To think 3 weeks is enough time to write up a dissertation?

[whambamthankyousir]

I've been working on my dissertation since September last year, a huge chunk of it was taken up by having to go through the ethical application process. I got the go ahead in December with that. I then had to gather participants. Interviews commenced and finished in February. I have transcribed them all and analysed and found common themes.

I have a clear chapter structure and outline with how many words is going into each chapter. My literature review is written however, after doing the research I do have to change some of that and refine it but that's 2000 words out of the way with 8000 to go.

I have 3 weeks on Monday to write it to get the draft into my supervisor who said she will turn it around in a week to send back to me with changes to be made. I will have a week to implement these changes and submit officially.

To be honest I'm quite relaxed about it. It's a topic which interests me very much and is very close to my heart. I am a fast writer, once I get in the zone I can work very fast.

My friend on the course has been telling me it's impossible to write up a dissertation in that time and that I better ask for an extension now. The thing is, I don't see how I could have done it any quicker as I needed to wait for my ethics application to be approved before I could do anything.

Can anyone tell me if this sounds doable? I plan to put 5 full days a week writing time into this until it's complete. Is it doable or will I need an extension?

My PhD conclusion chapter was about 3000 words and I wrote it in just over an hour. The hardest part of writing is getting started and knowing what you want to say, you've done both, you have a structure, you will fly from here.

Very easily. I had 8000 to do in same timescale, ended up with 22000. 14000 in the appendices because I had so much to say. You'll do great 👍

It's loads if time given you have all the research done.

Less than 500 words a days and parts of will be much easier write than others.

Start with the more difficult chapters.

Worst case scenario,leave the conclusion out and tell supervisor that you didn't want to do the conclusion until you had the feedback ok the rest of it.

I wrote my undergrad dissertation, which ended up being 12,000 words in a long weekend - this included all the reading needed for it too. Last year, I wrote a 20,000 word Masters dissertation in a week from scratch and got a first. I wouldn't recommend it but it's certainly doable if you can take a focused approach. I find that writing that much in a short space of time rather than spread out over months meant that what I had written was fresh in my mind so it was easier for me to draw comparisons and conclusions. Good luck - you can do it!

Undergrad? Sure

For an undergraduate degree definitely. I did the majority of my dissertation in 2 weeks back in the day and got a 2:1 on it, it was only 10,000 words though.

For undergrad it's easily doable.

Are you naturally smart and good grades come easily for you? Then yes go ahead

You can easily do it.
I did 3 x 10 hour days and wrote my MSc thesis from start to finish. I got a distinction.
A 2,000-3,000 essay is a day in the library at best, assuming you’ve already done your background reading

I think that’s totally doable

Yea I did, I actually did the whole thing in 3 weeks including research, but mine was essentially a literature review rather than primary research. I wrote most of my 5000 word research project for access the night before it was due in (primary research)

Totally double - if you’ve done the research and know the topic you’ll be alright 😉good Iuck!

Definitely doable, I spent 2 weeks writing mine up (it was supposed to be 16000, ended up more like 20000) and then a week of editing & getting the word count down (which was the hardest / most gruelling bit).

Well I wrote my undergrad dissertation in 48 hours.... I do not recommend that strategy!! But I did pass.

I'm a procrastinator of the highest order.

3 weeks is plenty if you start now and give yourself some word count targets.

Yep. I wrote my 15000 word one from scratch in a fortnight and got 70 for it.
I didn’t sleep or eat anything but junk for the last 3 days, but I did it. It is possible.

@snapcrabbytastic

I wrote my undergrad dissertation, which ended up being 12,000 words in a long weekend - this included all the reading needed for it too. Last year, I wrote a 20,000 word Masters dissertation in a week from scratch and got a first. I wouldn't recommend it but it's certainly doable if you can take a focused approach. I find that writing that much in a short space of time rather than spread out over months meant that what I had written was fresh in my mind so it was easier for me to draw comparisons and conclusions. Good luck - you can do it!

@snapcrabbytastic I feel we are kindred spirits... I did exactly the same as you for both undergrad and masters.

I wrote my 8000 masters essay (not even a dissertation so no support/supervisor) over 3 weeks at Xmas

I planned out all the sections I needed to write and how many words in each bit and then picked bits at random to write.

Then lots of reviews (including getting word to read each section aloud)

I also had to do online exams, 4500 words in 24 hours. Entirely doable.

Good luck!

Definitely doable! If you write 1000 words a day at a minimum that's 18 days then 3 days to review! I think on my doctorate some people were still 1000's of words the day before it was due! Personally I like to have things fine well in advance but everyone's different! Im sure you'll be fine! Good luck

Good luck! You sound ready to go, which will help. I do think it will have some challenges, but work out realistically how to use your time, a plan for almost all the days you have. Leave lots of time - more than you need - to tough out your references and bibliography. It takes longer than most people assume, it's very hard to resist the desire to wait and do it as the last task on the agenda, and it really gives a good polish to the work if it is done with precision and flair.

It's quite a comfort to know I don't stand alone in doing my dissertation against the clock.

My mate was proof reading it, a page at a time while, I was fixing the spelling, typos, grammar on the page she'd just read. The uni technician bound it together for me.

Other than her reading it, it was 100% mine, no lecturer input!

Entirely normal for an undergraduate dissertation. I've taught at several universities and IME 1-5 weeks is a normal amount of time for writing up a dissertation, once the research is done.

10,000 words is easily doable in three weeks. Mine was 10,000 words and I wrote it up in about four days. If you’ve got all your research done, writing it up is the easy bit.

Undergrad, 10,000 words and your research and outline are done? You are fine. I would start this weekend though unless it’s absolutely impossible. Aim to get it to your advisor earlier than later because you want as much time for revision as you can get.

Totally doable. You just need to survive on tea, marmalade and toast and pull some very late nights.

I wrote mine in 2 weeks (after faffing about for the large part of a year 😂). Mine was literature and history based. I got a good 2:1.

DH wrote his in 4 days!!! Chemistry. And got a first. He survived the long weekend by drinking a slab of full fat coke and eating a 48-pack box of wotsits 😆

11 hours. One draft only, on the 3rd extension. Sat down at 11am in a chair and didn't really move until it was done

I had chronic undiagnosed ADHD at that point though. Three weeks is a lifetime, just set yourself regular goals (i.e. 200 words then a break and a treat). It's an immense feeling once it's done, it makes all the stress worth it

Unless you have undiagnosed ADHD. Then you're fucked

But they want me back for masters so it must have been ok(ish)