The story of my Masters

This is the abstract for my Masters by Research:

My thesis critically examines the place of scholarships for students from the developing world as an aid modality. It presents a detailed case study of the AusAID funded Australian Development Scholarships (ADS).  The findings highlight the problems and challenges of the ADS program which is difficult to assess in terms of efficacy.  As such, the 'value' of the ADS, and international education more generally, needs to be looked at primarily in terms of securing regional and global positionality.

And this is the finished product:

But there is more to the story...

One day I woke up and realised all my peers seemed to have a Masters – it freaked me out a bit.  So I decided I might try and get myself one of these fancy bits of paper.  And, if the truth be told, I was always annoyed that at my undergraduate graduation I didn’t get to wear a funny hat.  My sister went to ANU, and she got to wear one – not fair.  I am sure that Melbourne Uni does this on purpose – creating a desire to come back and get that funny hat graduation!

Anyway, I completed, and loved, an honours year at the end of my undergrad degree, so I figured I’d already done the equivalent of a Masters by Coursework.  I was up for a challenge (stupid, stupid).  So I decided to try a Masters by Research.  I had been mulling on a few potential PhD/Thesis topics for a few years (its a sickness I still suffer from), so I picked one I thought that I could potentially convince my employer would be work related – and therefore get study leave and other professional development perks.

I researched my options for an institution, and eventually went with the comfortable and familiar University of Melbourne.  It also helped that as I was alumni, the paperwork required was significantly less!  My assigned supervisor was new at the Masters by Research game – so we battled through the paperwork, requirements and other bits and pieces together.  Then he went on leave for a semester.  My co-supervisor stepped into the void, and into my head.  A coffee catch up led to a realisation that my topic was not really working out, but the topic I should be doing was sitting right there (lucky!).

My employer was helpfully giving me a day off every fortnight, and between that and weekends I was able to keep things bubbling along.  Then I made the mistake I have heard so many women make – I’ll have a baby and I’ll get heaps of time to work on this while I’m on maternity leave.  Now lets all repeat after me – maternity leave is not a good time to get jobs done...not a good time.   So, after a three month leave of absence to get my brain out of a breastfeeding, not-sleeping, tim tam eating haze, I got back into it.  My dad kindly stepped in to care for the bub while I studied one day a week or so, time we all enjoyed I believe. 

Work progressed, issues arose (why will no one respond to my survey?), and problems came and went.  Then I went back to work, and study leave wasn’t possible, and kids take up lots of time, and my husband was doing his masters too – phew!  Finally, I made the decision to put my now 18 month old into another day of childcare, on a day I didn’t work.  I missed her, but I had to get some time back otherwise this was going to turn into the never-ending-Masters.

Back on track I was getting down to the business of finishing things off.  Draft, chapter, draft, chapter, it was slowly coming together.  The final push, incentive perhaps, was provided by the impending arrival of baby number 2.  My co-supervisor suggested an extension might be a good idea, but I was determined to get my Masters baby off my desk before my real baby arrived. 

Two weeks before the arrival of baby number 2, my thesis was submitted.  About 6 months later I finally got the letter I was hoping for – passed and no amendments required.  The comments by my examiners were not all positive, and at times were hard to read, but I am proud of what I achieved.

As I reflect on this, I think that if I had taken my supervisor’s advice I might still be doing my Masters.  That might be good thing, if getting a better mark was my goal.  But I have enjoyed the freedom that finishing gave me. 

So, now, where is that file with my PhD topics again...