Really worried about MSc dissertation next year

[feesh]

I’m studying a part-time distance learning MSc in Conservation with a well known Russell Group uni. I’ve been out of work for 7 years now (emigrated, had kids) and have absolutely zero knowledge of conservation issues in the country we are now living in and zero contacts. We’ve been in this country two years and I’ve spent most of that time pregnant and raising my now 11 month old, so I haven’t done any networking yet.

I’m starting my dissertation year in September and I’m absolutely terrified. I have absolutely no current interests or desires to research something, and the thought of having to come up with an idea terrifies me - how do I know that I’m coming up with something original, what if someone has done it before, how do I do fieldwork if I have 3 kids to look after and NO idea how to get data, how do I analyse my data etc etc etc .....honestly this is really eating away at me and giving me anxiety. I have absolutely zero confidence, having not worked for 7 years and even then, it wasn’t quite in this field of work.

This must be a thing with me, as I was exactly the same when I did my BSc (many many years ago) - everyone else seemed to know what project to do straight away, whereas I just picked something from a list which sounded vaguely interesting. For my MSc I will need to show more initiative and come up with my own research plan.

I’ve voiced my anxieties to my tutor, and she was reassuring but vague and I’m now really panicking about how I am going to sort this out by September.

It doesn’t help that I am leaving for the summer in 8 weeks and also Ramadan is coming up, so the chances to get out and network are pretty much zero.

I can’t really contact local organisations with a vague ‘I need to my Masters dissertation and I have no idea what to do it on - can you help?’, as that just sounds vague and pathetic.

So how do I even start?

I'd say go back to your tutor, but also tap into other sources of information - are there seminars or workshops on offer? Is there a handbook? Do you have a pastoral tutor or a postgraduate student rep, who could point you in the direction of support?

You probably also want to post in the MN Higher Education section, as other people who're studying will see that post - this section is mostly for working academics, so we've got our own students and can tell you the sorts of things we say to them, but can't give you peer support, which could be more useful.

One thing, though - a dissertation at this level doesn't have to be original in the groundbreaking, world-changing sense. Even a PhD, even most published academic work, isn't actually world-shaking. What you might add would be a slightly new set of data, perhaps some conclusions where you push a bit against the established picture - that sort of thing. It's more manageable than you'd think when you read fearsome mark schemes that talk about 'original research'.