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Barmymoo:
Ugh. I found out yesterday that I have a revision supervision at 1.30 today (I realise I did know this in theory, but I hadn't written it in my diary when we were told about it over a month ago, so I forgot entirely) and that we're expected to have prepared a full exam paper under exam conditions.
The exam is not for over three weeks, and I haven't done any revision for it yet because it's the last of five. So I can either go to the supervision prepared, or I can do the paper under exam conditions which would basically consist of me sitting for three hours twiddling my thumbs and occasionally writing things like "discretion? delegated powers?" next to the questions.
ARGH. PhD students as supervisors are generally really not very good. It is so frustrating when they have a rigid view of how we should learn, and refuse to accept that we might have already figured out a different, more successful method. This is not the supervisor who was all "ESSAYS MUST HAVE HEADINGS OR THE WORLD WILL END!" (on that point - our real supervisor, who is on sabbatical, met up with us and said "don't bother with headings if you don't want, it's an American convention that doesn't exist here" so I was right about that) but apparently she has the same view. I think experience and time teaches them that there are many different and valid ways to revise.
In my view, attempting to write an exam more than three weeks before the real exam takes place is a total waste of time. Those three hours could be spent thoroughly learning and revising one of the topics on the paper, but then I would not be "fully prepared in order to discuss the questions as a group". I'm in a catch-22.
Tl;dr : my supervisor has set work in such a manner that I can either follow the instructions, or do it properly.
Linds:
I like headings. Only if because it helps give me a place to pause and figure out what the crap was just said or as a short guide as to where the paper is heading next. Unless they're before every single paragraph, then that just gets annoying.
Also they take up space! And when people seem to think it's a good idea to have a page minimum on papers (which is stupid), that can really help.
Barmymoo:
We don't have page minimums, we have word counts, so they don't make a great deal of difference. Plus the word limit is usually 1,500. You do not need headings for that short an essay!
I mean, I've got no problem with them in theory. They just don't suit my writing style. Cambridge doesn't have a style guide for essays, so I've never ever had to use them before. It was really annoying to get back an essay with no feedback on the content but masses of ranting about headings and structure, especially when all my other (more experienced) supervisors are saying my structure is improving.
Anyway, rant over. I never have to write another essay for her.
Lupercal:
--- Quote from: Barmymoo on 15 May 2012, 09:00 ---Cambridge doesn't have a style guide for essays
--- End quote ---
...what? They have their own historically praised and widely renowned University Press but no style guide for essays?
Man.
I've also had essays back when the teacher wrote three sentences on the cover sheet "I disagree with your argument - so it was pointless" and gave a pencil tick on page 3, that was it, after 2500 words...he got a very scathing review when that module was over.
Barmymoo:
To be honest I don't think style guides are as big a thing in the UK as they seem to be elsewhere. Perhaps people who've been to other universities can correct me, though. Obviously we are meant to have a good structure with an introduction and a conclusion, but as long as it's coherent and legible we're free to write however we like. I think that's better really; it's stupid to get a higher grade because of your font size.
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