To be gutted at this grade for my dissertation proposal?

[goodgradeshavewine]

I'm in my third year at uni and worked so hard at my research and inquiry module, I worked really really hard and found it fairly easy because I'd been putting in the work for it.

Anyways I submitted my dissertation proposal 4 weeks ago and got results back this morning. I thought I would at least be mid 60s as I truly thought it was a well put together and thought out dissertation plan. I only got 60 %.

I'm totally gutted, I know that still leaves me in the 2.1 range but only just. I'm frustrated because my other module that I didn't follow nor understand I got higher results for both my assessments in that. Overall for this term I am sitting at 63 percent.

I'm just so upset and like demotivated now. At one point in the feedback he says I spoke in a detached manner and that it must have been difficult for me to write in the third person. I literally have an email from him confirming I was to write in the third person...on top of that my friend that really rushed hers got a first. We have different markers but the marking just seems so random at my uni.

AIBU to be so gutted about my grade? Am I being pathetic?

I've not read the whole thread so forgive me if I have missed anyone saying this... you generally in HE, cannot appeal a mark, academic judgement overrides. In most universities You may only appeal if you believe that the mark has been to the award board and there was some kind of irregularity in the process.

I would seek further feedforward (ie what do you need to do to get a better mark at the next stage?) from your supervisor.

I work in academia and have been both a dissertation supervisor and an academic registrar (ie regulations).

So please seek advice on what you can do to get a better mark in the next part. I don't know what the weighting of this component is, but it's probably only 10% of the final mark so you have lots of opportunity to improve your mark if you fully understand the feedback and feedforward.

Good luck!

Have you discussed this with your tutor?
It sounds as though your writing style is a bit off.
Please seek guidance from your tutor.

See to be honest, it doesn't seem to me as if you are cut out for university with a grade like sixty percent, in third year your grade should be AT LEAST late sixties. Cut your losses.

@iamagruff
At the end of their degree students are awarded Firsts, 2:2s, 2:2s, Thirds, pass etc. Spanning the range of marks. Not everyone gets late 60s for everything.

@iamagruff

See to be honest, it doesn't seem to me as if you are cut out for university with a grade like sixty percent, in third year your grade should be AT LEAST late sixties. Cut your losses.

Oh don’t be so ridiculous. There would be no point in different classes of degree if everyone got firsts. When I graduated in 1986, just four people got firsts out of a cohort of nearly 300.

She's in third year, she's barely scraping a 2.1, it's only going to get more difficult from here on out...she's not on a good track.

@goodgradeshavewine

Feedback -

Focus
Alcohol is a drug that hardly ever gets the attention or headlines that other problematic drug use can generate. An interesting focus for research in that is seeks to update our understanding of the condition as well as to examine potential failures and problems in support.

Justification
Clearly defined terms and scope of the research, as well as establishing why this is important. With the current lockdown approaching an end, it is timely to consider these matters. You have also expanded on the elements to be researched and this is justified in reference to other earlier research that needs updated.

Research Design
Good grasp and description of some of the issues surrounding this approach. Would have liked more barriers and weaknesses identified that would have added marks for criticality.

Sampling and Data Collection
Excellent resource with the facebook group. However, some thought needed as to how you will encourage participants to take part.
The questionnaire element was competent in its description but perhaps not the most effective way to achieve your aims. Pople in this group may not have the technical and personal skills necessary to outline their feelings in writing. Perhaps a consideration of face to face or online interviews might have been better. Questionnaires if they are too lengthy tend to get a very poor response or people quit before the end.

Data Analysis
Good analysis that is let down by unclear writing on the inferential statistics element and some lack of understanding about what this can actually achieve. Please review carefully the statistics sections.

Ethical Considerations
Covered the basics here. Need to be clearer regarding some jargon used and explain more fully how ethical disputes can be resolved. Lots of other stuff regarding destroying the data, GDPR rules and access were not included.

Self Comment
Very good balanced self awareness shown here. You identified a number of issues that either you chose nto to address or ran out of time to address them. Most of them would have added to your proposal if they had been added in. I take on board the commitment to furhter reading over the summer to get you off to a flying start...

Writing
Minor issues with in text referencing that will be sorted! Your writing style was very third person but in a sort of detached manner - it must have been hard to write She will instead of I will, or perhaps more correctly the research will...This is not a major problem for writing your dissertation as you will have corrected for that as well.

Ah I think I can see what they mean. Have you wrote 'she will do X,Y,Z' so it's in third person instead of saying 'the research will focus on X,Y,Z using this methodology? You don't use pronouns in academic writing

I think you’ll seem VERY high maintenance if you appeal a 60 cos you thought you would get 65

@iamagruff I think maybe you shouldn’t be giving advice on something you know nothing about.

@SeaShoreGalore but I'm correct, if she was sitting at 68/69 - fine. But 60? Not great.

She's basically sitting at a 2.2

Some of these comments are so harsh. I am confused OP. So this isn't your final dissertation mark? Just a proposal? Therefore, surely it's positive that you can now make edits and improve your dissertation before your final submission? Sorry if I misunderstand! It always hurts to get a lower grade than expected, but you have received some insightful feedback which highlights tangible changes you can make. Best of luck!

She generally gets a 2:1 and this grade is a 2:1 and it’s only a proposal.

@iamagruff

She's basically sitting at a 2.2

... But a 2:1 is a 2:1 regardless

I think you are getting a hard time here OP. I'm assuming you're quite young and many posters appear to forget what that was like! Even if you're a mature student some of these comments are ridiculous (i.e. the poster telling you to cut your losses ignore that).

You've also had some good feedback from those in the know and I agree your lecturer's feedback is really thorough and clearly sets out the areas you need to work on. If you do exactly that you'll bring your mark right up as he seems quite positive about the topic of your proposal.

I also agree with the poster who said it appears you're perhaps not reading widely enough. The more you immerse yourself in academic texts the easier you will find it to emulate that style in your own writing, you'll absorb it by osmosis.

Best of luck!

@iamagruff

You don’t seem to understand how it works. 60 is a 2:1. This is only the proposal. When the OP does the dissertation, she is likely to get a much higher mark.

And even if she doesn’t, 60 is still a 2:1. In my day, about half the cohort got 2:1, half a 2:2, which just a few outliers getting a first or third. A 2:2 was a normal, decent grade.

She's basically sitting at a 2.2

@iamagruff Is your cup always half empty?

@Shimy realistic.

@iamagruff Realistically she is sitting at a 2.1.

realistic

Far from realistic, cruel or trolling more like! A 2:1 is a perfectly good grade and will ensure the OP has many opportunities open to her after graduation that she wouldn't have if she simply "cut her losses" and quit. Nonsensical thing to say.

@Shimy I got a 60 in my proposal but have finished the year with a 63 percent overall, if that makes a difference to you.

@ErickBroch yes, so this is my proposal, what I propose to do for my dissertation next term. Yes, now I've let some time passed and have calmed down I can see how this isn't the end of the world like I thought. I'm going to follow the feedback and as people have suggested on here do some further reading etc during the summer so I can get to grips with the academic writing which is expected of me. I'm feeling much better now, thanks.

Thanks to all the kind posters, sorry if I came across as a bitter knob in OP.

If this is the same person who is going to mark the final then remember it's political too. He'll be far more willing to look for marks for you in your final dissertation if you've gone to him and asked him how to improve rather than launch an attack questioning his ability to assess work.

[quote iamagruff]@Shimy realistic. [/quote]
But you aren't realistic at all - a 2:1 is a 2:1 no matter what.

Get it right.

@iamagruff

See to be honest, it doesn't seem to me as if you are cut out for university with a grade like sixty percent, in third year your grade should be AT LEAST late sixties. Cut your losses.

I honestly just cannot get past the stupidity of this post

I've always found it difficult to give any accurate assessment of your own performance in exams. I remember one subject I absolutely hated and for which I revised the bare minimum of topics. I got away with it in terms of the questions, by only by way of pretending I'd been really rushed for the last question so writing my answer in note form with the bare bones information that I could remember for that topic. Everything I wrote in the exam was a real effort because I simply could not engage with it at all, I thought I would be lucky to pass, but somehow I scraped a 2:1.