To ask complete MN for support in completing my essays?

[GracefulHippo]

So, I have fallen badly behind with my essays . There are reasons... I developed a heart condition just before the course started, was hospitalised and have been wobbly and tired all autumn. I will apply for a week extension, but not sure if I get it.

SO, have two essays to finish, possibly by Tuesday and Thursday (hopefully next Tuesday and Thursday), have barely started. I won’t be able to get into it until later this afternoon as I am on a sports fixture for my middle DC. Any kind encouragement - or tips very appreciated!

I feel foryou, i have an essay an exam this week then another exam to studyfor the following week.

Ive learnt some stuff from a lecturer - its fear that makes you procrastinate so before you start, close your eyes and picture yourself successfully completing the work. Do a bit at a time with a small reward (i chose picnic bars) for each section completed. Take a break of 10 minutes when you need it but no more otherwise you start to procrastinate and dont go back to it.

Good luck

It's probably too late for this assignment as there's quite a learning curve at the start, but have a look at something like Endnote Web or Mendeley for future referencing (they're free) - you can insert references and a bibliography a the end into your document automatically, keep PDFs in a safe place, make notes and lots of other features (e.g. putting them in APA or Vancouver or Harvard format depending on which one your uni/tutor favours). Your uni will probably also have paid versions that you can use as a student. The learning curve is quite sharp at the start but in the long run they will save you hours. Not for this one though - sounds like you need to concentrate on the actual writing and composition.

Another technique I've seen people use is to take the word count and divide it, roughly, into sections - so, say it's 2,000 words, then that's 300 words for the intro, and another 300 for the conclusion, leaving 1400; divide this by your 3 to 5 main arguments/subjects, and that leaves you with around 467 words to 280 words to write per idea.

Good luck with the extension, hopefully your university will grant you this in the light of your not having been well.

Thank you so much for all the posts!!! I have done the word division now, 300 each on intro and conclusion and will do the same for the chunks in the main part.

I have a rough idea of what to put in the essay (decent amount of text/sentences with references which needs to be organised), so will just try to keep going. At least I am on my way. Need to ship the children off to school and continue!

Sounds like I need to make learning the referencing a top priority for next year! I will keep going with my “old school” style for now (using the university cite tool for APA and manually check it and put it in the right order).

And I have applied for the one week extension and supported it with medical evidence. Fingers crossed they will grant it!

Loving all tips, really helpful!! Any more, please let me know .

Good luck Maintain!

Ref works or similar (Mendeleev, endnote etc.) will work with your university database as well, sometimes they are better designed to support one specific software, for example ours is geared to refworks, your tutors should be able to give you guidance on this and you can set them to the required referencing format. Such a timesaver, but agreed you probably want to have a play around ready for the next one if you’re on a short timeframe and unsure how they work. Hope it’s going well, mines 3/4 done and due in the morning! 😬

Hi everyone, just a quick thank you for all helpful tips and all support! I will definitely learn the referencing tools .

I got my extension, both essays now submitted (last one at 9pm yesterday), so am having a light headache after 1/2 bottle celebratory Prosecco .

I think they both should get at least a pass (I also found out that the grade on them didn’t count towards my final grade as the module was optional)!!!

How did you do Holiday?

Following as I was poorly all last week and this week and was behind a week already 🙈 1200 words due Tuesday Midday 😭

How nice is my OU tutor likely to be in giving me an extension?

Andy I'm studying with the OU and looking at Facebook page for my module, they seem to hand out short extensions pretty willingly. I haven't heard of anyone getting one declined even if they've already had extensions on multiple previous assignments.

Andy, best of luck, I know exactly how you feel!! I had to provide documentation supporting my late submission, but I am not OU.

1200 words, should be doable though, even if you do not get it!!! 💐💐 There are lots of helpful tips on this thread