Bad dissertation feedback
I have been working my arse off the past year on my undergraduate dissertation. However, I have found it very, very challenging.
My dissertation supervisor wrote me a reference a month or two ago and stated that I was on track for a 2.1 which I have sat comfortably at for the past 2 years (was sitting at a first in first and second year but that doesn't count towards final grade).
My dissertation is due in a week and I sent my final full draft to my supervisor two weeks ago. Today I got feedback and it was terrible, in one comment she wrote 'eeek'. We had a meeting and she said there is not enough analysis, too descriptive and that my methodology chapter is weak due to a lack of citations. She also said it doesn't highlight my questions adequately. She gave me soooo much feedback of things that I need to change. I'm overwhelmed.
She said that changes like these could bring a students work up from a 2.2 to a 1st, so I am now thinking I am barely sitting at a 2.2. At the end she said, 'these things I'm telling you to change are higher level things and I know you're capable', I replied 'so it's not complete garbage then?' She said, 'it's not garbage at all, I'm not worried you will fail or anything'.
I've had a really good relationship with my supervisor throughout so I trust her feedback but I just have a sick feeling now that I'm going to get a 2.2 or less and it's going to pull my final grade down.
Has anyone else received really poor feedback and then managed to get a good grade? I have just over a week so will obviously be working on it but I'm still worried that even implementing the changes isn't going to pull my grade up much. I feel like I've messed it all up.
My dissertation supervisor wrote me a reference a month or two ago and stated that I was on track for a 2.1 which I have sat comfortably at for the past 2 years (was sitting at a first in first and second year but that doesn't count towards final grade).
My dissertation is due in a week and I sent my final full draft to my supervisor two weeks ago. Today I got feedback and it was terrible, in one comment she wrote 'eeek'. We had a meeting and she said there is not enough analysis, too descriptive and that my methodology chapter is weak due to a lack of citations. She also said it doesn't highlight my questions adequately. She gave me soooo much feedback of things that I need to change. I'm overwhelmed.
She said that changes like these could bring a students work up from a 2.2 to a 1st, so I am now thinking I am barely sitting at a 2.2. At the end she said, 'these things I'm telling you to change are higher level things and I know you're capable', I replied 'so it's not complete garbage then?' She said, 'it's not garbage at all, I'm not worried you will fail or anything'.
I've had a really good relationship with my supervisor throughout so I trust her feedback but I just have a sick feeling now that I'm going to get a 2.2 or less and it's going to pull my final grade down.
Has anyone else received really poor feedback and then managed to get a good grade? I have just over a week so will obviously be working on it but I'm still worried that even implementing the changes isn't going to pull my grade up much. I feel like I've messed it all up.
I wasn't given a grade but my draft discussion section was around 1000 words when it was meant to be 3000 words. It took a lot of work and I spent the 3 weeks prior to the deadline doing research for the discussion section (not actually writing the section, just researching). The feedback I got was incredibly useful but for some reason I just couldn't make sense of the whole "place your results in terms of current research" part. Anyway, I was around 2000 words below the minimum word count when I submitted the draft but my final submission ended up being a first (and also met the min word count).
That being said, you have a week and shouldn't really be changing everything. I would say to take a small break, come back and read what you currently have. Instead of being descriptive you need to show that you have thought about your work on a deeper level. You need to show that you can discuss any similarities/differences between your work and those of similar studies and give valid reasons as to why this might be.
I'm sure your supervisor would tell you if your work was not up to a good standard so please don't panic! But if you're reading through your draft and feel that it's not good enough then talk to your supervisor again, they're there to support you. Good luck!
That being said, you have a week and shouldn't really be changing everything. I would say to take a small break, come back and read what you currently have. Instead of being descriptive you need to show that you have thought about your work on a deeper level. You need to show that you can discuss any similarities/differences between your work and those of similar studies and give valid reasons as to why this might be.
I'm sure your supervisor would tell you if your work was not up to a good standard so please don't panic! But if you're reading through your draft and feel that it's not good enough then talk to your supervisor again, they're there to support you. Good luck!
Original post by antsyaf
I have been working my arse off the past year on my undergraduate dissertation. However, I have found it very, very challenging.
My dissertation supervisor wrote me a reference a month or two ago and stated that I was on track for a 2.1 which I have sat comfortably at for the past 2 years (was sitting at a first in first and second year but that doesn't count towards final grade).
My dissertation is due in a week and I sent my final full draft to my supervisor two weeks ago. Today I got feedback and it was terrible, in one comment she wrote 'eeek'. We had a meeting and she said there is not enough analysis, too descriptive and that my methodology chapter is weak due to a lack of citations. She also said it doesn't highlight my questions adequately. She gave me soooo much feedback of things that I need to change. I'm overwhelmed.
She said that changes like these could bring a students work up from a 2.2 to a 1st, so I am now thinking I am barely sitting at a 2.2. At the end she said, 'these things I'm telling you to change are higher level things and I know you're capable', I replied 'so it's not complete garbage then?' She said, 'it's not garbage at all, I'm not worried you will fail or anything'.
I've had a really good relationship with my supervisor throughout so I trust her feedback but I just have a sick feeling now that I'm going to get a 2.2 or less and it's going to pull my final grade down.
Has anyone else received really poor feedback and then managed to get a good grade? I have just over a week so will obviously be working on it but I'm still worried that even implementing the changes isn't going to pull my grade up much. I feel like I've messed it all up.
My dissertation supervisor wrote me a reference a month or two ago and stated that I was on track for a 2.1 which I have sat comfortably at for the past 2 years (was sitting at a first in first and second year but that doesn't count towards final grade).
My dissertation is due in a week and I sent my final full draft to my supervisor two weeks ago. Today I got feedback and it was terrible, in one comment she wrote 'eeek'. We had a meeting and she said there is not enough analysis, too descriptive and that my methodology chapter is weak due to a lack of citations. She also said it doesn't highlight my questions adequately. She gave me soooo much feedback of things that I need to change. I'm overwhelmed.
She said that changes like these could bring a students work up from a 2.2 to a 1st, so I am now thinking I am barely sitting at a 2.2. At the end she said, 'these things I'm telling you to change are higher level things and I know you're capable', I replied 'so it's not complete garbage then?' She said, 'it's not garbage at all, I'm not worried you will fail or anything'.
I've had a really good relationship with my supervisor throughout so I trust her feedback but I just have a sick feeling now that I'm going to get a 2.2 or less and it's going to pull my final grade down.
Has anyone else received really poor feedback and then managed to get a good grade? I have just over a week so will obviously be working on it but I'm still worried that even implementing the changes isn't going to pull my grade up much. I feel like I've messed it all up.
Hi @antsyaf
Dissertations are tough and its completely natural to feel overwhelmed and stressed by the process, especially when you didn't receive the feedback you were hoping for. I was given feedback on my dissertation earlier this week which sounds to be similar to yours and it got to me too. But what I did was take a few hours away from my computer to relax and take my mind from it. When I came back to the feedback it was with a clearer head and it helped with those feelings of stress. It's not a personal reflection on you, it's just your supervisor trying to make your work the best it can be.
What I recommend (and what I did) is taking each comment one at a time and ticking them off once you make the changes. By doing this it will help you stay organised and by ticking them off it will help you feel productive and see the changes you are making to your work.
If your supervisor is mentioning that you are describing rather than analysing, I would suggest reading back through your work and identifying the points where you are describing, and either edit the sentences or add new ones to explain why the source is important and how it relates to your argument, rather than just writing what the source is telling you. You should always try and link back any sources (primary or secondary) to your argument. How does it support your argument, do you agree with what somebody is saying or disagree, and why? By asking this questions and applying them to your work it will help you go from describing to analysing.
Since your supervisor is confident you haven't written rubbish and you won't fail, I would trust her, she is just trying to help you improve your work. That being said if you are unsure about any of her feedback or what to do, please do get back in touch with her, as I'm sure she'll be able to help you further.
I'm sure you'll do great, good luck with your dissertation!
Grace
BA History
MA Nineteenth Century Studies (History and English Literature)
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