement yesterday so im really getting into it.

disssoyytashhuuun ahoy

hows yours going?

 

[mrs quoad]

3000 before bed, 3000 tomorrow, then i have untill wednesday to fit in another 3000 around work before printing on thursday.

Good lord.

Good luck!

I work best in the mornings

Hence my online presence. Ha. Just warming up t'brain before knuckling down

Approx 4,000 words in, but have just realised I need to tweak the structure

 

[mrs quoad]

400 words before 8.20

That's gotta be good

And I'm finally drawing on my interviews and field notes

I fucking LOVE my field notes and interviews

e2a: 1,200 words before 10.15

RIGHT. I'm off to stroke the college cat and find some posh chocolate : cool :

e2a: 1,800 words today! And counting!

e2a: 3,100 words! Today! But some of that's cheating! Ha. And will need to be trimmed...

 

[Kidda]

way to go quoad

im finding sticking to the word count the worst part

who thought 10,000 words would be enough?

i need at least twice that.

i dont like chopping stuff out either, because at the moment what ive got so far sounds ace, but there is so much more i need to say.

and im limited to 1000 words for this chapter. grr.

 

[mrs quoad]

who thought 10,000 words would be enough?

i need at least twice that.

i dont like chopping stuff out either, because at the moment what ive got so far sounds ace, but there is so much more i need to say.

I've got just under twice that.

I need four times that

I've just done a word count, and am shocked to find I've got 11,000 words...

A fair few of them are - admittedly - shite. But there's one v v solid 4,000 word chapter there... And 2,500 v solid words of lit review (admittedly needs SOME tweaking...)

And 1,500 words of pure wank methodology

 

[Vintage Paw]

I'm in for the long haul now. My sleeping is fucked, last night I didn't get to sleep until about 2 (despite going up at about 11), and was awake at 6. It's because I know that for the next couple of days I'll be getting very little bed action.

Got a lot to do, but I'm in a strong-ish position. I've written about 15,000 words over the last 3 days, all of it extended notes, with all the quotes I'll likely need for the actual thing. It's not quite in copy-and-paste-able condition, but it's a good start. The next 2 days will see me solidly sat in front of the computer (something I'm just about sick and bloody tired of now) bringing it all together. In an ideal world, I'll have my 12,000 in polished form by Wednesday mid-morning. I have to go and bind it Wednesday afternoon, then hand in before 12 Thursday morning.

Good luck everyone else

Right, I'm going in ......

 

[mrs quoad]

I'm in for the long haul now. My sleeping is fucked, last night I didn't get to sleep until about 2 (despite going up at about 11), and was awake at 6. It's because I know that for the next couple of days I'll be getting very little bed action.

Got a lot to do, but I'm in a strong-ish position. I've written about 15,000 words over the last 3 days, all of it extended notes, with all the quotes I'll likely need for the actual thing. It's not quite in copy-and-paste-able condition, but it's a good start. The next 2 days will see me solidly sat in front of the computer (something I'm just about sick and bloody tired of now) bringing it all together. In an ideal world, I'll have my 12,000 in polished form by Wednesday mid-morning. I have to go and bind it Wednesday afternoon, then hand in before 12 Thursday morning.

Good luck everyone else

Right, I'm going in ......

Good luck

I've got, uh, something like 10,000 words together in about 5 days.

But - despite that - am (for reasons unknown) shitting myself about whether or not I can get 18,000 done by this time next month.

Duh.

Intro - not yet started (only 500ish words, meh)
Methodology - 75% finished
Literature review - 75% finished
Findings pt 1 - 90% finished
Findings pt 2 - not yet started!
Conclusions / discussion - 10% done. If being generous.

 

[mrs quoad]

I've just backed up everything.

And am off to buy another memory device, so's I can back it up twice.

 

[Kidda]

im sick of it now

i just cant seem to get into it

aghhhhhhhhh

*kicks dissertation*

 

[pengaleng]

GO KIDDA GO!!!!! FFS THINK OF DALLAS!!!

 

[Kidda]

can we go dallas now teeps, i'll warm up the wheelchair n sidecart yo

ive got to have 10,000 words done by thursday

i have

3500

i cant get my head into writing.

grrr.