Posts
Listening to: 'Stop This Train' by John Mayer [Continuum]
I'll start off with a disclaimer: My sincere apologies to any PhD students who have not started to even think about writing up yet, regardless of whether or not they should've done so by now. I am in this position not by choice, or due to extraordinary organisational powers...on the contrary, this post is a result of me being way behind in what I'm supposed to be doing, and frantically trying to salvage my degree. There, you have been warned.
14 pages, 2859 words. Is this adequate? Am I going to run over tremendously? Am I going to have to invent stuff to write about? I doubt the latter, considering the fact that I'm only about half way through my first experimental chapter. Well 'half way' in a quantitative manner, not so much in an orderly manner. Yes, it's all over the place. About a quarter of the results, quarter of the discussion, and all of the methodology done...at least that's where I think I stand right now. I'll probably decide tomorrow that everything I've written is bollocks and requires complete rewriting (oh god I hope I don't think that tomorrow). See if you ask me about my project (and I'll try not to explain it here, out of respect for those who are not chemists or engineers, and not least because I'm slightly possessive about my research: I am not about to get scooped), I can explain it in a way that you'll hopefully understand - structured, lucid and concise. Awesome, huh? Not really. The only reason I can do this is because I know that I know more about it than you do. You're not about to turn around and tell me that there's no meaning to mylife project.
Writing a thesis, on the other hand, is completely different. I have no clue who will read my thesis, simply because it's rather interdisciplinary...so I have to assume that whoever reads it already knows everything there is to know about my project, but wants me to explain it anyway. And if I miss anything out, I'll have hell to pay in my viva. So it appears my task is to explain everything relevant to my project, and still keep it structured, lucid and (somewhat) concise. Which wouldn't be so bad, if not for the fact that I keep remembering random crap that should've been included 10 paragraphs earlier.
The sooner I get this chapter done, the sooner I can get on with experiments and the sooner I can convince my supervisor that I am worth his time. In order to get this chapter done, I need to put everything in my head down on paper (or hard drive). Sigh, if only my head weren't in such a mess.
*Not geeky enough to know what defrag is?
I'll start off with a disclaimer: My sincere apologies to any PhD students who have not started to even think about writing up yet, regardless of whether or not they should've done so by now. I am in this position not by choice, or due to extraordinary organisational powers...on the contrary, this post is a result of me being way behind in what I'm supposed to be doing, and frantically trying to salvage my degree. There, you have been warned.
14 pages, 2859 words. Is this adequate? Am I going to run over tremendously? Am I going to have to invent stuff to write about? I doubt the latter, considering the fact that I'm only about half way through my first experimental chapter. Well 'half way' in a quantitative manner, not so much in an orderly manner. Yes, it's all over the place. About a quarter of the results, quarter of the discussion, and all of the methodology done...at least that's where I think I stand right now. I'll probably decide tomorrow that everything I've written is bollocks and requires complete rewriting (oh god I hope I don't think that tomorrow). See if you ask me about my project (and I'll try not to explain it here, out of respect for those who are not chemists or engineers, and not least because I'm slightly possessive about my research: I am not about to get scooped), I can explain it in a way that you'll hopefully understand - structured, lucid and concise. Awesome, huh? Not really. The only reason I can do this is because I know that I know more about it than you do. You're not about to turn around and tell me that there's no meaning to my
Writing a thesis, on the other hand, is completely different. I have no clue who will read my thesis, simply because it's rather interdisciplinary...so I have to assume that whoever reads it already knows everything there is to know about my project, but wants me to explain it anyway. And if I miss anything out, I'll have hell to pay in my viva. So it appears my task is to explain everything relevant to my project, and still keep it structured, lucid and (somewhat) concise. Which wouldn't be so bad, if not for the fact that I keep remembering random crap that should've been included 10 paragraphs earlier.
The sooner I get this chapter done, the sooner I can get on with experiments and the sooner I can convince my supervisor that I am worth his time. In order to get this chapter done, I need to put everything in my head down on paper (or hard drive). Sigh, if only my head weren't in such a mess.
*Not geeky enough to know what defrag is?
ARGH! What the hell?!!! You started writing up?! Your disclaimer isn't good enough :P
ReplyDeleteI really need to get my shit together and start at least one chapter. This I keep telling myself, so far nothing seems to have materialised!