Hi anyone,

I'm in the last stages of completing my Masters-50 percent of which is thesis- 25 percent research methods and two course work units. I've done all of these over the last couple of years part-time (while working full time) and am now editing my final drafts of the thesis which will be around 24000 words. However, from being largely absent during many stages, my supervisor has now switched to the opposite pole and emails wanting edits on chapters and then revises them for even more edits.

I am in contact with her by phone and email and she assures me this is normal and I will hate her and she is fine with that but tells me that I really need to complete this process. It is probably only days or weeks away but it is so draining. My question is-this is not a doctorate...is this normal for the Masters as well? Sometimes I feel like I am the only Masters student going through this process and people at work just sort of say...you're still doing that thing-my god when does it stop? Most of them (if they have a masters) have done all course work and they don't really get the difference-not to say course work ones aren't challenging but they are not like this. Have other people had this experience on their masters? It feels so depressing sometimes and from being a competent writer I seem to have lost my ability to use apostrophes, have commas everywhere and as for trying to make my theory clear:-(

Hi, I'm halfway through writing my MA dissertation, my supervisor is not so much involved anymore, he read my detailed outline, said it was good, and just let me get on with it. BUT! I do do loads of rewrites of chapters I have already done, and I suspect there will be another rewrite session when I have a complete first draft ready. I think it's natural to redraft and rewrite sections/chapters. I can't work any other way. Most of my essays went through around 5-6 drafts and rewrites, I suspect my MA dissertation will go through around 4-5 as well.

Thanks for that. You know I do normally rewrite my work and have done redrafts of every chapter already. Some edits are well over fourth and fifth edit-we're talking 8 or 9 or more and the stuff isn't that bad in the first place. And even she says they're not major rewrites just edits and I should be happy about that-but the whole process is never ending.

I am at the point where I feel like I'm editing so much that I end up putting stuff back in that I took out earlier and then when I make changes, she'll like some of them and then say but this new stuff needs more linking back-its just a cutnpaste-and I could swear that she'll want something back in that she said get rid of earlier.

I guess what I'm really checking on-is that I knew Master's could be onerous but I guess that I didn't think that they were quite so picky. I sort of thought that they just wanted to know that you could research, etc and if you could, then you got the chance of the doctoral study. However, my university are really picky...or at least my supervisor is...and my colleagues with the exception of two who have completed or are about to complete doctorates and one who did a research masters, don't really have this experience, so they just think that editing is a matter of making sure the grammar is correct. What I'm finding is that how the hell can you make the grammar correct when it is a sort of new idea you are expressing to some extent-trying to get the syntax to work without losing the rigor and the concept is really difficult.

Anyway thanks...I needed to write this just to feel a bit better as I face another day of bloody work and all its dramas and then some evenings and more weekends of nitpicking over different aspects of different chapters. Good luck with yours by the way and thanks:-)

I understand your frustration, I'm currently writing my dissertation for MA, and there's a rule in my dept where tutors can only annotate/suggest edits for each section once to stop them writing the damn thing for you! I'm not sure what subject you're doing, or how it works for you -- but I remember with my PhD proposal how frustrating it was (I did 5 drafts I think) to keep getting it back. Whilst it's annoying it's perhaps pretty ordinary. I have trouble writing a sentence without rewriting it 4/5 times these days. Very time consuming. Remember this WILL end, and you will have your degree forever once it's over.

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I had that for my undergraduate dissertation! It's frustrating and exhausting but I really appreciated it since the finished product looked much more polished than if my tutor hadn't spotted so many mistakes which required corrections; I got a very good mark in the end, so I was very grateful for her painstaking attention to detail. I'm referring here to editorial corrections - my tutor didn't write the thing for me, she just pointed out sections where the expressions weren't so clear, or where I needed to say more, etc. My MA tutor wasn't as diligent and I got marked down for some of the errors. It just depends on how you like things to be done.

When I did my MA the sup was only allowed to see the entire thesis once for editing, but that didn't stop him seeing sections of chapters multiple times and OMG the edits lol. BUT yes, it is part of the process and your work will be far better for it if you can see why your sup has suggested the changes and get an insight into the academic writing process. I even had this with my BA dissertation, my sup handed me back my draft and said 'its really good, just a few minor changes' - i swear, on every page were at least 20 red marks, everything from lose this comma to research further (with two weeks til submission. I asked if it was bad if he just gave you back a bag full of shredded paper lmao. Just go with it, it'll be fine, you don't have to follow all the suggestions, but its better if you can, and you really will learn from it but yes, you will hate her lol

Thanks guys. I appreciate the replies and support sincerely. I think it is just that I am really running 'on empty' right now but it is very helpful to know this is normal for this process. It also makes me appreciate just what a thesis demands. It's true...you can be a really top graduate and the thesis can still just knock you for six. But it is hard to appreciate this until you attempt it and go through it. Cheers-thanks for encouragement and good luck with all of yours.(gift)