Wednesday 23 April 2008

The Dissertation is Done!

The Dissertation has been completed and submitted. Yes! I feel quite content with the end result. I feel there were a lot of excellent parts in it; some good ones; but also some areas where I could have done better. Now that I think just how much effort I put into it - in terms of doing lots of reading and making notes - it all seems so very small. In fact, I can't really explain why it took me so long to produce. Its a really strange feeling that I haven't managed to shrug off yet - it hasn't quite sunk in that my dissertation is completed and that I can now move on to prepare for upcoming exams.

Most of my friends seem to feel the opposite way. They are really proud with their end result and quickly chose to share their excitement with Mr Fosters and Mr Carling. Not me though; I even seem to have lost my appetite somewhat.

I overheard a conversation that two female class-mates had in the library after printing off their dissertation for the final time:

"Hey Victoria, how you doing? You printing your dissertation off? It feels so good to have finally finished it doesn't it?"
"Yes, absolutely" replied Victoria, "I feel like a virgin again".
Apparently dissertations can do that to you too.

6 comments:

Android said...

Awesome.

You've worked so hard on it, I'm sure you'll do really well.

Can you relax now? :p

Lacklustre Lawyer said...

I'm trying, I'm trying.

I'll stop thinking about it soon and move on to more pressing concerns. In a recent post, I was ranting about how I never seemed to celebrate success. It seems I'm falling into the same trap again!

Anonymous said...

You have slain the beast!! Well DONE!!
Have you any tips for Thesis Monster Management?!?!

Law Girl said...

I can't say that finishing my dissertation had that effect! But I've got another one to do soon so who knows! Good luck- I'm sure you've done brilliantly, and it's always good to have it out of the way.

Lacklustre Lawyer said...

Law Minx...

...yes, its a great feeling!

As a lowly undergraduate law student and a lacklustre one at that, I don't feel I'll be able to offer you any worthy advice for tackling the thesis monster, unfortunately.

However, if I were to do another dissertation (or the like) in the future again, I would try to produce a completed draft about 3-4 weeks before the final deadline. That way, I wouldn't feel as pressurised, as I did, in the last few days before the deadline. Within that 3-4 weeks, I feel I would be able to make some important changes/additions that need to be made to improve the mark but without the stress of thinking: do I have enough time etc. Also, I'd really try to ensure that each section within my dissertation flowed logically so that it would be enjoyable to read.

Law Girl...

... thanks for your kind comment.

I certainly thought it was an interesting analogy that Victoria drew upon to describe how she felt.

Good Luck with your current dissertation, I hope you enjoy it.

Anonymous said...

Lackie, you sound more sorted than I wil EVER be; more importantly, you've learned a lot of lessons regarding research and document management, which can only stand you in good stead later on.
(PS: I have put the Thesis Monster into a Monstery for a holiday while I finish off the BVC, so it wont be troubling people for a while!)