Many students will not see daylight because they are working on their dissertations. It's time for dissertations again.

My D-Day has passed. But I still remember it and the help of Thesis Rush blog in it.

The history department's in-tray, which was a 10,000-word spiral bound paper, was my Normandy. Eisenhower was right when he said that we had been working for months on a "great Crusade".

When I first encountered the Undergraduate Dissertation Handbook and felt my heart sink, I began to consider possible (but, in retrospect, overly ambitious) topics. What I wish I knew back then, but have learned since.

1) If you don't agree with your dissertation supervisor, then change. My dissertation supervisor was fantastic. You can request to switch to another person if you feel they are not giving you the best advice. As long as you do it early and you have a valid reason, your department should not object. It doesn't really matter if they are an expert in your field. It's important that they are approachable, reliable and reassuring. They should also provide detailed feedback, be open to receiving panicked emails, and give detailed responses. Your best chance for success is with them.

2 If you tell family, friends, or strangers that you are working on a dissertation, they'll ask what it is about and expect a better answer than yours. Prepare yourself for confusion and disappointment. History dissertation topics are often grandiose - genocide, war, formation of modern societies, etc. They do not think it important to research obscure disability legislation from the 1970s. They're not marking it.

(3) If they ask you to repeat your question, it's probably because they are polite.

( 4 ) Do not inquire about the amount of work your friends have done. You will become paranoid, or they may. You don't have the time to be paranoid.

5 During the course of this process, you may feel overwhelmed and doubt your thesis. You will then decide to start over. You may even start working on a different question, depending on the length of time that you are experiencing a breakdown. At some point, you will run out of steam. You'll collapse in a tired, tear-stained pile. If your supervisor doesn't recommend it (highly unlikely) or if there are major flaws with your work, don't. It's only panic.

6). A lot of your work will not be included in your dissertation. In the first few days of searching through archives, everything I found seemed like a treasure. When I began writing, it felt as if I had discovered gold. The early material was thrown out after a harsh editing process to reduce the word count.

7 You will be printing like never before. You'll start to feel the impact on your budget if you use a library or university printer. When you print from your bedroom, "paper jamming" will become the two most hated words in English.

8. Your dissertation will interfere in your social life, sports commitments, societies and other essay requirements. You shouldn't try to give up biscuits during Lent. They will become their own food category when you are too busy to prepare and need sugar.

9). Your time isn't yours. You'll find that even if you are super-organised and plan your time to the hour, without a moment of panic about a deadline, thoughts of your thesis will creep up when you least expect them. You will dream about it, wake up thinking about it. You will feel guilty if you don't work on it and doubt yourself if you do.

10 Finishing this project will be the best thing you have ever done. You'll be glad you did the work when you know that it's your most important and biggest project. You should be proud of your work.