beag_teeets Posted April 6, 2009 Share Posted April 6, 2009 I was lucky, as my degree was a dual major I had to do a 7500 word mini-dissertation. I chose to do the "Effect of the media on British General Elections 1964-1997" - I mainly chose this as by the time I got off my arse to start all that was left in this field in the Library were books from 1964. One major flaw in my plan was that I started doing this in April 1997, less than a month before the 1997 general election. By the time of the election on May 1st I still hadn't finished and spending the night of 1st May drinking and celebrating probably wasn't my greatest idea, after a few hours kip I started to wrap it all up with a tv next to the monitor so I could watch the coverage of Labour taking office. A second major flaw was including data and analysis from the 1997 election in my dissertation to backup my main points. What this actually clearly showed was that I was still writing the bastard thing right up to the last minute as the deadline for handing it in was 3pm on 2nd May 1997. Despite this I scraped through by the skin of my teeth and got a Desmond which I was really happy with at the time as I had made about 5 journeys to hell and back during my years at uni and gone through some pretty nasty stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oafcprozac Posted April 6, 2009 Share Posted April 6, 2009 I wrote mine on the municipalisation of Oldham's market and market hall. My tutor was very good, the research proposal had to be submitted by April as part of one of the modules I was studying in year two. After the proposal was accepted he proceeded to give me a time table of when to submit draft chapters etc... I didn't have to stick to this but found that it made my life so much easier given the amount of primary source material I had to sift through and the amount of hours I spent at the Oldham Local Studies Library. The most stressful part were the days prior to submission, proof-reading was hell as more and more typos 'appeared' in the end I said 'sod-it' and submitted it two days early, but some of my mates had not entertained it until about February and submission was the middle of March. I was very pleased with the end product and it now takes pride of place in the local studies centre and the uni library. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oafcprozac Posted April 6, 2009 Share Posted April 6, 2009 Ahhhhhh Harvard System of Referencing The boil on the arse of my life! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oafcprozac Posted April 6, 2009 Share Posted April 6, 2009 If ever there was a word worthy of being censored on here "Dissertation" would be it!! I wrote mine in 2 months 16,000 words, 59% week late not bad. Can't remember what the exact title of it as its something i've tried to banish from my memory, the biggest ballache was the references at the end. That's why you do it as go along! Jeeping a running bibliography and provide end notes at the end of each chapter - well that's what I did anyway! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsslatic Posted April 14, 2009 Author Share Posted April 14, 2009 Reading and planning done, just the small matter of writing and editing 10,000 words in nine days. Bring on the most depressing week ever... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ackey Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 Reading and planning done, just the small matter of writing and editing 10,000 words in nine days. Bring on the most depressing week ever... Easy! Plus, by the time you're done your post season might be all but over and you can concentrate on a nice summer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeykieran Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 I found writing them up the easy bits to be honest (apart from trying to make figures and diagrams look right on the page e.t.c) Both of mine involved conducting experiments, doing the ethics and dealing with people and their responses was the hard bit for me! Only a week away from (temporary) freedom, that's the way to look at it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsslatic Posted April 14, 2009 Author Share Posted April 14, 2009 Easy! Plus, by the time you're done your post season might be all but over and you can concentrate on a nice summer I think it's going to be the post-season and the temptation of the late nights which is going to make this tougher! Only a week away from (temporary) freedom, that's the way to look at it! I know, I know...gonna get at least three days off before the Finals revision starts. Yay! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leeslover Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 My dissertation went more smoothly than some, but trying to get the first sentence out for some pieces of work genuinely ranks amongst the worst experiences of my life, and is a fair part of the reason why I didn’t carry on down the academic route – I figured that sooner or later I would end up going mad or topping myself rather than put pen to paper. Unhappy days indeed... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosa Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 Only a week away from (temporary) freedom, that's the way to look at it! yeah, then just another 40+ years and you can retire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsslatic Posted April 14, 2009 Author Share Posted April 14, 2009 My dissertation went more smoothly than some, but trying to get the first sentence out for some pieces of work genuinely ranks amongst the worst experiences of my life, As Dr. Frankenstein passed through Oxford in search of a mate for his creation, he pondered, ‘It was here that Charles I had collected his forces...the memory of that unfortunate king, and his companions, the amiable Falkland, the insolent Goring, his queen and son, gave a peculiar interest to every part of the city...’. That was written some three months ago, it's the rest which has proved a struggle... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ackey Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 As Dr. Frankenstein passed through Oxford in search of a mate for his creation, he pondered, 'It was here that Charles I had collected his forces...the memory of that unfortunate king, and his companions, the amiable Falkland, the insolent Goring, his queen and son, gave a peculiar interest to every part of the city...'. That was written some three months ago, it's the rest which has proved a struggle... What in the name of Christ is your dissertation on!?! If I wrote in that style I'd have been kicked out!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leeslover Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 As Dr. Frankenstein passed through Oxford in search of a mate for his creation, he pondered, ‘It was here that Charles I had collected his forces...the memory of that unfortunate king, and his companions, the amiable Falkland, the insolent Goring, his queen and son, gave a peculiar interest to every part of the city...’. That was written some three months ago, it's the rest which has proved a struggle... Whatever it is that's helping you get through, if you have any spare, I'll have a bit at Wallsall Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsslatic Posted April 14, 2009 Author Share Posted April 14, 2009 (edited) What in the name of Christ is your dissertation on!?! If I wrote in that style I'd have been kicked out!! Contemporary perceptions of George Goring, 1637-1645. Exciting, I promise. Whatever it is that's helping you get through, if you have any spare, I'll have a bit at Wallsall Edited April 14, 2009 by jsslatic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diego_Sideburns Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 yeah, then just another 40+ years and you can retire. I found the first 42 years were the worst and then that final was was great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stitch_KTF Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 (edited) Disserations? You have it all wrong…. *Tracks removed* Edited April 15, 2009 by Stitch_KTF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeykieran Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 (edited) I hope you are less reckless when covering your tracks usually Edited April 15, 2009 by monkeykieran Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stitch_KTF Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 (edited) I hope you are less reckless when covering your tracks usually I did consider whether to reveal this, but couldn't resist after reading the thread. Im fairly confident nobody knows me on here.....and many wouldnt believe me anyway! On second thoughts...... Edited April 15, 2009 by Stitch_KTF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeykieran Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 Probably for the best, and anyway I admire your efforts* *bit jealous at all the debts that my batchelors and masters as well as all the headaches (and missed rave weekends) have so far given me, with more to come Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stitch_KTF Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 (edited) Probably for the best, and anyway I admire your efforts* *bit jealous at all the debts that my batchelors and masters as well as all the headaches (and missed rave weekends) have so far given me, with more to come Cheers although I have significant debts too, mainly born out of excessive spare time Are you aware of the cost of quality drugs these days? Anyway, best of luck with your studies. I truly admire your work ethic and assure you it will pay off, just always remember that there is more than one way of skinning a cat....and that the most obvious way isn't always the most efficient Edited April 15, 2009 by Stitch_KTF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeykieran Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 Cheers although I have significant debts too, mainly born out of excessive spare time Are you aware of the cost of quality drugs these days? Anyway, best of luck with your studies. I truly admire your work ethic and assure you it will pay off, just always remember that there is more than one way of skinning a cat....and that the most obvious way isn't always the most efficient First Question: Yes! Second Question: Agree, luckily I also work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stitch_KTF Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 First Question: Yes! Second Question: Agree, luckily I also work! Second question? I hope you for your sake that said prices remain high.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeykieran Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 Haha second point even Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaticsChris Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 ive been lucky in that my dissertation has gone fairly smoothly and im pretty proud of it. Having said that i only got it back from the printers this morning and so it hasnt been marked yet...it could still all go horribly tits up! fingers crossed eh... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldhamSheridan Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 Mine was well entertaining. Palmed off onto a hospital to analyse data on new operative methods. Great. Sadly the background reading on transcervical resection of the endometrium and endometrial laser ablation as conservative alternatives to hysterectomy wasn't quite why I went into Statistics*. Giving the presentation of this work was not very easy (in a schoolboyish guffawing manner) either. *I wanted to measure young ladies boobies for the 'Statistics' section in The Sun. Sadly this course was Vital Statistics 1.1, which I missed through drink. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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