Anyone else doing a dissertation

Hi, just wondering if any ones else was doing there dissertations and was feeling quite as board as i am right now?

What are u doing your on?

Mine is a keyword based dissertation management system that automatically finds keywords from abstracts and then links them to relevant dissertations so search can be perfomed against that keyword.

Anyone doing a more interesting project?

That sounds like it could have been done in about a tenth of the time of the one I'm doing.
I'm working on a piece of software that models particle motion (with atom like properties) for education purposes. It's aimed at GCSE type stuff.

[timwilky]

My daughter hasn't even started her's as she still has two essays to submit by June and a further 9 months for the dissertataion in unfair contract conditions.

Even worse I can't even help her. She was going to originally do it on the application of arbitration within commercial contracts. But after she spent a couple of hours with our staff barrister she came away thinking the scope was too wide.

Now if only she had listened to her old man and stuck to IT, this geriatric code cutter could have helped her. Then again looking at the industy I am glad she had a mind of her own.

Doing one on an MSc in Logistics. A thoroughly interesting topic of structural and organisational behaviour of companies when faced with uncertain markets. Majoring on the infrastructure setup of the German postal system.

I sleep well at night .....

Originally Posted by Carsick

That sounds like it could have been done in about a tenth of the time of the one I'm doing.
I'm working on a piece of software that models particle motion (with atom like properties) for education purposes. It's aimed at GCSE type stuff.

Probaly true, mine a small project but it only worth 1/4 of the final year marks. Unfortunaley they don't even bother to mark the implementaion so all the marks are gained by writing a good report of around 12000 words.

Yours does sound like a lot of work, going to finish on time. How many hours has it takern so far?

Nope. But im waiting on my study material to turn up as ive just started to do a Gradute Diploma in Purchasing and Supply with the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply.

Havent studied in about 6 years, this is going to be a shock.

Doing it self study as i work full time in Procurement and E-commerce. Anyone got any good tips on how to succeed or make it easier in the self study environment?

[northwind]

Mine was an absolute bomb Very nearly cost me my degree. "An exploration of the use of counter-culture imagery and music in mainstream marketing". Which sounds great, until you find that there's absolutely nothing in writing on the subject. So that either proves you're an insightful, forward thinking researcher, or you're a halfwit. In my case, the wheel stopped on halfwit, and I got 20%... But on the bright side, I only spent about 20% of the time you're supposed to put into it, so it worked out not too bad

Ah been there done that, mine was on comprehensive review of website interfaces looking at human computer interaction and usability studies, glad its over, was a big old project

Originally Posted by northwind

Mine was an absolute bomb Very nearly cost me my degree. "An exploration of the use of counter-culture imagery and music in mainstream marketing". Which sounds great, until you find that there's absolutely nothing in writing on the subject. So that either proves you're an insightful, forward thinking researcher, or you're a halfwit. In my case, the wheel stopped on halfwit, and I got 20%... But on the bright side, I only spent about 20% of the time you're supposed to put into it, so it worked out not too bad

Sounds like a friend of mine - he wrote his disserwozit on Friendly Fire in WW1 - apparently there wasn't anyone qualified enough to actually mark it as he was the first to comprehensively investigate the subject (or something). I think he got a 'Honourary' First.


As for home study - I'm in a similar situation, studying to become a Qualified Bookkeeper as a back-up whilst I'm laid up with dodgy knee syndrome.

Set the spare room out as an 'office' was a good start. Few distractions.
Then set a timetable - but not a strict one. Kinda like aim for a total of seven hours study in a week, but not specify when. That way you don't get frustrated or dissapointed if other stuff gets in the way (and vice versa), but still have an achievable goal to work towards.

Just started an OU Mech Eng Degree (bit of shock as i havn`t studied for 12 years).