I just had my first official meeting with my dissertation supervisor. I walked in feeling pretty good—I have a topic I'm excited about, I've done some preliminary reading, I felt ready. And then she casually drops the "p-word" and I realize I have absolutely no clue what I've signed up for.
She starts talking about expected length, and my brain just latched onto that one question: how many pages is a dissertation? Like, in my head, I was thinking maybe 40? 50? Something substantial but manageable, you know? A really long essay. Then she said "around 80 to 100 pages, not including appendices and references" and I think I visibly paled.
She laughed and said that's pretty standard for undergrad, and that some people go even longer depending on their methodology and how much data they collect.
Now I'm trying to wrap my head around it. Eighty pages. Of my own words. On one topic. That's like... a whole book! A short book, but still! I started googling "how many pages is a dissertation" for different programs and levels last night, and oh my god, the numbers for PhD candidates are terrifying. 200+ pages?! How do people's hands not fall off?
But here's the thing—my supervisor was really reassuring. She said it's not about just filling space. It's about building an argument piece by piece. Each chapter is like a brick in a wall. The introduction sets the foundation, the lit review shows you know what other bricks are out there, the methodology is your blueprint, and so on. When she put it that way, it felt less like climbing Everest and more like building a really elaborate Lego set. Still intimidating, but also kind of exciting?
I guess my question for you all is: when you first found out how many pages is a dissertation for your level, how did you deal with the initial panic? Any tips for breaking it down into something that doesn't feel impossible?
She starts talking about expected length, and my brain just latched onto that one question: how many pages is a dissertation? Like, in my head, I was thinking maybe 40? 50? Something substantial but manageable, you know? A really long essay. Then she said "around 80 to 100 pages, not including appendices and references" and I think I visibly paled.
She laughed and said that's pretty standard for undergrad, and that some people go even longer depending on their methodology and how much data they collect.
Now I'm trying to wrap my head around it. Eighty pages. Of my own words. On one topic. That's like... a whole book! A short book, but still! I started googling "how many pages is a dissertation" for different programs and levels last night, and oh my god, the numbers for PhD candidates are terrifying. 200+ pages?! How do people's hands not fall off?
But here's the thing—my supervisor was really reassuring. She said it's not about just filling space. It's about building an argument piece by piece. Each chapter is like a brick in a wall. The introduction sets the foundation, the lit review shows you know what other bricks are out there, the methodology is your blueprint, and so on. When she put it that way, it felt less like climbing Everest and more like building a really elaborate Lego set. Still intimidating, but also kind of exciting?
I guess my question for you all is: when you first found out how many pages is a dissertation for your level, how did you deal with the initial panic? Any tips for breaking it down into something that doesn't feel impossible?
