The Higher Education Megathread

We have +/- 10% on word counts. My Msc dissertation is 15,000, so I can reasonably go between 13,500 and 16,500 but it's not nailed on, they don't sit and count every word. I guess it's different depending on who is marking your work.

To be honest, writing enough for the dissertation isn't really the problem with them, it's the submission.

I had to submit two written/printed copies, so that's two copies of a hundred page or so document printed out twice, in colour for pages with images. Then of course there's a third copy because I wanted to keep a copy for myself as well (All that work, you would want a copy of your own wouldn't you?). Then, once you've got your three 100 page documents, they all have to be professionally bound (again, this was a requirement, not something optional) and then submitted. I think it must've cost a good £50-60 for printing and binding costs for my MSc submission.

I didn't have to get my undergrad dissertation professionally bound but I think I will for the masters. Mine won't be 100 pages either, 15,000 words will probably work out at about 50 or 60, but I completely agree with that to be honest. With the amount of research you need to do for the dissertation, the word count shouldn't be a problem whatsoever.

Well you've all given me something to think about. I'm actually a part-time student (my employer pays for my fees + day release) so I'm trying to get that work done when I'm doing a 9-5 four days a week.

Dual wrote:Well you've all given me something to think about. I'm actually a part-time student (my employer pays for my fees + day release) so I'm trying to get that work done when I'm doing a 9-5 four days a week.

That's brutal. I work one full day a week and two half days on top of uni and I find that hard enough. Good luck mate.

Corazon de Leon wrote:

Dual wrote:Well you've all given me something to think about. I'm actually a part-time student (my employer pays for my fees + day release) so I'm trying to get that work done when I'm doing a 9-5 four days a week.

That's brutal. I work one full day a week and two half days on top of uni and I find that hard enough. Good luck mate.

Agreed, good luck with it.
There's a lot of hard work to do, and you might find yourself pulling a few all nighters without even realising it. But when you open that brown envelope and see those words "I am pleased to inform you..." the sheer joy you feel makes it all more than worth it

Lagamorph wrote:To be honest, writing enough for the dissertation isn't really the problem with them, it's the submission.

I had to submit two written/printed copies, so that's two copies of a hundred page or so document printed out twice, in colour for pages with images. Then of course there's a third copy because I wanted to keep a copy for myself as well (All that work, you would want a copy of your own wouldn't you?). Then, once you've got your three 100 page documents, they all have to be professionally bound (again, this was a requirement, not something optional) and then submitted. I think it must've cost a good £50-60 for printing and binding costs for my MSc submission.

I think my BSc project last year was about £45 for two copies! No point in getting a copy for myself, I have it on PC if I ever feel the need to read it again (I haven't; and won't) and printing it will mean it will get thrown out in 30 years time without having been read anyway.

So far on my MSc thesis I have 4.5k words after the literature review so still a lot to write about (I need to get the programming part done first). This year I won't include the source code in the appendices like I did last year though, so it might end up actually being cheaper!

Thanks chaps I've booked next week off just to spend it in the library - once I get going I'm golden and can do 500+ words in a night but it's just getting my flow I find difficult. A lesson for life I'm sure.

To meet my deadlines in 2nd year I used to: leave the office - go straight to Uni - spend 5 hours in the library - go home - sleep - repeat

I didn't see my GF for 2 weeks

I actually got my highest marks ever on those courseworks (all in the high 70s) the coffee and intense pressure must bring out the best in me.

The benefit of working in an office is I get all my Uni stationary including binding, printing in colour etc all for free

Dual wrote:The benefit of working in an office is I get all my Uni stationary including binding, printing in colour etc all for free

Nice; the binding at my Uni is actually pretty cheap (£3 I think for wire bound per copy). It was the colour printing that got me last year.

Decent!

I find pressure often brings out the best in people. Nobody in my department ever seemed to start working until the night before the deadline.

Yeah for sure. Like the coursework I finished yesterday is OK at best - because I've given myself so long to do it I kept getting distracted and reading it back it's very choppy and unstructured. It sounds counter intuitive but I can't explain it really.

hey guys i'm revising for my first year exams man the pressure is so intense

Lagamorph wrote:To be honest, writing enough for the dissertation isn't really the problem with them, it's the submission.

I had to submit two written/printed copies, so that's two copies of a hundred page or so document printed out twice, in colour for pages with images. Then of course there's a third copy because I wanted to keep a copy for myself as well (All that work, you would want a copy of your own wouldn't you?). Then, once you've got your three 100 page documents, they all have to be professionally bound (again, this was a requirement, not something optional) and then submitted. I think it must've cost a good £50-60 for printing and binding costs for my MSc submission.

I had to spend a good $400 on printing and binding of my PhD thesis. Totally strawberry floating ridiculous. (Nine copies in total: two for submission to the university, one each for the four staff members in my lab group, one for me, one for my parents, and one for my grandparents.)

kiera229 wrote:

Lagamorph wrote:To be honest, writing enough for the dissertation isn't really the problem with them, it's the submission.

I had to submit two written/printed copies, so that's two copies of a hundred page or so document printed out twice, in colour for pages with images. Then of course there's a third copy because I wanted to keep a copy for myself as well (All that work, you would want a copy of your own wouldn't you?). Then, once you've got your three 100 page documents, they all have to be professionally bound (again, this was a requirement, not something optional) and then submitted. I think it must've cost a good £50-60 for printing and binding costs for my MSc submission.

I had to spend a good $400 on printing and binding of my PhD thesis. Totally strawberry floating ridiculous. (Nine copies in total: two for submission to the university, one each for the four staff members in my lab group, one for me, one for my parents, and one for my grandparents.)

Sometimes I wonder if Universities make more money from printing and binding than tuition fees.

Lagamorph wrote:Sometimes I wonder if Universities make more money from printing and binding than tuition fees.

We actually got ours done at a printing company, it was cheaper :/

My spelling is so gooseberry fool sometimes Especially at night.

kiera229 wrote:

Lagamorph wrote:Sometimes I wonder if Universities make more money from printing and binding than tuition fees.

We actually got ours done at a printing company, it was cheaper :/

The Universities really don't do themselves any favours sometimes.

I did my actual printing at the university because it was simply more convenient (and faster) than a printing company. But I believe it was something around 7p/sheet for Black & White and 12p/sheet for colour, so it soon racked up when you're printing 300 odd pages. The binding I got done at a small store just around the corner that must've made an absolute fortune when hand-in time came around since virtually the entire University went there, but it was just this tiny little independant place.
Whoever chose that location was a strawberry floating genius.

Igor wrote:hey guys i'm revising for my first year exams man the pressure is so intense

I'm in a similar situation. Revising for exams that will decide whether or not I can get into university. Nerve wracking stuff but I feel alive so that's good.