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Is it possible to do a dissertation in 13 days!?

Just Looking for some advice really… so my dissertation is due in 13 days! it had ot be between 8,000 to 10,000 words long and i have only wrote about 2000 words! I know I should have started sooner.. but its been a tough year! I had glandular fever, my grandad passed away, my nan went into hospital and i have recently been diagnosed with depression… but well despite all that I jut want to get it done and graduate so I dont have to worry and can get on with my life as its really getting me down and stressing me out! problems is im tired all the time since having glandular fever and really struggling to focus or write! I know lots about what I want to talk about, have done research etc but just cant seem to get the words down I either have writers block or end up over analysing what im writein and dleting it or getting stuck becauei dont kno how i wantto phrase it correctly.. now i know i should just get it down so i can redraft but i really struggle with that as i have always been over critical of my self and is a hard habit to change! Everytime i think about it i start panicking or getting upset because the deadlines fast approaching and that really doesnt help but i cant help it! has anyone got any advice, tips or managed to do it in that time frame or something similar?? It would be much appreciated! thanks x

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Reply 1
I'm sure there are quite a few TSR people who have done 2000+ word essays the night before (I know I have). First do a plan of your dissertation. what you need to include, in what order and how many words. Then do your reading for about 4 or 5 days, and then 1000 words a day. It's certainly manageable.
Reply 2
Yea, so long as you dedicate yourself to it. I wrote mine plus a grant proposal in about 2 weeks
:eek: couldn't you ask for an extension due to extenuating circumstances?? (or is this deadline the extension?) I've written a 4000word essay in one night once..I know it's not a dissertation but that is half your min word limit right? maybe try and commit yourself to writing 1,000 words a day? Also if you can't focus in your room, go to the park, the library/kitchen etc try different places :smile: Good luck!!
Reply 4
Perhaps if you actually got your head down and did it instead of worrying about it on TSR
Yeah, its do able but only if you have your research done. My dissertation was 8,000 words and I did it in about 3 weeks
I know this isn't helpful and I usually wouldn't do this, but I can't help but feel frustrated.


Can't you ask for an extension or something. This is pretty much the last note on your academic life, do you not want to do is justice or take pride in it?
Reply 7
I remember by the end of the last semester I'd stupidly landed myself in a position where I needed to write 5,000 words (cumulative, from parts of 3 essays that needed doing) in 2 and a half days. I managed it with a few hours spare and got 74 in one essay, 71 in another and 67 in the final one. I'd definitely say that it's therefore possible to write 8,000-10,000 in 13 days, though it will need to be much better researched than my mere essays, and I'm sure you'll be knackered by the end :p: Best of luck :biggrin:

Edit: I should also mention a friend of mine who finished her dissertation (14,000 words) with a week to spare ... and then her computer crashed and the file was corrupted. She rewrote the whole thing in 7 days :colonhash:
(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by xxgreenxx
Just Looking for some advice really… so my dissertation is due in 13 days! it had ot be between 8,000 to 10,000 words long and i have only wrote about 2000 words! I know I should have started sooner.. but its been a tough year! I had glandular fever, my grandad passed away, my nan went into hospital and i have recently been diagnosed with depression… but well despite all that I jut want to get it done and graduate so I dont have to worry and can get on with my life as its really getting me down and stressing me out! problems is im tired all the time since having glandular fever and really struggling to focus or write! I know lots about what I want to talk about, have done research etc but just cant seem to get the words down I either have writers block or end up over analysing what im writein and dleting it or getting stuck becauei dont kno how i wantto phrase it correctly.. now i know i should just get it down so i can redraft but i really struggle with that as i have always been over critical of my self and is a hard habit to change! Everytime i think about it i start panicking or getting upset because the deadlines fast approaching and that really doesnt help but i cant help it! has anyone got any advice, tips or managed to do it in that time frame or something similar?? It would be much appreciated! thanks x


If you know what you want to write about then 13 days is plenty of time to write it up. It won't be easy but dissertations never are no matter how early you start writing them! If you think of it as 750 words a day you'll still have time to edit it at the end. Just write something and worry less about being perfect because something that gets an ok mark is better than nothing that means you fail. Write something then go back and edit it if you need to.

I've got another 6000ish to write of my dissertation (although the total is much longer than yours) Somedays I don't feel able to do it or cant think what to write or think its all rubbish which is perfectly normal. I push through because I know if I don't do it I will fail. Glandular fever is tough, I had it between 2nd and final year and it hit me hard. Was doing a very time intesenive course too (theatre) and coupled with past health issues I struggled at times. But apart from try to get an extension (and prolong the workload) or fail there isn't much I could do except work as hard as I could manage and get it done.

Do you have a plan? If you haven't got one then you should try to make a really detailed bullet point outline of your dissertations main points in a word doc and then go back and structure it into proper paragraphs. That's what I do for essays.
(edited 12 years ago)
Reply 9
You will feel better once you get into it and start writing some more. Good luck. Just think that after you have finished it that it will be over with!
Original post by AlligatorTears
I know this isn't helpful and I usually wouldn't do this, but I can't help but feel frustrated.


Can't you ask for an extension or something. This is pretty much the last note on your academic life, do you not want to do is justice or take pride in it?


I was thinking the same thing. Surely it'd be rushed if you try to do it in about 2 weeks OP and I'm guessing it's got a lot of weighting? If you had glandular fever you may be eligible for an extension.
If you know exactly what you need to write you can do it in 2, or maybe 1 day.

If you still need to read, my advice would be to spend morning and afternoon reading, and writing in the evening.
I know a dissertation is different but for an essay I aim for 500 words an hour working at a relaxed pace.

You CAN do this, and my advice to you would be to write off totally the next 2 weeks - bar meals and sleep, don't do anything else. Bunk classes if you have to, The next fortnight will suck and be pretty lonely - power through!
Its probably too late to sort out extenuating circumstances stuff but do try.

Good luck!
Reply 12
It's a question of research: have you done your research? If so, and you know what you want/need to write, then you should be fine. If you've still got plenty of research to do, you may find yourself on thin ice a bit.
Reply 13
Original post by kat2pult
I'm sure there are quite a few TSR people who have done 2000+ word essays the night before (I know I have). First do a plan of your dissertation. what you need to include, in what order and how many words. Then do your reading for about 4 or 5 days, and then 1000 words a day. It's certainly manageable.


Thanks! :smile:
Reply 14
Original post by HelloKitty2890

Original post by HelloKitty2890
:eek: couldn't you ask for an extension due to extenuating circumstances?? (or is this deadline the extension?) I've written a 4000word essay in one night once..I know it's not a dissertation but that is half your min word limit right? maybe try and commit yourself to writing 1,000 words a day? Also if you can't focus in your room, go to the park, the library/kitchen etc try different places :smile: Good luck!!


I think i might be entitled to an extension but they say that you have to apply o the board and they deided and if they say yes your fine but if they say no becuse you have missed the deadline they cap ou at 40 percent :C so dont really wanna do that! Its goos to hear that you have managed to do a similar thing! yeh im gonna try going somwhere else other than my room! :smile: x
Reply 15
Original post by .ACS.

[QUOTE=".ACS.;33368326"]It's a question of research: have you done your research? If so, and you know what you want/need to write, then you should be fine. If you've still got plenty of research to do, you may find yourself on thin ice a bit.[/QUO
done plenty if reserch/read loadsa books made notes highlighted quote etc and pretty much know wht i want to say.. just got to get pen to paper i guess... x
Reply 16
Original post by BigBadSaint
If you know exactly what you need to write you can do it in 2, or maybe 1 day.

If you still need to read, my advice would be to spend morning and afternoon reading, and writing in the evening.
I know a dissertation is different but for an essay I aim for 500 words an hour working at a relaxed pace.

You CAN do this, and my advice to you would be to write off totally the next 2 weeks - bar meals and sleep, don't do anything else. Bunk classes if you have to, The next fortnight will suck and be pretty lonely - power through!
Its probably too late to sort out extenuating circumstances stuff but do try.

Good luck!


Thanks Bigbadsaint! your posiive message really helped boost my confidence! iv done a fair bit of reading highlighting quote making notes althog i probaby still need to do abit as i go along! Doyou reall think its possible to write that much in two days!? have u eer wrote that much in that time? Im gonna try and do wht you said and power through! :smile:
A dissertation isn't just about the number of words. It has to be very well researched and the structure and flow is a lot harder to get right than in a regular essay.
I did 2,000 of 8,500 words for a dissertation in the 24 hours before it was due lol. I have no excuse, I'm just a moron.
So in 13 days... it can be done but you'll have to work a LOT and make sure you spend your time well, no procrastination.
Reply 18
Original post by Misnomer
You will feel better once you get into it and start writing some more. Good luck. Just think that after you have finished it that it will be over with!


Thank! that xactly what im hoping! jst want the oressure and stress of my shoulders and get it done! :smile:
Reply 19
Your dissertation will decide if you graduate with a solid degree or just about scrape the degree.

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