The Dissertation Diary (entry one)

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
😇 How old are you? 21
📝 What are you studying? English Literature at the University of Exeter.

Currently Reading:

[AndNowIJustSitInSilence]

if i can give any of you youngsters some advice. don't stress too much about your undergrad thesis. yes, it's important to do the work properly, but you have to set it in relation with reality. it will be a short piece of work (in the end it's a longer version of an essay), so you have to focus on your research question and not overdo it or get into too many details. if you have three months planned for it than it should also be finished in three months. as a perfectionist, i know this can be hard, but when you go further in your academic career, you will later laugh at yourself and the ridiculousness of your BA or MA thesis. the point of an undergrad thesis is to show that you can do proper research (finding, understanding & referencing literature or data, doing some kind of analysis and expressing your findings in words with a word limit). you don't have to re-invent the wheel or contribute to the field. it would be waste of time, because nobody will read it. save your great ideas and your passion projects for later. then you can spend 3-10 years on it while doing a PhD and/or PostDoc.

[loopywithoutlucozade]

Don't worry about your undergrad dissertation being 'new scholarship'! Putting too much pressure on yourself there! You're not being assessed for that at undergrad, just make it an interesting or unique take on your topic - save the original contribution to scholarship for PhD!

[Alice-gxyr]

As a PhD history student, I can confirm that the thrill of tracking down archives never wears off! I would suggest that you don’t worry about whether your subject has been well-researched or not, just focus on finding an interesting angle. And don’t listen to those people saying that you will laugh at your BA thesis in the future - my undergrad dissertation informed my MA, which then went on to secure me a funded PhD!

[forestofthings]

You're so sweet, Ruby. I'm in the middle of writing my thesis. I'm an aspiring Historian and my focus is Italy in the 16th century. Love your channel so much! :)

[tinypeech]

You can always do Emily Dickinson as a published piece later in life! You’ll be a university graduate with enough credentials to publish other works after you do your dissertation. It’s not necessarily one or the other, it’s one now, one later :)

[raginimishra]

It's inspiring how she's so excited for her dissertation. I think now I've got enough motivation to write my own :)

[PlanetImo]

I still wake up with a start in the night from nightmares about getting my dissertation in on time, and I graduated in 1998! I'm clearly traumatised. 😂😂😂😂😂

[khalilahd.]

This is a huge step in your education! This is very exciting I can’t wait to see how this new series unfolds ☺️💜

[malandune]

Ruby I'm so excited for you to finally be able to fully start working on this! You have been preparing so much over the last year so I'm sure you will rock this! I remember feeling anxious as heck sometimes while writing but let me assure you, YOU'VE GOT THIS! you have been basically trained for this task for the last three years and with your 80% on that summative essay for life and death (was that it?), you have nothing to worry about. I wish you all the best for this task, much fun and no anxiety! And also thank you for sharing this episode of your life with us :)

[shahrukhali]

Even though my major is IT yet literature is like a mother to me, the script and the words just penetrate my soul .the truth is that when I am writing it's as if I am projecting my soul through the ink and onto the paper. :)

[LilyDeans]

My dissertation was influenced by Evelina, Frances Burney, I love her. I wrote about literary representations of Vauxhall Please Gardens (in Evelina and Keats) and compared them to Paradise Lost by John Milton. Essentially both gardens were akin in the sense it was a garden of paradise and beauty until sexual temptation was experienced / forced upon protagonists where the illusion of paradise then shattered. This only came together right at the 11th hour though! Keep going Ruby, I find that this initial research stage is the most beneficial x

[malinjohansson]

I’m currently working on my thesis, ”Power and Control in Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca” and I’ve really enjoyed the process so far even if it’s stressful. Good luck on your writing, I know you will smash it! 💓

[abcdemi]

I am also starting my dissertation at the moment, so these videos will be so helpful ☺️ Ruby, you have helped me so much over the years. I did my final school exams at the same time as you, I went to university at the same time, and now I’m writing my thesis at the same time. Your videos are always so helpful for motivating me! It’s comforting to have someone who’s going through the same academic struggles, if that makes sense 😊
My thesis is about the way history is depicted in contemporary fiction films about Anne Frank, by the way. Very excited to start working on it 😊

[Mollyyca]

I’m wishing you the best of luck with this! I did a research project instead as I studied psychology but I found the hardest part was writing all of your research and ideas into one whole dissertation. I think I rewrote the whole thing around 10 times. I also get the whole what project you want to choose is so difficult because you know you’d be working for such a long time on something, and that’s not something you want to find boring! It took me around 4 months of researching to finally decide what I wanted to research😊

[marielmiddlebrook]

I’m a British graduate student living and studying in the US. I have several friends and connections to universities on the east coast (including Yale) whose archives might have some of the materials you are looking for.

If you need some archival boots on the ground (particularly for any universities in Boston) do feel free to reach out!

Writing my dissertation was by far the most valuable part of my undergraduate experience. So exciting that you are starting your own dissertation journey!

[soubhadramaiti]

I also started drafting my Master's Thesis in Physics a few days back. Thanks Ruby, for your motivational videos. And all the Best for your dissertation as well :)

[berzeliusadfg]

I don’t know who need to hear this but changing the subject of your thesis in the last minute, or even in the middle of the term is quite ok. You don’t have to be oddly fit in your research topic at first and the most important thing is who you are working with if you have to make it in group.

[miriamcarlacalapod]

I am writing my bachelor's thesis as well! 😀🤘🏻 I decided since second year that I wanted to focus on how women are represented in The Handmaid's Tale and honestly I love it so much! If my laptop weren't dead I would be writing rn😊

Good luck! May your thesis go smoothly

[Nebulark]

Today I was so stressed out with my studies. Then after that I watched your videos while I was relaxing. Very relaxing it was. Thnx for sharing your videos.. 🥰

[elizabethgordon]

Thank you Ruby, this video is reminding me why I should keep on going with my studies. I am in my second year of Criminology at the University of Stirling. I love your content and whenever you upload it makes my day a little better. All the best with your dissertation!