Hi Alana,

Mine is around 2430 words or so-this includes a general background-context and intro, statement of problem, definitions, purpose of study and research questions plus two sentence link into the next chapter. It is currently just under 6 pages, 11 point font and space and a half (both fine by the Uni I study at). The supervisor seems relatively happy with this at present so I'm guessing that this length is fine. Might be a little different for a Literature thesis though- mine is in Education and follows general social science structures. However, I reckon that in general, the intro could be a little shorter and it would be still be quite adequate-I tend to go over word limit and have to edit back a bit at times.

Cheers-good luck with your timeline (not meant ironically btw)

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Hi Sarah,

When I was feeling really disheartened over yet another long phone call from my supervisor, outlining more changes to my wretched Master's thesis, I mentioned how blagghh it made me feel.

She told me it never gets any better...whether its the Masters, or the Phd, or even when you are an experienced, academic of some standing-the review process, the editing and the criticism is always a part of it and you just get used to it.

So, not that this will necessarily offer much in the way of warm fuzzies-but, if it is hard for someone like my supervisor (who has a pretty impressive background) and her colleagues, then it is obviously just a sucky process...so your article might be fine actually...as supervisor says "it is all just part of the process".

Hi GToon84,

Can't really offer advice in terms of your specific area but I will say that if you are thinking that academia might be something that you are interested in pursuing a few years down the track then completing the MSc dissertation now would make that pathway easier later on.

My experience is it is never too late to go back and do things or redo things, but once you enter the professional workforce (which is great-not making a judgement either way here-meaning I am NOT saying that academic is better than professional OR that professional is better than academia-both are good) - anyway to get back to my point...

once you do enter the full-time professional workforce, doing proper research part-time while you continue to work as a professional is quite a challenge. It certainly can be done but it takes a lot of energy. So if you think that you really wouldn't want ever to go the academic pathway, then the diploma sounds really good-but if you think you might like to do that Phd later on, then a couple of months of sweating over your dissertation now, might save you years of part-time research while you work later on...if this makes any sense. However, this is just once perspective on it...cheers and good luck

Good for you, Chrisrolinski! Fantastic to hear that it is finished and handed in! Good luck ahead of times with the viva...
Cheers and regards(tree)

Be utterly ruthless with yourself and set down your stages until the August submission. For example- for today or the first day-just plan all of your workload. Think of it in time chunks. Then once you have a realistic timetable for all of your tasks until completion-begin to follow it on day two.

For example-day one: Timetable and planner and tasks
Day 2: (9.30 to 1pm Draft of chap 7 (or depending on how big 7 is- first three sections of chapter 7) or even just one sement of chapter 7
(but literally divide every task up into time and amount of task/activity for that time and then follow it to the letter)
2 until 5 pm- segments four of Chapter 7, etc

Give yourself morning tea and afternoon tea breaks -or whatever, and take time off for exercise, eating or any other vital part of your life-time with family, washing, etc.

If you do this then you will find you are working realistic days but you can have hours off or evenings off depending on when it is you like to write best.

It is surprising just how much you achieve when you tackle awful things this way. Reward yourself everytime you finish a three hour (with a 20 break in beteween) slog or a particular task. Cross it off the list with a big flourish.

Lots of people recommend mytomatoes-personally I have not used it-but I have a Masters thesis not doctoral dissertation this way, so mytomatoes might be the way to go when you are on the longer journey of the phd dissertation.

Cheers and good luck and don't beat yourself up for having your recent break...you probably really needed it to get some energy for the final stages.

Hi Sunflower, I think that you can do it but it can depend on your methodology and research design as well. If your dissertation is purely literature research and theory related to that then you have a bit more control than if you are doing experiments or case studies with participants for example. Once you include things like the human factor (for example) then you can't always control how things will go or whether participants will be available when you want them, or whether ethics reviews will have hoops for you to jump through, etc.

Another variable that can impact on this is your supervisor and their time schedules. However, having said this, your time frame seems pretty reasonable. I think if you look at it as your goal but then don't become too stressed if if goes a little beyond then you'll be fine.

My circumstances were that I experienced delays that were really beyond my control and these stressed me a bit. However, having said that, i have finished my thesis pretty much on time and will submit only a few weeks over deadline, mainly to give my supervisor time to read the thing fully and also to finetune my lit review and references-just discovered a recently published article by some significant personage and need to adjust some of my review and discussion-but nothing that can't be done...

Seems like your proposal is realistic as long as you do give yourself some time occasionally to have a break and you don't berate yourself if things take a little longer at times.

Never mind Keenbean-there will be other bigger and better grants...Just a thought- they probably didn't think of the power calculation either which was why they didn't ask for it but when looking at a multitude of grants, they have to award them to only one person (or a few groups or whatever) and the one that got it probably had a power calculation, so later when they were letting people know the news, they used this as a justification to some extent.

As in 'well the one we awarded the grant, had blah and blah and blah (even though we didn't ask for it) and maybe if you had done this...for next time, etc".
So you get this information in the feedback. Hindsight is always a marvellous thing isn't it?

You can do it Chrisrolinki...just keep focused on that main goal and take it one big step (or small step) at a time. Good for you for getting this far-if you had time to look back-imagine all of the progress you would see-how far you have come.(up):-)

How many people say they suffer from Bipolar disorder? Years ago it was really trendy to say one was manic depressive (similar thing-older name)

Please to those individuals on this forum genuinely diagnosed with this condition-I'm not referring to you. But honestly-just the normal swings and roundabouts of those of us who are a bit more emotionally inclined is not Bipolar. If you have met people with the genuine condition you can tell the difference.

Barbie Jo Jo-if you are not a troll all I can say is 'Good for you'. Now I had better get back to my work.

Hi Eska,

In my role as teacher and curriculum coordinator, I have to speak publically often in front of adults (in role). I have also given three formal conference papers in front of academics, professionals, uni students and other teachers which went absolutely fine. I'm used to public speaking and take senior debating for my extracurricular contribution at school.

HOWEVER, I've found when I have to speak in front of the full staff in my school at morning briefiings when everyone is there (around 170 or so)-it really is the worst and my hands literally shake, although usually I can continue speaking. Last time I had to rest my paper with material on it on a table so I could see it as I had an extreme physical stress reaction and I got a case of 'wavy hands'. I think it is because it is in front of people I know and work with all the time and I know exactly how bitchy many of them can be (not all by any means but a good fair few). I could imagine all of the responses, read every nuance in every face and I could imagine afterwards some of the nasty little asides people may have made in their own offices.

I'm wondering whether it is the same for you....you mentioned that these were your immediate peers (as in people you work with). When you don't know many people in the audience, it is much easier to talk in some respects.

I bet your work is excellent though...you are placing the work of your colleagues on a pedastal as if you somehow are not as good as them. Absolute rubbish...you've worked extremely hard to get where you are and deserve to be where you are. The comments made by other Algaequeen on cliques are spot on. Cliques are all about creating little power blocs so that people can feel less insecure themselves. But unfortunately in large groups they really do exist. Think how rude those people are...they don't even say hallo after having chatted to you previously. OMG...But not worth worrying over that one....whatever is behind that it is certainly their problem not yours. Leave it with them and remember to say nice and supportive things to yourself in your 'self talk' or internal monologue.

Hi Ruby,

Congratulations!!!!! It is really nice to hear success stories, especially when you've really had to struggle at some point (with the resubmission and all). Thanks for sharing and best of luck for future plans(up). Well deserved success for a hard effort!:-)

Scared, are you able to explain to supervisor why it is difficult for you to do this- no income stream and need to leave for personal reasons and then see if they have any compromise suggestions? I'm thinking that they may have some ideas about how you could do this? But it is difficult to know given the very brief info you have provided (which is fine btw, I'm not fishing for details!)- whether you have lots of options or really none at all.

Can you reenrol but go home anyway and sort of finish the last bit while you either live at home, go on some form of benefit (unemployment or whatever) or just work part-time while you finish up whatever is left? Are you eligible for an extension that includes some form of extension to your grant? Does your supervisor know what your circumstances are? If they knew a little more then they would know what options you have and possibly could lay them out logically for you so you have some form of realistic choice. I find it hard to imagine that they would just expect you to extend and live off thin air?

(But then back in time many years ago when I was much much younger and could not get any student income due to parents who earned too much but would not support me-some lecturers did expect me as a very young person barely out of teens -they did expect me to deal with this and just struggle on somehow, so this is why I'm saying it is hard to know).

If you submitted in time anyway, so you could then look for work and see what happens-i:e it might pass or it might get MPhil? or they may pass just with some adjustments and you could do these while looking for work?

I guess you really need to lay out or talk out or write out what your options are (given all the information you can get on your realistic choices) and then make the best decision for you at this particular time. Sorry not to be of more help and I hope whatever the decision you ultimately make for yourself-it goes well and you feel a little more comfortable with it. Good luck Scared....:-)

Hi Jasuapro1,

Along with Blair and Cheeky Bint, it does depend. But most universities here recommend around 10 hours per week per unit for the semester (which equals around 120 hours as CB said per 3 month tuition term. But that's only per unit. If for example, you were taking the equivalent of two units per semester-still very much a part-time load worth half of a fulltime loading, the uni's here recommend a minimum of around 20 hours per week. That would see the Masters complete within two years. Longer if you only do the one unit per semester obviously. Course work goes differently to the thesis component again as course work units terminate after 12 weeks and you get a breather, but the thesis bit can hang over you like a dark cloud until you've finished it. But again this can all vary from uni to uni and even within the same uni depending on whether it is a 'research paper', a minor thesis whatever, as these are all worth different numbers of units in your particular course. Even supervisors can have different expectations...

The reality is as CB and Blair have both indicated-it is dependent on how you work. I have found that most of the students who have been studying alongside me, that we do a small regular amount on a weekly basis (say around 8 to 12 hours) and then periodically work up an extended stint for research and writing on long weekends, holidays or peak times when deadlines come up. However, you can do it. I need to stress this as I seriously doubted myself (given work and family issues) for a long time and now am right in the final stages. But it comes down to being organised, not getting too worked up over letting things go a little around the domestic front, and just getting in there and doing it. And just sometimes locking yourself away from your family in a room somewhere so that their demands don't interfere with your thinking all the time-but giving them time when they seriously need as well.

Good luck-if you want this goal you can achieve it and your family will still love you(up)

Just an idea- On one of our (Australia's) university's postgraduate forums, I noticed that when people passed either their Masters or their PHd, they got a little thing below their avatar which said (in the case of a Master's) Master or Mistress of the Forum and I assume in the case of a Doctorate (Dr of the forum). I'm not sure though whether this was an automatic process or you clicked something on the avatar page to put it on, once you had graduated.

I thought it was really nice-one of the forum regulars had just passed her MA and the thesis was successful and the appellation just appeared-so the forum regulars could all congratulate her. The forum was for students of that Uni only though-I came across it by chance and was able to use it as a guest only.
Might be another thing that could be added as well, on top of the hall of fame which is a really nice idea as well.

Hi JD-Ovengloves,

No one can decide for you-which is annoying for you but is why counsellors are so inconclusive. There is no right or wrong decision really-mainly only a right or wrong one for your situation (as it is at present) situations always change as well. But I'm just thinking here-if you quit now, without work you are really just giving yourself the option of continue with Phd against quit it to go to what.....? Would it not be better to give yourself a bit more time, continue with the Phd but apply in the meantime for work you are qualified for and want to do and see what happens.

If you are successful for a decent post then you really have a genuine choice- Phd or professional employment and whichever choice you make-at least there is a win for you on either side. Quitting a Phd that you are doing well in and are funded for- for the unemployment queue might seem okay now but it could be a miserable place to be in if you were in there for a while, while you were waiting for full-time work to come along. And to be honest, it is probably easier to get work while you are in work or study-having been in an inbetween place for about four months once when I moved cities-even though I had children and was not completely unoccuppied re- things to do and responsibilities-it was really demotivating and quite depressing until the jobs came along and I began to get interviews and an offer. I think that if I had been studying while I was applying, I would not have been quite so despondent when the initial applications were 'sorry but we' or interviews only and no offers.

This does not answer your long term plans and inquiry but perhaps helps you with a temporary plan to go along with while you work out what YOU really want out of life for the moment. But being 28 without all the perks is really not necessarily a big or bad thing, either. We tell ourselves all sorts of things about what we are supposed to achieve in life...and quite frankly we only ever have a small amount of control over our outcomes. Take the GFC for example-who would have known that was on the cards? And it has impacted on lot's of people's lives messing around with people who did 'all the right things' and people who just took life one day at a time alike? So-no right or wrong answers but give yourself more time and possibly apply for work while you continue to study...who knows you may just find your dream job and leave afterall but at least while you are looking, you have an income and a purpose and you still have more than one option.