Life just gets in the way sometimes, we all know it. But after somewhat relentless avoidance and poor social decisions your brain finally snaps into the realisation that you’ve come to that point in every graduate’s life where you need to start your dissertation. Oh, and did I mention you’ve only got two weeks to do it?
Ok so we’re only talking around 8,000 words right? Easy enough I guess.. not. So shut off your phone, delete your Facebook, break up with your friends and prepare for the transition of hermit life for a third year. So here is our survival kit for you:
The Prep
Get out of bed. This isn’t the time to be watching an entire series on Netflix in your sweats hoping all your problems will disappear. Get changed into something comfortable, no first year planning your outfit for the library, whatever you think you will be able to work best in.
Secondly, get yourself to the library. I’m guessing you haven’t managed to get any of the books you need out yet so save yourself a double journey and just do your work there.
Stock up on energy on the way. You’re going to be working non-stop so you’re going to need to get some decent food in to fuel up. Realistically, to be your most productive self you should avoid all sugars or you will begin to crash after 30 minutes, stock up on protein rich foods to increase brain functions and grab any foods you can with iron in them to boost energy levels. Don’t be fooled by the energy drinks and just keep to water, and lots of it. (Recipes for when your doing your dissertation)
Get Stuck In
Just don’t think too much about it. If you do you’ll start to panic and if you start to panic you’ll realise the mess you’re in and then spark a vicious cycle of despair and apprehension. Stop, you’re not on your own here. There are hundreds in your university probably sat in the same situation as well as the other hundreds of thousands who over the years have fallen into the traditional third year dilemma of last minute dissertations. Just google some horror stories to make yourself feel better.
Make a Start
So hopefully your tutor will have forced you to come up with a title by now. As brutal as it is, you haven’t got time to brainstorm anymore ideas so whatever you’ve got stick with it. You can still achieve an awesome grade even with the simplest of titles – it’s all about the method, not the title.
Plan out each section and bullet point the main points you want to include. You can find easy examples of this in most dissertation help books so write it out and stick it somewhere in front of you so you can see where you’re at. If you find yourself stuck you can always look for similar dissertation titles online to give you an idea of the key points you should be aiming towards – DO NOT copy it word for word. This is just to give you an idea of the points you can make. Plagiarism checks are smarter than you think you know.
Now type. Type like you never have before.
The Last Leg
You’re almost there. The end of the long haul is in sight but you just need to push yourself on this final stretch and you will be in a third year’s paradise. Free. If I could give you one piece of advice at this point it would be to bypass all of the above. You need coffee, energy drinks and lots of fast food. Don’t think about it and just do anything and everything you can to cross the line and become a graduate pro.
The ending
And….you’ve done it! Now go revise for your final exams.