University Final Year Worries: Dissertation. Panic? Anxiety? Laziness? Depression

Hello. I am currently in my last year of university. I am grateful and blessed enough to have reached this point of my higher education. I have so far not retook and have passed all my assessments first time during my first year and second year. I have achieved 65%-80% in my essay assignments which I am very proud of.

However, since entering final year last month. I have been hit with a wave of anxiety and panic since I will be qualified in less than a year as a healthcare professional.

My concern at the moment is that I have to find a topic for my dissertation which is due in January next year. I have already made a search for topics during the end of my summer break in advance. However, I feel as though I can't use any of them as I don't know how to form my research question. I have been trying to but I don't how to use specific terms. Its making me feel that I cant find a good/interesting topic for me to write about and I feel like I'm wasting time. However I am troubled if I should ask help from my tutor because I have been struggling. Would that be okay or asking too much as I need to do that work myself? I have tried having a meeting with him about my list of topics but I was rejected on the fact that I have too many topics and I need to narrow it down. I have 3 topics I am interested in writing about but don't know the specific keywords I need.

Please help me. I want to take control of being able to my academic work on time without feeling too stressed as whenever I do, I tend to not to do it all as it makes me feel depressed.

Reply 1

gjd800

20

Three topics is a good amount, go speak to the tutor for help with this, and don't feel guilty or weird about asking for this help. It is 100% fine to need pointing in the right direction!

Reply 2

LSBU Student Rep

10

It's absolutely okay to ask for help from your tutor. They are there to support you. Explain your struggles in narrowing down your topics and ask for guidance on specific keywords. Seeking help is a sign of strength, not weakness. Don't hesitate to reach out; it's an important step toward managing your stress and completing your dissertation successfully.

Best of luck!
Fatima
Student Ambassador- London South Bank University

Original post by Anonymous

Hello. I am currently in my last year of university. I am grateful and blessed enough to have reached this point of my higher education. I have so far not retook and have passed all my assessments first time during my first year and second year. I have achieved 65%-80% in my essay assignments which I am very proud of.

However, since entering final year last month. I have been hit with a wave of anxiety and panic since I will be qualified in less than a year as a healthcare professional.

My concern at the moment is that I have to find a topic for my dissertation which is due in January next year. I have already made a search for topics during the end of my summer break in advance. However, I feel as though I can't use any of them as I don't know how to form my research question. I have been trying to but I don't how to use specific terms. Its making me feel that I cant find a good/interesting topic for me to write about and I feel like I'm wasting time. However I am troubled if I should ask help from my tutor because I have been struggling. Would that be okay or asking too much as I need to do that work myself? I have tried having a meeting with him about my list of topics but I was rejected on the fact that I have too many topics and I need to narrow it down. I have 3 topics I am interested in writing about but don't know the specific keywords I need.

Please help me. I want to take control of being able to my academic work on time without feeling too stressed as whenever I do, I tend to not to do it all as it makes me feel depressed.

Reply 3

cheadle

17

I supervise a final year project module comparable to a Dissertation. Early in the module, students are required to come forward with ideas. Some students struggle to come up with one idea, others arrive with ten. In the case of the latter (which sounds similar to you), I would send them off to shortlist to 2 or 3. TBH the whole ten would rarely be equally suitable in any case and so I would want to see that the student could use their critical judgement to pick the strongest ideas. If you have a tendency to keep openng up new ideas, narrowing down and making a decision will probably be hard for you. So perhaps you could make the decision based on the following:
- what is the most "do-able" idea - the one it will be "easiest" to undertake and complete? (it's often best to avoid subject areas that have major challenges such as ethics, access, etc)
- what is the most useful to you future career?
- which one interests you the most?

As others have said, you really need to go back to your supervisor with a viable shortlist.

(edited 1 year ago)

Reply 4

University of Huddersfield

Official Rep

16

Original post by gjd800

Three topics is a good amount, go speak to the tutor for help with this, and don't feel guilty or weird about asking for this help. It is 100% fine to need pointing in the right direction!

PRSOM

Reply 5

University of Huddersfield

Official Rep

16

Original post by Anonymous

Hello. I am currently in my last year of university. I am grateful and blessed enough to have reached this point of my higher education. I have so far not retook and have passed all my assessments first time during my first year and second year. I have achieved 65%-80% in my essay assignments which I am very proud of.

However, since entering final year last month. I have been hit with a wave of anxiety and panic since I will be qualified in less than a year as a healthcare professional.

My concern at the moment is that I have to find a topic for my dissertation which is due in January next year. I have already made a search for topics during the end of my summer break in advance. However, I feel as though I can't use any of them as I don't know how to form my research question. I have been trying to but I don't how to use specific terms. Its making me feel that I cant find a good/interesting topic for me to write about and I feel like I'm wasting time. However I am troubled if I should ask help from my tutor because I have been struggling. Would that be okay or asking too much as I need to do that work myself? I have tried having a meeting with him about my list of topics but I was rejected on the fact that I have too many topics and I need to narrow it down. I have 3 topics I am interested in writing about but don't know the specific keywords I need.

Please help me. I want to take control of being able to my academic work on time without feeling too stressed as whenever I do, I tend to not to do it all as it makes me feel depressed.

Anon,

Congrats on being in your final year of university! It's great that you have been able to pass your assessments first time round and that you have achieved high scores for your essays. It's understandable then that you are nervous about your dissertation.

As it is due in January, you do have to think about the timescale and what you can manage within that time. Think about other commitments and assignments and try to go for something of interest, but also something that you can easily find information about. Try searching an academic healthcare database to get an idea of the kind of articles that come up and some of the keywords that are used. This might give you some more ideas or help pinpoint which area specifically you would like to look at.

There is nothing wrong with asking for help or being unsure about what to do. You have to write the dissertation but your tutor is there to help guide you through the process, to answer questions you might have and to help you focus on a specific topic so that your dissertation is not too general rather than specific.

You are likely to experience some form of stress this year, but it's about learning how to handle that stress in a positive way.

All the best,

Oluwatosin – 3rd year student – University of Huddersfield

Reply 6

Dominic254

12

Original post by Anonymous

Hello. I am currently in my last year of university. I am grateful and blessed enough to have reached this point of my higher education. I have so far not retook and have passed all my assessments first time during my first year and second year. I have achieved 65%-80% in my essay assignments which I am very proud of.

However, since entering final year last month. I have been hit with a wave of anxiety and panic since I will be qualified in less than a year as a healthcare professional.

My concern at the moment is that I have to find a topic for my dissertation which is due in January next year. I have already made a search for topics during the end of my summer break in advance. However, I feel as though I can't use any of them as I don't know how to form my research question. I have been trying to but I don't how to use specific terms. Its making me feel that I cant find a good/interesting topic for me to write about and I feel like I'm wasting time. However I am troubled if I should ask help from my tutor because I have been struggling. Would that be okay or asking too much as I need to do that work myself? I have tried having a meeting with him about my list of topics but I was rejected on the fact that I have too many topics and I need to narrow it down. I have 3 topics I am interested in writing about but don't know the specific keywords I need.

Please help me. I want to take control of being able to my academic work on time without feeling too stressed as whenever I do, I tend to not to do it all as it makes me feel depressed.

I've carefully reviewed your situation, and I can empathize with the challenges you're currently facing. As a postgraduate student and a part-time tutor, I've had the privilege of assisting other students who've encountered similar issues in the past, helping them successfully complete their dissertations. I would be more than willing to allocate some time to guide you through this academic journey. If you're interested, please don't hesitate to send me a direct message, and we can discuss how I can support you.

University Final Year Worries: Dissertation. Panic? Anxiety? Laziness? Depression

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