Dissertation motivation!

alm71

I'm a 3rd year student nurse and I've just started my dissertation now. I'm hating it !!!!!!!! :eek:

loopy_lass

motivation...... it feels brilliant once ya got it!!!!

jay11_2

bestpud wrote: »

Just because I'm [strike]nosey[/strike] interested...

Do you all find it easier to stick with it (ie do a little bit most days) or maybe 2 longer days a week, for example?

I'm finding it much easier to have two set days a week but I do feel I waste some time getting my mind back into it iyswim? But if I did a bit every day, I'd quickly fall back into my habit of 24/7 working and waking up at 3am thinking about blimming the 'perfect' sentence to make such and such a point.

I think I need to devise some way of leaving it in a state that I can pick it straight back up again...?

Someone please remind me why we do these things?? Only joking - I love it really!

I tended to do a bit everyday but have a 'cut off' time of 9.30/10.00pm, any later and I get 'silly tired' :rolleyes: and my common sense goes to the wall, so I probably would have carried on until silly o'clock IYSWIM.

When I'm working, I'll study a bit most evenings, (will have to some work-related stuff too) that way I can hopefully maintain family/social life.

Do you keep a little notebook with you to jot ideas? Helps with the middle-of-night brainwaves, lol. With picking work up again, I use the comment tool in word, and when I stop working I highlight the last few sentences and add comments/notes summarising any thoughts I have at the time. This also works well when I start working on a different section because I'm stuck.

Don't know if that helps, but I'm glad you're enjoying it, I did eventually.

I just got my diss back, and have really fantastic feedback :T . Only my proof reading let me down (ran out of time:rolleyes: ) I'm so chuffed because that means I CAN write, which bodes well for masters:D.

jay11_2

alm71 wrote: »

I'm a 3rd year student nurse and I've just started my dissertation now. I'm hating it !!!!!!!! :eek:

Why? Is it the subject, support, or the work itself?

I've just finished OT, so understand the placement/uni work pressure.

bestpud

alm71 wrote: »

I'm a 3rd year student nurse and I've just started my dissertation now. I'm hating it !!!!!!!! :eek:

That's such a shame at this stage! Have you discussed this with your supervisor? Perhaps you can still change the topic if that is the problem? Or indeed the supervisor if that is the problem?

Jay - thanks for that. I've never actually got to grips with all the 'extras' in word but that seems a good idea. My tutor says about a note pad but it doesn't seem to work for me somehow.

TheOneWho - are you able to see the tutors now? Or maybe discuss it in a personal tutorial if you know you will take a while to read for it? Gotta be worth asking if you have ideas but just want to refine them.

alm71

Thanks guys, I'm ok. I just put so much pressure on myself to do well. I'm a bit freaky to be honest :rotfl: . I'm just worried that it won't be good enough.

jay11_2

bestpud wrote: »

That's such a shame at this stage! Have you discussed this with your supervisor? Perhaps you can still change the topic if that is the problem? Or indeed the supervisor if that is the problem?

Jay - thanks for that. I've never actually got to grips with all the 'extras' in word but that seems a good idea. My tutor says about a note pad but it doesn't seem to work for me somehow.

TheOneWho - are you able to see the tutors now? Or maybe discuss it in a personal tutorial if you know you will take a while to read for it? Gotta be worth asking if you have ideas but just want to refine them.

PM me anytime if you want simple help or tips, or can msn, I'd be happy to pass on some of the fab help I've had. I think you're doing amazingly to keep going after all the obstacles you've dealt with, keep going!

Comments is easy: highlight the text, click 'insert' (in the word toolbar), select 'comment', and write your note in the box that pops up. To read the comment hover over it, and to remove it right click it and select 'delete'.

ETA: I use word 2000 (got a sneaky CD, so it's free), 'comments' may be somewhere else in later versions, can't remember where it was in uni pc's but I used it so must be easy

jay11_2

alm71 wrote: »

Thanks guys, I'm ok. I just put so much pressure on myself to do well. I'm a bit freaky to be honest :rotfl: . I'm just worried that it won't be good enough.

Good enough for what? Think on, junior doctors have to get over 70% to pass their exams:eek: , so it could be worse. When I was doing my diss we were told it was virtually impossible to fail, as long as you broadly followed the guidelines. Do you get lots of tutor support, take full advantage if you do!

pandora205

Wow this thread is lively today! And good advice too: I like the commenting on text idea. I'll give it a try.
For those people starting out on a dissertation topic, I think the main thing is to go for something close to your heart, as you'll spend a long time doing it. So, something with a personal meaning, or at least something that's always fascinated you. You can either keep it very simple and do something that's been done before but with a next step (and most research ends with suggestions for future study) or be more ambitious and do something different but not too big scale.
Doing the literature search bit always feels like hard slog but is more bearable if you become very critical of others work. I've got to the point where I think good though it is to be systematic in searching that serendipity helps too. Sometimes you come across something almost by chance, maybe not in the literature, it could be in a newspaper or a topical news article. It's that slant that can give some individuality. Or at least that's my excuse for not doing very systematic work!

Bestpud - you asked about the daily dose vs one or two days. I tend to work in bursts, though that's due to my poor time management/life getting in the way plus impending deadlines rather than by choice. So I have two or three weeks not doing much, then have to do late nights, etc to get where I should have been. Not good really! I think my ideal would be two or three hours every morning, as I can always work best then. Unfortunately with work that's not often possible!

alm71

I want it to be good enough for me. Regardless of how well you do you obviously want to feel that you've done your best. I can see your point about the junior doctors, it's probably why I'm going in to nursing. It's a much easier course . Some people do fail these dissertations, it is not impossible to fail. I've just lost 2 friends on this course due to failed assignments - even at this late stage. To be honest the support isn't that good and can be quite contradictory at times.