We all know just how much work goes into putting together a dissertation, so why not double up on the benefits from all your hard work? By adapting your dissertation proposal into an abstract for ICUR, you can gain a valuable experience to add to your CV with work you’re already completing!
Like many other final year students, as a third year history student myself, I can completely empathise with the process of getting your dissertation started. Initially, it can seem like a very daunting prospect, having to whittle down a seemingly endless list of potential ideas to a single area of research you want to dive deeply into. But, at this stage in the year, having gotten past this and now moving into the thick of the research process – it has become more and more clear just how much work goes into putting together a research project of this size. Hence, this makes the idea of maximising what I can gain from my dissertation, and the time I will be investing in it, even more attractive.
From the perspective of a humanities student, there are multiple stages within this research process which are time consuming. For example, pulling together primary source material, synthesising it with academic critiques and structuring your project by crafting research questions – all to make a coherent argument of your own. As a dissertation is also a requirement of my course, I know that this is a process which I will ultimately have to complete. However, it does seem a shame that I don’t get the opportunity to do anything further with all this work beyond submitting it for grading.
However, with ICUR, you can take the bulk of the work you have already completed, and secure additional skills and achievements under your belt. Not only will you be sharpening your presentation skills, but you will be able to share your findings with students and academics from institutions across the globe.
Make the most of all the skills you’ve gained during your time at university, and end your time as an undergrad with a flourish at ICUR 2022!