Dissertation all done and handed in

Well that's it, the end of an era! My dissertation has now been completed and I handed it in just over 3 weeks ago.

So, what have I learnt? Well I think my lessons learned are best produced in the form of a few bullet points:

1. Just like the boy scouts 'be prepared' is a great motto to have, especially when dealing with NHS and University ethics procedures
2. Allow yourself as much time as you can, as things will always take a lot longer than you think
3. Have a plan B. Or in the case of Gordon Strachan, Plan Z. This is particularly useful for 'interactive' activities such as interviews or questionnaires. You would be amazed how much time and effort it took me to arrange and attend 8 interviews, simply because people are so busy. Having a Plan B (or Z) will afford you some flexibility in case things don't work as you had planned. Sometimes the best laid plans....
   
4. ALWAYS back-up your data
5. Don't get hung up on getting to grips with fancy qualitative data analysis software. I ended up mainly using Excel in the end.
   
6. COMMUNICATE with your tutor regularly. My tutor was fantastic and we got into a really good regular habit of communicating and reviewing my work as I went along.
   
7. Try to do little and often. This method suits me anyway and it kept me focused too.
   
8. ALLOW PLENTY OF TIME for your write up, presentation of data, and review. You just know that a particular Excel Chart just won't print out as it appears on the screen..... I allowed about 3 weeks and even then I had to take study leave to finish it.
   
9. If you have spare time at the beginning of your dissertation, familiarise yourself with some of the lesser known features of Word and Excel which could help save you time during write up, such as how to add an Excel chart to Word, how to create a TOC etc as it will save you time at the end.