Absolutely stuck on essay due tomorrow :(

[EssayMess]

I have a phonecall scheduled with my tutor for 2pm. Basically I can't really understand which way to tackle this essay. I should have asked for help earlier but I was concentrating on another essay and thought it would all become clear. It didn't. I feel so stupid I could cry. Even if I stay up all night I don't think I can write an essay good enough to pass. What on earth will my tutor think :(

No doubt he/she will have heard it all before. Good for you for asking for help rather than continuing on blindly.
It's horrible, that feeling that you just don't get it - we've all been there.

How many words is it? Do you think you could get an extension or, like at my university, are they only for illness/unavoidable situations?

It happens to everyone and your tutor would obviously rather you asked for help, as if you get a bad grade it reflects badly on them too. If other students are having similar problems then tutors can also pass on that information to the people in charge of setting the course.

Can you do any research or anything now around the subject area so you have a base on which to proceed once you hear from your tutor. Obviously this depends on the subject! Perhaps there are other mumsnetters who can offer more specific advice if you are willing to share the essay question/subject.

Don't beat yourself up about this, just do as much as you can and then stop, have a bath or something and get yourself relaxed and prepared for the conversation tomorrow so you can get going asap. Quite often I find I have a flash of brilliance when I am not thinking about the subject, just loading the dishwasher or wiping the table down. The more I force myself the more my brain panics and I can't think clearly.

Good luck, although I'm sure you won't need it.

Oh and you aren't stupid.

You really aren't.

You are confused. Thats a totally different kettle of fish.

Thank you for being kind. I've just come off the phone with my tutor. It sounds as if I had the right idea to start with and confused myself more and more as i've tried to think about it. So I now have a better idea of what I am doing and she seemed to think I was on the right track. I'm going to go and get as much down on paper now as I can and then try and refine it.

How's it going? The main thing in these kind of situations is not to panic. The second thing is to get something down on paper and not worry too much about the expression/articulation of the ideas. Great idea to get something down and then try to refine it. Write bullet points if you get stuck and go back with proper words later. And please don't handicap yourself by worrying about not being good enough/having made a mess. We all do that at times. The main thing is to deal with it calmly and not let it tip you into despondency. Good luck!

Good Luck OP

I have been there too. Bullet points are a brilliant idea.
Also don't worry too much about time spent on references, if you have to do harvard? They don't count for too many marks. Not sure if latter applies, but thought it worth a mention

Thank you for the tips, I'm feeling much calmer, writing away here, I will at least have an essay to hand in although it probably won't be my best work. I've got my main ideas written down in essay form which now need padding out with some facts to back them up. It is Harvard referencing but I found a good site where you put the information in from the text and it generates the references, very useful! My tutor was very helpful anyway so at least I feel like if it goes badly she will give me some useful feedback and this essay is only(!) worth half the marks for this module