Breaaaaaath!
I am going to make it. I finished my take home final two weeks ago and only need to review it before printing it out. My term paper is short just one more consideration which, along with the summary, will take me to the page requirement... and it's nearly writing itself, the material flows so easily.
It's the dissertation proposal draft that's got me all weirded out. I just changed my whole approach to a qualitative study, about which I know very little. So much of my work at this point, in addition to the lit review which has been ongoing for a year now, is learning how to do qualitative research. So I guess all I can do for my dissertation proposal is make a skeleton and say "methods would go in the methods section here" and "a critical review of all the literature I've read will eventually go here, under the lilt review heading" and so forth. I don't know what the fuck else to PUT in this thing, and it's due Friday!
I'm trying not to be angry that, frankly, this course requirement which I know is supposed to be urging me along the way, is actually getting in the way of my progress. I was happily reading and making notes, and talking to people and making notes, when along came this fucking assignment to do something I simply CANNOT do at this point in my process. So instead of continuing down a productive path, I am spinning in circles trying to figure out how to turn in a product that won't be a complete joke. Thus I have put it off to the very end of the term in hopes someone would explain to me what hell to DO for the course requirement. The prof says "just sit down and start writing and it will come to you" but I have sat down repeatedly and absolutely nothing is coming. I have DICK at this point.
Ok, I have a research question which I have refined, I have decided to go qualitative, and I have expanded my lit review topics a fair amount during this dissertation course. But none of that translates into more than a few words on a proposal. Sigh.
So this morning, when I should have been at least finalizing my paper and my final, I pressure washed all the bird cages, the back porch, the patio furniture, and the nose of my car. I then scrubbed the kitchen top to bottom and vacuumed the whole house. Now that I've spent all of an hour on the dissertation project, I have squirted over here to blog, itching to clean the kinda ganky fish tank, and thinking I ought to make ice cream.
GAH!
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3 comments:
Wow you've got a lot to deal with right now. I, too, have been thinking about pets instead of research. I'll be right there with you, working hard until Friday. We can do it!
Thanks di di. We WILL get our shit done by Friday!!!
I finally decided to just make outlines of what I want to put in each section in as much detail as I have available or comes to mind right now. It will allow the prof to see what I have done so far, and give me a nice concise template to fill in as I go. As a third year friend suggested to me a bit ago, I am going to "poop something out" to fulfill the course requirement and then sit back and take my time actually doing the work over the summer. Have only my methods section left to go and feeling MUCH better. It's not really shit... but it sure as hell bears no resemblance to a dissertation proposal!
Or I was until another friend told me about his very ill bird. Now I'm a mess. =( Back to pets.
I hope your little furball is doing better!
I think your friends advice about just getting something down for the course is a good one. Just get whatever you can to them and then worry about the actual proposal. This of this as an opportunity to see what you've thought about it and where you still need to fill in holes.
I know it's hard to get out of the typical school mentality but in grad school classes really aren't the big deal. Do the minimum to get by and you'll be fine. It really is ok! ;)
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