Thursday, March 01, 2007

Rollercoaster week


On Monday, as I wrote in my previous vent, I had a meeting scheduled with my dissertation supervisor. Well, this lady was my new supervisor, as my old one had emigrated, and we were corresponding via email. Until I began to need signatures from real live people in order to carry out my research. I contacted such people to explain, and provide me with the needed autographs they did. They also expressed their concerns in a virtual supervisor. You know, I though, now that you mention it.....

I would email her and she'd take more than a week to reply. Time is precious at this stage. Plus, the replies would be less than a sentence long :

Yep, fine, go ahead.

So I followed their advice and set up a meeting with a new supervisor.

The new lady stated that she was very concerned that I had been given ethical clearance to go into schools collecting data without parental consent. Do you know, I had thought it was weird that when I offered to my old supervisor that I would obtain parental consent, she said it wasn't necessary....

She was also confused that any supervisor would have approved my questionnaire, and asked had I actually shown it to my old supervisor for them to clear? I had. She was appalled, as the data that I would have obtained would have been non-numerical, i.e. I couldn't have done a right lot with it.

She started filling out deadline extension forms on my behalf, writing on them that I had received "frighteningly little" in the way of supervision. I fought back the choking tears in my throat, pure panic.

I have to start the entire project from scratch. I am literally months behind my peers, and the only extension I can get meaning I graduate on time is 3 weeks, and where those three weeks fall, I have a total of 4 final exams to revise for and sit, which should take in reality much longer than those 3 weeks! So whatever way you look at it, I'm up shit creek.

Since I found out, I've cried more often than my mum did on my wedding day, and I've barely slept, my brain playing over a secession of bizarre dreams and nightmares. I have glued myself to my computer, crippled with back pain from the excessive amounts of time spent in one position, trying desperately to catch up. The school is waiting for me to set a date. I haven't even got a questionnaire at this stage.

My mum rang me yesterday. She hasn't been sleeping because of all this either. She worries nearly as much as I do. She's offered to come and do my house work once a week until I go over to part time hours at work. What a star!

This morning, I got a letter from a teaching college I applied to. I had given up hope, but I've got an interview! Very pleased. Probably won't get past the interview stage, but worth a try. In exactly one week..... got to find even more time to prepare for it.

Have to write a 500 work essay on the day in 45mins, on an unseen question relating to a very dull article I have not even managed to wade halfway through, prepare a 5 min mini lesson aimed at 12-13yr olds, and write about what qualities are needed to be a good teacher. That doesn't even include the interview.......

*SCREAM*

Someone trade lives with me until the 31st May. Make sure you ace the interview and get me a 2:1 in my degree. Please.....

Grown.


UPDATE: I aced the interview! Got a place! However, now I'm up the duff, gona take a few years off......I got my dissertation in! Before my extention deadline too. May have fluffed up my exams tho.....morning sickness was a nightmare......