======= Date Modified 20 Jun 2012 13:36:19 =======
Hello everyone,

I'm sure that the vast majority of you won't remember me as I've been AWOL for quite some time now - I had a combination of suffering with quite severe depression, illness and generally shutting myself away for a bit - but I'm back and have somehow found myself in the final month before submitting.

I was due to submit by October 2012 (our uni almost insists on 3 years and then a completion year), but I managed to convince my supervisor that I wanted to be done by the end of July - I NEED to have this done now - I NEED that final deadline to push me to complete.

Now that I have my submission date (july 27th or 30th) I'm beginning to wonder if I've made a HUGE mistake ,-) It all seems very close now and very very real - I'm trying to complete my conclusion (where do I start with that??) and am awaiting a response on my full draft from my sup, then its all go to the end. My examiners are confirmed, it is really quite terrifying and I figured that I should come back here, see you guys again and see if I can offer support to those of you at an earlier stage in this crazy journey, and get some support from those who have gone before, and who are at the same stage :-)

Its good to be back!

Hi Stressed, it seems that we both posted about the same time on the same subject!
It sounds like you are more sorted than me but we can both do it. Hopefully we can keep each other motivated and positive.
I'm wondering why with six weeks left I didn't do more in the past five years - but obviously I must have done or I wouldn't be here now with an almost complete PhD! And like you I've been through a lot - so I think we should be proud of where we are at and we will get there.

======= Date Modified 20 Jun 2012 14:39:34 =======
I'm pushing for September myself. Really I need to have the final chapter written by August, at the very latest, to allow me time for final redrafting (although to be fair each chapter is in a near submission state.

To keep myself going I have a "reward" that I'll buy myself when I submit. It's a stupid thing - a pair of trainers I really want - but it's something that I feel does help.

If you're writing the conclusion then write it. Don't think about the final draft at the moment. You can't do anything with it. For conclusions I do it pretty cynically. I don't try to be too lyrical or wonderful in my writing. Are you going to be judged solely on how well written a conclusion is? No - you just need to state what made you do what you did, what you then did, why you did it, and what that means for your field now. Give yourself an hour to write a "free" draft - just write and write without thinking too much - and then build from that.

Bingo.

I like the idea of a reward. I'm going to buy myself a car when I pass!

I had my eye on a pair of shoes for a year before I submitted my PhD. I decided to wait until my viva to buy them; they would be my viva shoes! I was very tempted to buy them last Christmas but resisted tempation and said to myself "no, wait until 'v' day as per original plan". Two days before my viva in I went to buy my shoes but they were gone :-(. I had to make do with another pair which although nice were not 'the' pair. Passed my viva though so maybe it turned out for the best :p

Best of luck to you all submitting soon but don't put off the rewards too long!

Haha I love the shoes story Ady! It's the type of thing that always happens to me! Good luck Stressed, I am going to be in the same place as you in a few months - I still can't believe I've only got a few months left! The time has gone so fast!

You've got about 5 weeks left so if you plan carefully it can happen - I find it useful to print off A4 diary pages (a month at a time) and plan what I'm going to do every day. And do reward yourself too (perhaps buy the shoes in advance!)

:-) I've just realised that if I submit on the date its due to go (I can go later I'm told but I'm darned if I'm going to) then it'll be payday ;-) I'm also loving the idea of a reward! I had planned, when I get home, to go in the garden (kids banned) with a bottle of wine and a pile of magazines and just chill! That must have been such a disappointment with the shoes!

You're right about the conclusion - it seems such a big deal, it isn't, I just need to get my backside into gear - its like I've been writing non-stop for MONTHS, finished th draft on Friday, then stopped for a few days but need to get going again and the thought of writing fills me with dread. I think I will try the freestyling writing approach - I've been sitting staring at a word doc with 'Conclusion' written on it most of the day. I'm also pondering abstracts, contents pages, appendices etc etc - it seems that its so nearly done, but still so far to go

I'm just so pleased that there are others finishing around the same time - Pam, we must be nearly the same date.... it'll be good to have people to share these last weeks with.

Glad to see you back in action, stressed. The month will go like a blur, you'll effectively embody your namesake, but it'll all be worth it! You've mentioned you already have a full draft, and your supervisor will most likely make comments aimed at addressing loose ends and odds, refining structure and even the odd typo. Writing conclusions is always a tricky process akin to packing all of your endeavours into a small tin, like super-condensed soup. I did mine as bullet points to try and make it all easier and essentially addressed all my key questions, findings, discussion, contributions to knowledge and the utility of my work. Just remember you're the expert and all the bits of your conclusion are already floating about in your head; really, you just have to stick it all together and articulate it. I know, easier said than done - and apologies if my comments seem like sophistry!

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