So... (an open question to all graduate students/former graduate students)

[kirideth]

What do you do if you spend an extended period of time working on your thesis, and right near the end come to the conclusion that it can't be done? I mean, the work would still be there and still be significant, but the overall conclusion would be that it's a failed idea, at least with this specific approach.

Because right now, I'm absolutely terrified that'll happen to me.

Comments

[kirideth.livejournal.com]

You're right, it will be ultimately up to the committee. A committee which doesn't exist yet, unfortunately. I ran the initial idea by one of the professors I wanted on my committee because he's The FPGA Guy, but he tried to steer me towards doing something else because he thought it sounded like too much. Maybe the formal proposal will go over better. Also, I'd like your opinion on the idea from a software perspective, if you'd be willing to help. The project itself is, of course, hardware, but closely tied to software.