So now that everything is over, how did the dissertation go? Although I missed out on a distinction I was very pleased overall with how things went.
When you’re writing the proposal, don’t be tempted to overestimate what you can get done. I went for a definitely-achievable list of things and included an open-ended option so at the end I would be able to add on as much stuff as I could without committing myself to doing too much. That worked very well. I would have liked to have had more features in my application but there just wasn't time. Be warned, I found that the most frustrating and lengthy part of the whole procedure was getting a proposal accepted.
Make good use of the early weeks, which are spent planning and preparing for your project. When I started the DS module, reading the book and doing the mini project (starts this page) seemed rather frustrating when what I really wanted to do was get on with my project. In fact they were extremely helpful and really contributed towards making the dissertation successful. The more work you put into these parts the better. In particular, breaking down the project into small chunks meant that when I came to do it my mind was really organised and it felt a lot easier to be thinking of it as several few-week sections rather than one big task.
My timetable (this page) turned out to be almost spot-on, which given it was (to be honest) pretty much guesswork, was a big relief. The only changes I would have made in hindsight would be to take a week off the Data Protection Act (DPA) research and writing up and review and extend the analysis of the online surveys by a week. The DPA stuff only needed a week in total rather than two, partly because I knew a fair amount about it from previous experience. Analysing the surveys was more time-consuming than I expected, so it would have been nicer to have an extra week, and it wouldn't have had a great impact on the total number of responses I got. It would have been nice to have had a little bit more time to test the surveys before they went live and in hindsight I could have given the implementation a bit more time and the evaluation a bit less - although how much difference it would have made to each is hard to say.
When I was doing the timetable I tried where I could to allow for a bit more time for each stage than I thought I would need, to allow for things not going to plan or problems such as illness. Fortunately nothing like that happened.
Make sure you have regular contact with your supervisor. I put in weekly reports listing what I had done that week and what I intended to do the next week. I found them a great help, keeping things moving (a one-week deadline is easier to focus on than a 24-week deadline), it stopped me feeling that was just me and my keyboard and it also meant that any problems picked up and suggestions acted on quickly.
Try to do something every day. The DS module is an awful lot of work and it would be very easy to fall behind. If you aim to get at least a little bit done every day it will help you keep on top of it.
I wrote up as I went along rather than doing it all at once at the end. This was to be a good move - it meant I could complete each stage and move on, having written it up when it was fresh in my mind and I could still find all my notes! I think it would have taken a lot longer and been a lot more stressful had I not done it that way.
Remember that you're not the only one who ever has done, is doing or ever will do the dissertation so don't feel you are alone. While it is a lot of hard work it can be done, and you will, I hope, look back with pride on what you have achieved.
Good luck, and I hope this diary has been helpful.
Stephanie
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