To want a good shot at a first class undergraduate dissertation

[TimeOutandCake]

Mature open university student (best decision ever - late nights in the local library and lying on the grass in the sunshine at residential school chatting with new pals, with my brain full. I started crying when I thought I was nearly at the end but hoping to do another one when I retire so that's ok)

I'm on with the basics for my dissertation module - have my title worked out, seems to be enough material for critical analysis (compare and contrast) and I think I'm ok with the theory.

I seem to have got good grades on my modules so far, but everyone is telling me it's very, very hard to get a first class on a dissertation? I think I'll be ok getting a decent 2:1 but I want those magic extra marks to go past the 85 mark....

My last "writey" module I was 85 at maximum effort so I'm pretty borderline. I checked and re-checked 20 times and literally couldn't see how I could have done better at all? But some were getting higher marks so clearly it is "do-able".

Any tips? It's engineering. I also have social anxiety and ASD and am not sure how to do the whole "build a relationship with the supervisor thing" when I get allocated one - I don't want to piss them off by being too needy or intense but equally I do want to do well.

[DorisDances]

I have experience in supervising dissertations. The students who got 1sts were self motivated and adored an active part in the supervision relatio ship - bringing options to discuss rather than turning up just expecting to be spoon fed or nagged. Why not agree the ground rules at the first meeting. Explain how passionate you are about your subject and committed to achieving a 1st.

[TheWiseWomansFear]

It depends, if the idea is there and you put in he hours it's certainly not impossible. I got a 1st in my English dissertation because the idea was really good. I didn't work hard enough and could have gotten a much higher first if I had... don't lose hope, the stats for mature students is much better than your average student

[BertrandRussell]

My dd split the markers with her dissertation and ended up with a 2.1 even though her supervisor thought it was potentially a First because the moderator really, really didn’t like her idea. She says she relaxed a bit because her supervisor was so positive and didn’t back herself up rigorously enough.

Not sure if that helps- just a recent dissertation anecdote!

[TimeOutandCake]

Thanks that’s all very helpful.

It does seem the relationship with the supervisor is key - I’ve been googling like anything and apparently sometimes there’s a bit of a disconnect between feedback and final grade (ie being told “it’s good don’t worry or make any big changes” and then pulled up on stuff after it’s been submitted )

Bertrand that’s a good point - I’m good at fighting my corner (I think) but equally I don’t want to piss people off .

So much to think about! Hugely looking forward to it though I have a folder of about a million things to read through

[KittyDee]

I got a good first for my undergrad dissertation.It was sociology though so there may be different expectations. However some of the key things that helped me:
Discussing idea and plan with personal or subject tutor -they might not actually look at a document,but should be happy to give you advice on what a 1st class looks like
Reading very widely- beyond reading lists
Having an original and strong argument
Writing well so it is interesting and enjoyable to read

Good luck!

[bellalou1234]

I got 46 for mine.

[museumum]

I supervise post graduate dissertations and I’m sorry to say that the spark that takes it to a distinction is very hard to explain (otherwise every hard working student would get one). You need to take your supervisors advice but you also need to have your own ideas and make it your own. Whatever happens being organised hitting all interim deadlines and starting early and strong is quite key.

[therewillbetime]

Got a first in my English lit degree overall and first for my dissertation. You basically have to adore your subject and be willing to settle for nothing less than your absolute best.

[AGirlinLondon]

First off - good for you OP. Your post made me smile. I remember feeling like that as an undergrad. I worked bloody hard on that dissertation. I agree with previous posters, get some good time with your tutor, be really open to their feedback (if anxious, be brave!) and read/source widely. I can imagine reading dissertations can be hugely boring and a good one stands out.

[OlennasWimple]

I didn't build a particularly good relationship with my supervisor (I didn't realise that was a thing to do...!) but I did write about something that he was passionate about but a little researched niche - so I was the expert. That would be my advice (apart from thorough proof reading, not leaving everything to the last minute to print and bind, and having excellent grammar). Be the expert

[flowerpott]

If you can undertake some primary research and present your findings, then I know that helped in my degree. (Shows initiative and leadership, plus it's automatically 'new' and fresh thinking). Good luck!

[Curious0yster]

I worked on my dissertation every single day for three solid months and was incredibly self critical. I ended up with 92% and a really good first overall, but the grades only actually matter to me - nobody else cares at all!!

Good luck and enjoy it - I loved doing mine!

[hooveringhamabeads]

I got a first in my dissertation. The key things that helped were:

1. choosing a topic that I was passionate about, which kept me focussed as I was genuinely really interested in it.
   
   
2. having a good relationship with my supervisor. Luckily we got on really well. And if he/she suggests changes, DO THEM! Even if you disagree. They have a lot more experience than you and ultimately they will be one of the people marking it.
   
   
3. Be organised, break it up into chunks and have a strict deadline for each part.
   
   
4. be ruthless with editing, it is soul destroying deleting that paragraph that took you a whole day to research and write, but it will have to be done. It is a big piece of work but every word has to be relevant and count, there is no room for waffle.
   
   
5. don’t be afraid to change your mind. I initially changed my entire topic, and then further down the line realised that I needed to amend my research title as things had naturally taken another direction.
   
   Good luck!

[Leatherboundanddown]

I did an OU degree too. LOVED it as much as you.

I missed out on my first as I got 80 in my EMA so because of how my course grades were calculated I got a 2.1. Is your's the same? That this is the entire examinable component? I know OU often do this rather than averages. Seems so unfair to me but oh well.

Do you have a good relationship with your module tutor? I would instigate lots of email contact, maybe some phonecalls and if you have f2f tutorials then ask if you can buy them coffee before/after so you can have a one to one chat about your plans.

If you are consistently getting high marks then you are obviously a good student in terms of your academic ability and writing etc. You need to make sure that your work stands out to get that extra bump.


Good luck. I am excited for you.

[mumsastudent]

organise your chapters have a distinct topic for each that link forward. Research - reading & plenty of references triangulate discuss different points or angles of research that may be the opposite of your idea & explain their weaknesses & other pieces of research that support your ideas even if they don't go as far as your ideas/research (hopefully this will work for your subject - I tried to generalize the subject) your supervisor is there to help you from either going in the wrong direction or to help you figure out how to organise you thoughts into a plan. Organise your premise whether by using mind maps or bullet points for each point.

[TimeOutandCake]

Printing this thread off

[Camomila]

Ah mate I know how you feel.
I've consistently been a high 2.1, high merit at stuff. Still got one dissertation to go though!

Would love some extra spark

Seriously though,
Work on things you know are your weaknesses. In my case long waffley sentences...so I'm going to an academic writing session in the library. Might be different with the OU but is there general academic support...so like referencing/academic writing/data analysis etc.

[CatBAHons]

My degree was in photography and I got 90% for my dissertation (70% and above was a First).

Like the others have said, find something to discuss that you absolutely adore. If it's been done before, find some unique elements to research. Talk through your ideas with your tutor and take on board their suggestions. If you choose not to go with their advice, discuss with them why, so they're kept informed of your choices.

I ended up travelling 150 miles and back to access some archived material that was a fundamental case study and key to my argument. I went above and beyond the usual efforts being made by my classmates.

The previous essay I wrote was marked at just 60% (I scraped a 2:1) so knew I had to give it my all and prioritise my workload to make sure that my dissertation took priority. I also looked at other example dissertations for layout ideas and document structure. I spoke with the previous year's students to ask how they structured their time and what sort of material they researched.

I'll be honest, it was the hardest thing I've ever done (I remember saying I'd rather give birth one a week for 12 weeks than go through that again!), however I cried when I received my mark and feedback. Just do your very best and I'm sure you'll be fine.

[FruitCider]

I got 65% for my dissertation.

Have the OU specifically just asked for compare and contrast over rigorous critical analysis? As for my nursing degree if I had done compare and contrast I would have failed...

[TimeOutandCake]

Compare and contrast is on the list of possible project titles

I’m assuming that they won’t be happy with just a table of “this is x and that is y” though so I’m thinking probably need to up it a bit to come into “the commercial and technical and social relevance of this difference is....” kind of realm

[EduCated]

Agree with others, genuine enthusiasm for your topic is key. Make the most of any general study skills sessions available to you. Be crystal clear on the requirements around word counts, style guides and referencing - double check because there may be slight differences from previous work.

Be prepared for your topic to change and adapt as you come across new sources and ideas that you want to incorporate, but equally be ruthless with yourself about whether it adds to the project or your just including it because you want to.

Listen to your tutor. This doesn’t mean you automatically need to take every suggestion they make, but take time to consider why they are suggesting it and remember that they will almost always have a decent amount of experience in this. If they say the data you want to collect is going to be problematic, listen to them!

And keep on top of your referencing as you go!

[mumsastudent]

Oh & leave your introduction to last - its basically summing up what you are going to discuss & you know when you have finished the rest of dissertation how many words you have left. (: & for goodness sake back it up as you go along so if your computer dies you haven't lost everything!)

[mumsastudent]

& maybe consider politics & financial affects (ie bloody Brexit affect)

[FruitCider]

Compare and contrast is on the list of possible project titles

I’m assuming that they won’t be happy with just a table of “this is x and that is y” though so I’m thinking probably need to up it a bit to come into “the commercial and technical and social relevance of this difference is....” kind of realm

Yeah but they won't expect you to literally just do that, they'll expect you to use proper analysis of the papers to explain why they are similar and why they are different, eg by looking at probability, or t test, or demographics, etc.