My final push diary

P

I am also submitting on the 27th :) I keep looking at the Olympic Clock, it is counting down for me....a small problem is that my uni. is in London and I am worried about getting in and out in one piece, not good planning! I am trying to persuade my Prof. that I ought to submit on the 20th instead. I can't believe it is so close, it feels surreal after 4.5 years (had to take 1.5 Years out due to illness and family matters). Good Luck all of you on here, we are nearly there, how exciting :-)

S

Oh my goodness! That could be fun submitting that day in London :-) I know what you mean about the Olympic clock, every time they say its x days until the start of the Olympics on the news or whatever I have a wave of panic ;-) I'm planning on handing in, getting a big bottle of wine and some chocolate, and sitting down and enjoying the Opening Ceremony knowing that, for the first weekend in goodness knows how long, I don't have to work :)

Tegs, I'm in humanities, a History student, my word count is currently around 83,000 words so I'm a little over. Sup has said that won't be a problem so I'm ok I think, but I do need to cut back a little - repetition and dead wood as much as anything. That's a pain that you've not had the final feedback! Mine wants to see my chapters again next week... could make for a fun last few days :-)

P

Finally back to the PhD marathon - well it's more like the sprint there (keeping up the Olympic references)!
I've had a mini-crisis with one of my other jobs in that a spreadsheet of data I had been working on has become corrupted and I'll have to do it again. I have the info but it will take a while to sort it and edit it all again. I'm really annoyed and was on a real downer last night. I thought I had finished and it would be a clear run on the thesis for the next two weeks. At least it wasn't any of my PhD work.
Oh well, I'm leaving it to the weekend and am spending the next two days on the PhD - I've written a final final to do list for each day and I have to stick to it. I am supposed to be working the whole of the weekend before submission but I'm going to take it as holiday, meaning I will have about four days holiday left until next June - the hope is that with a wonderful PhD, I'll get a fantastic new job with loads of holidays!!

T

Don't we all Pam! Best of luck with the work- what is your thesis on?

P

My thesis is on the representation of costume on medieval funeral monuments. I'm still finding it fascinating thank goodness.

S

That sounds really fascinating - I hear what other people are doing and kick myself :-) Ha ha, yes, we all want that wonderful job - we can dream. Someone has to get it so why shouldn't it be us?

T

Stressed- I'm history as well, well sort of- mine is sports history. I'm looking at how amateurism prevented the incorporation of professional coaching and training techniques in swimming and athletics. What's yours on? Pam- that sounds hard core! what's your word count like and how has writing gone today?

S

That sounds really interesting too! I used to swim competitively as a teenager so that sounds fascinating :-) I'm a census historian, I look at the enumeration of working women in the victorian censuses - my specialist area is prostitution (not myself obviously lmao!)

P

It's amazing the wide range of topics we are all doing.
I've had a good day today, but with a little too much going off on a tangent when I find something else interesting, which its too late to include.
My word count is probably going to be around 70,000. I was worried about not having enough rather than having to cut back too many.

P

Not a good day so far. I'm feeling under the weather and didn't sleep very well, so have had a lie in and am only just getting down to work. But if I work until late -maybe 10/11, I can still get 7 hours work done so I won't feel so guilty.
I have to do a weekend shift at my job this weekend so I won't be able to do any PhD work as I am completely wiped out by the long shifts.

C

You can do it, Pam! Hope you feel better soon!

B

Hi all,

So, had meeting with supervisors to discuss re-writes of empirical chapters and mercifully it went really well. They were pleased with them. Phe- yew!! That was Thursday and since then, I feel as if I'm done!! Have been so procrastinating hence why on Saturday night I am on laptop til silly o'clock. Been editing/re-structuring a chapter that is just not behaving but it's done, well, abandoned. Can't spend any more time on it. Re-structure/edit methodology chapter tomorrow, re-write aims and plan re-write of literature review which I am NOT looking forward to. I'm giving myself 5 days for that, til Friday. Then 8 days to write intro and re-write discussion. That will take me to 28th July. Then all the pernikity stuff and editing/references (yuck!) the following week. I will also be hopefully waiting for comments from supervisors. I still have no title either? ! Jings! I am feeling a bit dis-organised in a sort of organised chaos way... I'm still waiting for the 'it'll come together' eureka moment.... Good luck everyone. Nearly there. I'm finding red wine in modest daily amounts is helping no end ;) ;-) have also just booked a trip away the day after viva. Come what may, I am getting on a plane. I have to say, that felt good. Thank goodness for credit cards.....

S

That's good news Blackbyrd! When is your viva? I don't think I get my date until a while after I've submitted - I just want to know now! I'm still battling away - 12 days to go now, still seems a lot to do, but its all stupid things, fiddly bits that I hate, and I'm trying to arrange the loan of a printer too lol. Mine is an inkjet and is VERY slow, my friend has a laser printer which goes at the speed of light and will cut down printing time significantly with much lower ink costs.

B

Hello again,

Stressed, my viva is in September, just under a month after submission. It'll be good to get it done. Weekend not been hugely productive I might add. Not sure why I'm in 2nd gear when so much to do still. Hoping today is more productive this end. Good luck to you and all the final pushers....:)

P

absolutely shattered after two 11 hour shifts at work at the weekend, so took it easy this morning. But really got motoring this afternoon and had to force myself to stop for a break. However, I have realised how much more I still have to do on my last main chapter before I can start putting the rest together and organising the whole PhD into submission format. If I carry on writing and editing everything this week, will one week be enough to put it all together.

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