I am currently writing my first draft of my BSc Economics dissertation on microeconomics of banking, riveting right?
1) I will do anything EXCEPT write my dissertation at home.
Even during reading week when all my housemates luckily ventured off to their hometowns whilst I continued to attend lectures and eat copious amounts of Wheat Crunchies, I could not settle down. I could blame the builders, but I soon found that facebook/twitter even bored me. I would rather tidy, colour-code my wardrobe and rearrange my toiletries. I would rather bake cupcakes and watch Say Yes to the Dress than read a paper on the financial crisis.
2) Making lists help
Targeting is necessary - be realistic. I was kidding myself to begin with saying OH YEA I CAN WRITE 1000 WORDS A DAY, read a paper every day and generate statistics in between. For some people big targets are great because they underestimate themselves; me, yea I need short sweet targets.
3) Make your Tutors know You
Okay in the last week I have seen 3 different tutors, my own and my dissertation officers and they now know me. Im not saying Im greatly memorable nor exceptionally forgetful but by explaining to them again and again what I am doing I am convincing myself (slowly but surely) that I can actually do it. With no clarity comes no empathy. Economics people - yeah they do not have sympathy, so the more I keep bugging my tutors with emails, meetings and office hour pop-ins the more help I find I am now getting. Wish I'd started earlier.
4) TIME MANAGEMENT MEANS NOTHING
Right, I am totally speaking for myself here but I think no matter when I started reading whether it was before Christmas when i submitted a dissertation proposal or now when I'm half way through I was always behind. A dissertation is so huge that I find its easy to keep correcting yourself, restructuring your work and adding unnecessary or sometimes necessary points. The reason the question is being discussed is because there's a lot to say about it, but what do you say? too little NO GOOD too much NO GOOD descriptive POINTLESS - its much more than just answering the question at hand. The more time for thought is the more opportunity to stress and over-change things in your work.
5) Colours
Different colours when writing a first draft whether it is in my notes or in my typing give me clarity of where I stand. Red means - THIS IS A DIRECT QUOTE: REPHRASE OR REFERENCE, blue means: EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE black means SET IN STONE and any other colour tend to mean incomplete paragraph, evidently where I have a point to make but cannot make it as simply as I desire.
Basically university life is great for 1 year, 18 months tops. Yes you can still have a good time beyond that and a lot of my friends do but the balance of uniwork, unilife and part-time employment become a lot trickier when everything counts a little bit more. I cannot believe just over 3 months remain of my uni career and the amount of beauty products I have purchased along the way to keep me sane.
No matter the university or the degree I know it is hard. A reward scheme has always proven successful. A beauty treat for an assignment complete. A film and take-away for a finished essay. Either all I wish everyone the best of luck. Stop telling everyone you are stressed because your problems are yours and only you can solve them, so my alarms set for 7:15am - see y'all in the libes
Love G x
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