If you have ever had to experience anything remotely similar to these moments then you will already know what I am talking about. Yes... I'm talking about one of the most hated words in the world of university.
Ok. Ok. So I used to enjoy doing assignments. I found they were much less stressful than the 'e-word' (*cough* EXAMS *cough*). Furthermore, you found out your results during the semester, rather than at the end. PLUS you can also see where you went wrong when your assignment was returned, therefore you can find new ways to improve for the next assignment. Whilst the points I have made are still valid, as of late I have found an increasingly noticeable problem that makes me want to throw things... heavy things... SHARP things.
So when it comes to writing assignments for me I have a system which is similar to most people. There are just a few things that I might do differently compared to some. So far this system has served me well throughout my 2 and a half years at university.
This is all well and good... when it works. If there is a glitch in the plan however, things can go terribly wrong - fast. And this glitch always tends to happen at the same point.
See? Shit.
Trying to research relevant articles for an assignment is like watching Kristen Stewart stutter for five hours.
You see, it's not just a simple matter of typing relevant words into a search engine like Google. No. This stuff must be peer reviewed. You can't use information found on Wikipedia or anything like that. The information you get must come from certain journal articles via a university library's database. Which is what I use. Whilst this is sounding all well and good so far, trying to FIND relevant information on the database is a nightmare.
For example:
And even if you find a relevant article which contains heaps of juicy-juicy information, 9/10 times it's too old to use (I can't use articles which are older than 2004).
I told my teacher for this particular assignment I'm doing I was struggling to find relevant articles. Her response was:
They're not really much help.
I still have to keep looking up and researching those articles. Separate what is good information and what is 'why-the-hell-would-anyone-wanna-know-or-write-about-that' information. I can't really rely on the selection of books from the library either. For one thing, most of them are out of date. Secondly:
And some smell funny. All reasons as to why I avoid hiring books from the library (haven't done it at all throughout my course...).
All in all, once the massive hurdle of researching is out of the way I can usually knock out an assignment in two days. I'm also the type of person who likes to work under pressure. That would explain why my next assignment is due in 6 days and I'm writing/drawing up this post instead. Don't worry about me though peeps, I can type out 3,000 words in one sitting (when I'm writing one of my stories and am on a roll...).
Besides, for this assignment in particular, I'm quite confident that I have found all the references I need. Teehee.
So for those of you who have found yourself in a similar situation to mine (and I know you are out there) no matter how difficult and pointless it may seem at the time, these assignments are important, so don't stress and take your time when researching. EVENTUALLY something will come up. Remember, we are doing all of this to better ourselves.
Keep up the study people... and wish me luck on my assignment! D:
PS. What shall I be doing after I post this blog? Do you really need to guess?
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