Calling all PS thesis-tacklers, researchers, and students!

[choro72]

Dockman, do you want to be cheering buddies for a year? I''m planning to finish next year too! I''m also guilty of spending waaaay too much time on ps when I should be analyzing data. I''m blaming it on the unhelpful coworkers who aren''t here when they are supposed to

Wishful, thanks for reading my experience...I had the victim mentality for a long time, and I have to say I won''t be able to shake it off completely until I''m done. I keep reminding myself that my experience isn''t the worst that happened to people.

gwen, your signature changed again! What happened?

 

[gwendolyn]

choro, my supervisor is a lunatic. She keeps changing her mind about when she''s leaving the country, and therefore when she wants my thesis to be submitted, and I seriously do NOT need her drama to add to the already plentiful stress I have going on with this thing! It''s not due until the 14th officially, but she wants it in crazy early, and today it was getting out of hand so I told her I''d be turning it in on the 3rd (her latest request--?!!?!) but I won''t. She has no way of knowing when I turn it in, and can''t MAKE me hand it in early anyway, even though she seems to think she can (she really can''t, I checked).

I''ve decided on the 11th, and I am happy with that.

 

[WishfulThinking]

Stick it to her, Gwen! The 11th sounds like a good compromise.

 

[gwendolyn]

Heheh, thank, WishfulThinking! I just don''t have it in me to keep dealing with her craziness--and she was pretty normal up until the end! Weird...anyway, it''s almost over, thank goodness. I can''t take much more of this.

How are you doing, m''dear? How has your reading been going?

choro, honey, I know EXACTLY what you mean when you say is that all you can think about is wanting "OUT." Not only do I feel that way now after being here only 9 months, but I felt that way when my undergrad was dragging on and on--all because of one credit, too! But that one stupid credit haunted me for YEARS (it was my senior recital) and everything that possibly could go wrong with scheduling it did, to the point where all I could think about was finally finishing it so I could say it was done! Some people thought I wouldn''t finish--that I''d just forever stay one credit from a bachelor''s degree. Well, I knew myself better and had a GREAT time sticking my tongue out at them (mentally, of course

) when I finished. I think if you want to finish, you will--I think if you were going to quit, it would''ve happened already (probably when your first supervisor high-tailed it out). I know I''m just one random anonymous person on the internet, but I honestly believe you will come out of this with your degree in hand and a tremendous feeling of accomplishment in your heart. You can do it, we all know you can--the tricky part is convincing yourself.

dockman3, welcome! I hope you come up with a schedule that works for you--I admit that I often get distracted with PS (and Facebook) when searching for articles online, but I *try* to tell myself that after I finish a certain section or write for X hours, I will let myself play for a bit. Sometimes, if I''m in the mood to write, I actually get antsy on PS to go back to writing! But...not often, I''m afraid.

I hope you find this thread useful!

AmberG, how''s it going with you? Do you work on experiments on the weekend, or do you have some days off? I hope it''s all going well?

pjean, where are you? I hope you haven''t left us! Check in when you have some time!

I have less than 48 hours to finish the changes for my final draft, which needs to be emailed to my supervisor by 10am on Monday. I feel positively wretched at the moment (physically), so I''ve barely done anything. I am so tired of feeling nauseated...I just want my body to be back to the way it was before April when I started getting sick! Bleh.

 

[dockman3]

Choro - Sure, we can be cheering buddies for a year! I''m trying to limit myself since I really need to get work done. I''m hoping my addiction cools off after the first month, which is just about up, but we''ll see. I''ll probably keep checking in.

Gwen - Thanks for the warm welcome! I''m not writing yet, but sometimes its hard to pull myself away. I guess I''ll just have to go into the lab more and stay out of the office if I want to get work done. Good luck finishing up!

 

[choro72]

gwen, I can''t wait to finish and feel liberated! I can only imagine what that will feel like. It must have been awesome for you when you finished your undergrad. Trouble for me now is I keep imagining what it''s like to get my thesis hard covered, to wear the $500 cap and gown, to have my dad look at me so proudly...I keep imagining these things but I don''t want to put work into it anymore

Bleh.
You''re right, I will finish...I''ve got to!

Your supervisor sounds crazy...Take your time. I''ll be thinking about your thesis for the next few weeks!

dockman, see I''m still posting! I can never stay away

 

[WishfulThinking]

Dockman- Welcome! My undergrad thesis is due in May of next year, so I will be working all of this coming year as well. I am also the queen of procrastination, so I''m afraid I can''t be too helpful in regards to your previous question. I just go on PS and other random places on the internet all the time! Facebook is another huge time-sink. It''s horrible, really.

It would help if so much of my research wasn''t done on line so I could physically remove myself from these distractions, but no such luck. At least when I finally make myself read a "real" book I''m away from the dreaded screen!

Gwen- I can''t believe she was normal up until the end and now she''s suddenly become a nutter! How odd. And how inconvenient as well. I am rooting for you BIG TIME this weekend. I hope you are able to pull through, and that you start feeling better soon. I know it''s been a rough last few months, and it''s horrid that you''ve been sick almost non-stop.

How is everyone else doing lately? I hope everyone''s well.

I, on the other hand, have been a total mess. I am not going to bring up all of the stuff I always bring up and bore everyone to death all over again, but let it suffice to say that things blew up MAJORLY in that department this weekend and everything has been worse than I could have ever imagined. It''s almost epic, actually... and not in a good way.

So I haven''t done anything. Again. This whole routine is getting tiring, and I just want to crawl out of my body and my life sometimes and just disappear completely.

 

[gwendolyn]

dockman3, my pleasure! I hope you are able to gain lots of encouragement and support from this thread. It''s a great outlet for frustrations when you have them!

choro, I know exactly what you mean--I can''t wait for that liberated feeling too! Hahah, and I don''t blame you for wanting all of that without anymore work when you''ve done so much already! It really is nearing the end for you, in a good way! You will be able to wrap up everything relatively soon and be able to breathe that huge "Phew, I''m DONE!" sigh of relief, and then probably (if you''re anything like me) look back in another couple of years and say to yourself, "Sheesh, what was my problem? What was the big deal?"

WishfulThinking, oh no, honey! I am so sorry things didn''t go the way you had hoped, and in fact sound like they were pretty terrible. That''s awful, darlin'', I am so so sorry. Why can''t people just let them live their own lives and be happy because they are happy?

*hugs* I don''t know exactly what happened, but I''m hopinghopinghoping for you that it was more a reaction of shock than anything else.



Well, my day hasn''t gone very well so far. The full draft is due tomorrow morning at 10am, it''s now a little after 1pm, and I still have a lot to do. Mostly because my freakin'' internet in my room is down AGAIN, meaning I''ve had to pack up ALL my books and ALL my articles and transfer EVERYTHING on my computer to my flash drive to go work elsewhere. I started out in the computer lab, but it was stifling hot in there, so now I am in the library. It''s so incredibly annoying because I have everything set up in my room, plus my kitchen is right there so I can run in to get a quick bite to eat and not interrupt the flow of my writing. But not now! Everything turns into a major production when I have to work in the library, and I hate it. I pay for the stupid wireless--it''d be nice if it would WORK when I NEED IT. Grrrrrrrrrrrr.

I also hate working on PCs, which is all they have in the library and computer lab. It''s Sunday, so the Faculty of Education building is closed, otherwise I''d be in their Mac lab. It''s the LAST DAY before I have to turn in the best draft I can muster, so naturally today is the day when everything gets thrown off stride. Bleh. I can''t wait to get out of this awful place. Less than 2 weeks and then I am FREE.

 

[WishfulThinking]

Gwen- Thanks for the sweet comments right now. I feel like I am falling apart, and it''s a little scary. I am pretty sure that there has NEVER been a situation in which I announced that we are getting married and people were just happy and said "congratulations!" instead of trying to control who could know and getting a lecture about all of it. It''s really exhausting. *hug* I maybe will make a thread about this in LIW. I am so upset, but I need some impartial advice.

I am thinking of you CONSTANTLY throughout the day and night, sweetie! It figures that everything would go wrong this last day.

I''m glad you rose above it all, even though it meant packing up to study in the library away from food and room comforts and in the company of computers you don''t refer.

You win, basically. You are soooo close- just think of it! I''m really excited for you.

 

[gwendolyn]

Thank you, darlin''!! I don''t know if I feel like I''ve won anything at the moment, although I do feel a bit like I''ve just run a marathon...

So, at a little after 10am, I emailed my supervisor my final draft of my thesis. I didn''t *quite* finish doing all the changes I wanted to do, but I''m not too fussed since I still have a week after I get feedback to fix it up more. I am absolutely exhausted and am back in my pjs, ready for a long nap. I don''t get my feedback until 9:30am on the 3rd of July, so I have a couple of days off now!!! Today is my sleeping day, tomorrow is my socializing day, and Wednesday is new student orientation at my school.

I have a couple of little things to do over the next couple of days (like start packing!!!!!! YAY!!!), but I am going to get to them when I get to them. I deserve this break!

 

[gwendolyn]

Just wanted to add another "CONGRATULATIONS, DELSTER & RETSLED!!!!" for when Del comes back to the reality of schoolwork.

Yay!!!! You guys are just the sweetest couple! I am truly so happy for you both!

 

[WishfulThinking]

Well, you won at life and determination in my book.

Oh right, and that marathon! Haha.

I'm so glad to hear that you were pretty happy with the draft you sent to your supervisor. Even if it wasn't 100% where you wanted it, you're DONE for the next few days, and you deserve every minute of your little vacation. You will have time to tweak those things later. I hope you have a relaxing few days!

Poor Delster to have to return to the world of work after such a beautiful and fun engagement and trip! My congratulations probably got lost about 3 pages back since she's been gone so long, so I'll say it again: Congrats to you and Retsled! I am so excited for you both!

 

[Elegant]

Hello,

My name is Elegant and I am a procrastinator!

I take after my dad!

I have two master''s degrees - one in Curriculum & Instruction and the other is in Administration.
Currently I SHOULD be working on my dissertation for my Organizational Leadership program. I passed my comprehensive exam and defense and now I am onto "starting" my dissertation. I should have started in January - and have only a couple of pages done in my lit review - I feel like a super slacker and stupid because during this entire time, I am paying my university money for me sitting on my rear.

My bf actually moved about 400 miles away for a promotional job opportunity - this happened in February. My priority was to find a job where he relocated to, so I put a hold on my dissertation. I am a teacher in CA and right now, it isn''t a good time to look for a teaching job ANYWHERE...pink slips a flyin''!

So, right now, this is the first time in about 7 years that we agreed I did not have to teach summer school - I get to stay in his apartment and look for jobs while I am here, and work on my dissertation. I set a deadline of July 1st to finish my lit review...uh, didn''t happen.

I feel frustrated at times because he sure has poor timing! I was just starting to get going on my dissertation when bam! had to look for a teaching job (I had to because Feb and Mar are key times to submit applications to teach...).

So, I enjoyed reading everyone''s posts on this thread and am looking for a support group because I need motivation - my self motivation is NOT cutting it!

Well - off to stare at my lit review now...and hopefully type a few words here and there! I heard chapter 1 and 3 are cookie cutter chapters that are basic in any dissertation - any thoughts about that?

 

[Delster]

Woohooo I''m back!!!

This is a fly-by visit as my life appears to have been commandeered by strange engagement forces. We''ve been doing so much travelling all over the shop, I can''t remember which part of the country I''m in any more

As always, you guys are inspiring. I am not back to work and the way things are going I won''t get a chance to open a book until Friday (

) but at a quick browse I can see you have all been as awesome as always. The PS thesis-tacklers are amazing!!!

Gwen and AmberGretchen - CONGRATULATIONS on the job and the summer programmes!!! YAAAAY!!!

Hi to all the new people on here, yippee, it''s great to see more support and cheerleading coming out of the woodwork!!! I just wanted to say especially to Choro, I will reply in length to you on Friday, I have walked in your shoes. Keep faith, it will get better.

And THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU everyone for all the well wishes! We had a blast - a very sparkly blast

- and I will try to get some photos up on the NY thread by the end of the week

 

[dockman3]

You guys are great. I was actually very good for the first time in a month and I didn''t post anything yesterday. Unfortunately, I can''t say the same for today! But I just got an independent appraisal done on my soon to be FI''s ring and I''m going to share that story over in RT. My adviser is out of the country for the week, so hopefully I can get some work done. I''ll try to keep checking back for inspiration. Thanks!

Elegant- Welcome! I''ve only been on this thread for a little bit, but already its been helpful. You just gotta keep working away. I don''t know about chapters 1 and 3 being cookie cutter, but they may be in your field. I know in engineering they''re not. The lit review is, IMO, the worst part to write because its the least interesting. You just gotta plow through it and get it over. Good luck, and keep us posted!

 

[pjean]

Date: 6/30/2008 6:33:37 AM
Author: gwendolyn

So, at a little after 10am, I emailed my supervisor my final draft of my thesis.

OH MY GOODNESS!!!!!! That''s fabulous! I disappear for a while and you finish a thesis as though it were a pan of muffins or something. FINAL DRAFT! I''m so impressed with you I can hardly stand it.

The rest of the changes should be all downhill from here. WHOOOO!!! Job, thesis, you''re really pulling this together. Such major accomplishments even without considering the stress you''ve been under. If you add that, well, I''m pretty impressed with you, that''s all I can say.

 

[choro72]

Congratulations Gwen!!!! Have you defended yet?

Elegant, if I had to job hunt at the same time I will be procrastinating too! Has your adviser set a deadline?

Welcome back, Delster! And thanks for taking the time to write to me. I really appreciate it.

 

[WishfulThinking]

Elegant- Hey there, fellow procrastinator!

Good for you for successfully passing your exam and being ready to start your dissertation. I am sorry to hear that the job opportunities for you right now are limited, but glad that you are able to take a bit of time off from teaching to look for jobs and start working. It does sound like poor timing, you seem to be very good-natured about it. We will be glad to support you through your work and we sure need support as well! I am a stress-filled person by nature, and working on this thesis just makes it all harder.

As for those cookie cutter chapters... I would LOVE to know if that were true for my field. I suspect not.

If so, no one has shared them with me! I have not an idea in the world how to write a thesis, and I feel like I am going in totally blind.

Deslter- Welcome back and congrats again! It must be sooooo hard to get back to work with all the excitement going on in your life right now. What a drag.

We are plugging along without you, but seeing your post gave me a kick in the bum that I needed. My conscience: "Oh no! Delster''s back! Gotta get some work done!"

dockman- Congrats on being good and exercising some self-restraint. I have none. Maybe you will motivate me. I will look for your post in RT.


As for me... did I mention that I am a procrastinator?

I am taking summer classes and am supposed to be writing this thing at the same time. The classes are RIDICULOUSLY easy, to the point where I have no excuse to procrastinate, but somehow I don''t get that much thesis reading done. I think I am supposed to be doing a lit review. UGH. I have no idea how to do one. Not a clue. And I feel SO pathetic even admitting that I am so lost and confused.

Maybe it''s like this for everyone, but I feel sort of disconnected as an undergrad and unsure of how to proceed with this whole thesis thing. I am the sort of person who is good at following directions and learns by examples... well, I have no directions, and I have no example. All I have is my poor, blind, wandering, stressed self. What a sob story!
I wrote my advisor and committed myself to all sorts of scary stuff that should be done by the 15th. I have to do at least part of a lit review [after I figure out what it is and how to do one?] and an outline of the chapters I will do. I also have to do detailed chapter outlines for two of the chapters. I don''t have to have a set order for them, though. I also have to finish all the Foucault reading. This is a lot of stuff... especially since, as easy as the summer classes are, I still have to read and study for my exams in them.

Wish me luck!
Oh right... and I am now wedding planning! Did I mention I am insane? It''s SO MUCH more fun than studying!

 

[Elegant]

dockman - Thanks for the welcome! Yes, I am struggling with the lit review. It just drags on an on and I''m only on page 1!!!

I keep sitting at the computer, open my lit review doc up, and then suddenly have to check my email, then check my other email account, and then check a gossip website, then go here - and that''s it... I just get over it, that''s for sure, and don''t even start. I noticed that I do tend to like working on it at about 3pm and no earlier! Strange but true...

choro72 - My advisor is great - she sets deadlines but I never stick to them...maybe she is being too flexible? My bf says to set a time during the day to work on the paper so I guess I will try that tomorrow. I think what is stopping me is proper motivation. The wasted money every trimester isn''t bad enough I guess.

WishfulThinking - Thank you! Yes, I completely agree - bad timing. I also get very stressed and I work better that way, but now that I have no coursework and I am setting my own schedule, I''m not getting anything done. I too do not know how to write one and have been getting sample dissertations online from my university library, which is pretty helpful. My dissertation chair guided me with what is expected in each chapter and even outlined my lit review for me. Do you know what belongs in each chapter? The lit review is basically a narrative about your topic. You need to get information from multiple sources and make sure you site them properly as you write. I am writing mine in APA format...what format are you writing yours in? Is there any way for you to obtain an example online or through your adviser?

What keeps everyone else motivated...or what pushes you guys to keep going? Just bite the bullet?

 

[Elegant]

So...I just emailed my chair and told her that I would be submitting my lit review by the end of this week - my draft, that is. I also emailed her and told her that I needed her to keep me more accountable, if possible. I told her I am very high maintenance and need her to email me every week possibly...is that asking too much?

Anyways, I better get cracking on the lit review. I am going to work on it from 11-12pm, have lunch, and start again at around 1pmish. I have to do something!!!

 

[gwendolyn]

Date: 7/1/2008 6:25:26 PM
Author: pjean

Date: 6/30/2008 6:33:37 AM

Author: gwendolyn


So, at a little after 10am, I emailed my supervisor my final draft of my thesis.

OH MY GOODNESS!!!!!! That''s fabulous! I disappear for a while and you finish a thesis as though it were a pan of muffins or something. FINAL DRAFT! I''m so impressed with you I can hardly stand it.


The rest of the changes should be all downhill from here. WHOOOO!!! Job, thesis, you''re really pulling this together. Such major accomplishments even without considering the stress you''ve been under. If you add that, well, I''m pretty impressed with you, that''s all I can say.

Hahah, muffins are MUCH easier, and heaps tastier. (Has she really been so frustrated with her thesis that she''s eaten it? The world may never know...

)

I HOPE the rest of the changes are downhill from here. I am submitting on the 11th no matter what, so if there are billions of things still wrong with it, I am just basically not going to sleep between now and then. Will find out tomorrow morning, 9:30am! ....blearg.

Choro--thanks, darlin'', but it''s only emailed, not SUBMITTED in all-caps seriousness. I get feedback tomorrow (the last feedback

) and then fix it all up and THEN submit it for real on the 11th. And no, I will only have to defend it if I''m borderline failing. If that''s the case, I will have to return to Cambridge in September to do that (which geographically won''t be too big of a deal since I''ll only be in London, but I will die of nerves if I have to do a viva because I am borderline failing!! so I hope I pass, even if it is just barely

).

Welcome, Elegant! I don''t think I can really share any words of wisdom since this year has taught me that I am NOT cut out for life in academia! I have been so stressed--my only real motivations now are to finish my thesis so a) I can leave Cambridge, b) by leaving Cambridge, I get to be with my man and have it NOT be a long-distance relationship any more ever again!, and c) I can finally be well again (have been sick since April from stress). Here''s hoping your experience is much better than mine has been!

 

[choro72]

gwen Ah, I see. I have my fingers crossed for you! I''m sure you''ll do wonderfully.

 

[katamari]

Hi fellow academics and supporters!

This is the best idea for a forum. Like most of us, I am a procrastinator, who should be working on publications instead of being on PS. Yet, I find myself becoming a PS junkie. I am very excited to jump into this community for support.

I am on quarters, so my summer is just getting started. But, I *have* to get two papers in review so that I can have enough pubs when I go on the market to get the job I want. So, that is how I am spending my summer. Or, at least how I should be spending my summer

Some background: I am a sociology PhD candidate. I am writing my dissertation, but I have two years to finish. So, I am working on publications now and will buckle down on my dissertation near the end of the year. I have already taken my comps. I do have terrific co-advisors right now, but my MA advisor and I did not work out so great, so I totally relate to all of you who have advisor woes.

I struggle with the common academic pitfalls (gathering from reading the posts): missing deadlines, procrastination, letting my flexible work schedule get too flexible and then not getting stuff done, feeling like an academic career is meaningless and/or unattainable and procrastinating more while I get upset about it, etc. But, at the end of my day, I love what I do.

I got addicted to PS because, as a researcher, I had to feel like my e-ring would be fabulous @ p<0.001 (academic humor; lame, but true).

So, good luck to everyone! It sounds like everyone has some great projects working.

To be a helpful contributor, here are some suggestions. If you haven''t I suggest reading Bird by Bird and How to Write A Lot (they have both really helped me). And for WishfulThinking, here is a generic format for sociology written by a soc blogger. I think it is a really good format for an academic paper (but not sure if it will translate to politics and gender studies):

Wicked Anomie''s paper format

 

[WishfulThinking]

Elegant- Oh YAY! For some reason I love hearing that I am not the only one who is totally lost in what I am doing. a little background: my "real" advisor for my thesis is not the prof I am working with right now. I LOVE my temp advisor

but she won't be around all of next year when I will be doing most of my thesis, so she can't be my chair... much to both of our disappointment. Luckily she'll be the 2nd chair on my committee and there for my oral defense! My "real" advisor is the department head, who doesn't know me at all. She randomly thinks I am not competent enough to do my thesis in the department. Don't ask. She knows nothing about me! She has given me a hard time from the beginning, and with her I feel like everything is a test and that if I ask any questions her idea of my incompetence will be cemented. It's horrible. My temp advisor is a doll about helping me figure stuff out and giving great directions. I should have asked her about this lit review thing, but I have a complex now and I'm sure at every turn that she secretly thinks I am incompetent too [not true].

I am not sure what format I am writing it in [I should look up APA], but I can and should go online and look at past theses written by students at my college! I never thought of that! There has never been a thesis in our gender studies department, so mine is the first [no pressure!], but it should be very similar to most politics and some sociology theses. Thanks for the great ideas.

katamari- Welcome! Good luck with getting your papers in for review. I think the great thing about this bunch is that while we may be huuuuge procrastinators, we do manage to pull through in a pinch!

I cannot thank you enough for that link. OH.MY.GOODNESS.

I am so thrilled. Thank you SO much! I think I have trouble envisioning my "methods" and "results" sections because I am not doing the type of research that involves performing studies or even necessarily gathering data in the ways that most people envision it. I am not really a quantitative kind of gal. I am just doing a huuuuuuuge analysis, and my "data" is the findings of that, I guess. I do need to talk to my avisor more about this, but thanks again for posting that- it looks like exactly the sort of thing I needed. Even if the specifics are not all spot on, it's a great outline for me to see where I would cut out parts and inject my own stuff.

 

[gwendolyn]

Thank you, choro!

Ok, so I am back from my last (!) supervision (hopefully ever), and I just had to share that....it went WELL!!!! She said it was "good!" (Coming from the woman who a couple of weeks ago thought I might fail, this is BIG NEWS!) Also, I told my supervisor I was planning to hand in on the 11th (and not tomorrow like she last said) and she was like, "That sounds good!" ....bwa?!!! So maybe she just had a period of insanity and is now back to normal? Who knows... Anyway, of course, I still have things to fix and improve on in every chapter, but it's all stuff that's doable in the time frame I have (want to be done writing by this time next week, so I can print it all out on Thursday and get it bound on Thursday, and then submit on Friday and LEAVE!!!!!!!). I am *so* relieved that FINALLY it seems like all the work (and tears) I've put into this are paying off!!!

YAAAAAAAY!!!!!!!!!!

...ok, am done celebrating now. I do still have work to do, but am just so happy to know that I am going in the right direction at last. (Sadly the same apparently can't be said for one of my good friends who has the same supervisor--I was talking about how the friend and I have been supporting each other through this, meeting up to ask each other questions about the structuring of the thesis and give moral support, and my supervisor said it's good that I told her some of the things my friend and I have talked about because my friend's thesis still needs a LOT of work and the things I relayed to my supervisor aren't at all what she would've thought my friend would be thinking, so that should help them get on the same page, I hope!)

I am not sure if I will start writing today or not. I have a doctor's appointment this afternoon at 4pm (it's about 11:20am now) because I am yet another kind of sick--I've had achy ears and a very sore throat since Friday, and it got worse yesterday (I could only eat half a wrap for dinner because it hurt so badly to swallow), so I figure I need to bite the bullet and return to my second home, the doctor's office. I am hoping to get some antibiotics to knock whatever this is out of my system. I swear, I am just falling apart!!

 

[Elegant]

Welcome, Elegant! I don''t think I can really share any words of wisdom since this year has taught me that I am NOT cut out for life in academia! I have been so stressed--my only real motivations now are to finish my thesis so a) I can leave Cambridge, b) by leaving Cambridge, I get to be with my man and have it NOT be a long-distance relationship any more ever again!, and c) I can finally be well again (have been sick since April from stress). Here''s hoping your experience is much better than mine has been!

Thanks for the welcome!
Those are some very important motivators I must say! I hope you start feeling better soon! I know that in all of the years I have been in school I have gained weight tremendously and I am hoping that with less stress, being on my own schedule, will help me lose all of the weight I''ve gained...well, that and me walking 4 times a week for an hour each time!

WishfulThinking - Yeah, work with someone you feel comfortable with. Especially now that you can come here and as questions, it should be a lot easier. I find that when I actually work on my paper I start getting excited about it. It is hard to get excited about doing a lit review - I just want to get it over with! Every college/university has a specific writing format you need to write in so you might want to check that out.

gwendolyn - Wow - that is awesome that you will be able to meet your deadline! Yippeee!!!

 

[WishfulThinking]

Gwen- I am soooo excited for you about your great supervision meeting!

Have I told you lately how awesome and kick-butt I think you are? And totally inspiring to boot. It''s great that you''re feeling motivated and that you will have the time you need to tweak and perfect different aspects of your dissertation before the final result is due. Good luck!

Elegant- Thanks for the encouragement. I really, really love being able to come here and share my own thoughts and experiences, get encouragement and support, and share in the joys and lows of other peoples'' experiences as well. It''s such a nice place to be.

Oddly enough I kind of am excited to do my lit review [um, now that I know what it is

]. It''s quite close to the comfort zone I am in as an undergraduate, and the types of papers I have already written in my life. It seems so much more straightforward and less scary than some of the other parts I have to do! And unoriginal. Which I somehow feel is helpful at this point.

I got a TON done today!! I sat in the library for 6 whole hours thinking and thinking and trying to piece everything together. I finally wrote out a huge, long, detailed outline of the different chapters I am anticipating having in my thesis and their components. It felt so great. That one 8''''x11'''' piece of notebook paper has my year-long plan on it. It feels so good to have that scary part done. Now I will just tackle and sections one by one. SO MUCH RELIEF.

 

[Elegant]

Date: 7/4/2008 1:27:05 AM
Author: WishfulThinking
Gwen- I am soooo excited for you about your great supervision meeting!

Have I told you lately how awesome and kick-butt I think you are? And totally inspiring to boot. It''s great that you''re feeling motivated and that you will have the time you need to tweak and perfect different aspects of your dissertation before the final result is due. Good luck!


Elegant- Thanks for the encouragement. I really, really love being able to come here and share my own thoughts and experiences, get encouragement and support, and share in the joys and lows of other peoples'' experiences as well. It''s such a nice place to be.


Oddly enough I kind of am excited to do my lit review [um, now that I know what it is

]. It''s quite close to the comfort zone I am in as an undergraduate, and the types of papers I have already written in my life. It seems so much more straightforward and less scary than some of the other parts I have to do! And unoriginal. Which I somehow feel is helpful at this point.

I got a TON done today!! I sat in the library for 6 whole hours thinking and thinking and trying to piece everything together. I finally wrote out a huge, long, detailed outline of the different chapters I am anticipating having in my thesis and their components. It felt so great. That one 8''''x11'''' piece of notebook paper has my year-long plan on it. It feels so good to have that scary part done. Now I will just tackle and sections one by one. SO MUCH RELIEF.

The thing about lit reviews is that you are constantly regurgitating information that other people said. It''s like all you do is quote people and say these three authors agree that blah, blah, blah and this person states that blah, blah, blah - always using other people''s words and rarely ever your own. That''s because it isn''t you coming up with the ideas, it''s other people''s ideas lumped into the lit review section of your thesis! It gets annoying at times and that is why I get tired of writing them. I hate trying to think of thousands of creative ways to say that this person thinks this and that...

Gets rather annoying. Once I start going and getting into it, it goes faster.

I actually got one page done in an hour...not bad for having to look facts up and things like that.

 

[choro72]

WOOOOHOOOO for Gwen!!!! But I''ll keep the real celebration until after you''ve submitted it finally

Wishful, congratulations on your outline! I''ve noticed that organization help me relieve the fear too

I was supposed to get a code from my research group, but they left before I got to them

So this weekend...I guess I''ll work on my background...

 

[gwendolyn]

Thank you, Elegant, WishfulThinking and choro!! I can see the light at the end of the tunnel! By this time next week, I will be DONE. Handing in, sighing with relief, and LEAVING!!! I am so happy. I feel like this year has almost killed me. Went to the doctor yesterday and found out I have an ear infection on top of everything else! Thank goodness it's all almost over!

I need to start doing some revisions now, but first...

Elegant, how's your lit review coming? You hoping to have it done by today? I struggled so much with my lit review too--I hate having to quote and paraphrase (esp. paraphrasing as I'm always afraid I won't change it enough and someone will accuse me of plagiarism

) and have about 3 original thoughts across 5 pages or something ridiculous. Not my idea of fun. Although, the findings & discussion chapter isn't much better--that's almost ALL my thoughts, and it's kinda scary. Maybe I'm just not cut out for this.

WishfulThinking: hahah, that's great that you're pumped to do your lit review! Makes it *so* much easier to stay focused and get lots done (like you did yesterday!). Keep that feeling going!

choro: you mentioned working on your background this weekend. What do you mean by that? Do you mean like your personal background as a researcher or the background for your study or something else? I hope it's going well, whatever it is!

Delster: how's your tour of Ireland been? You ready to get back to work yet, or are you still floating around on cloud nine?