Overview of PhoenixFortune on PostgraduateForum.com

Overview of PhoenixFortune

Signup date: 31 Oct 2019 at 1:55pm

Last login: 12 Feb 2022 at 4:13pm

Post count: 92

Recent Posts

Publications featured in the general public press

PhoenixFortune 92 posts
3 years ago

It would depend on its value to the person reading your CV. Mainstream media isn't peer-reviewed, so may not have much weight as a publication in some circles. You could however demonstrate how this engages the public and contributes to impact and stakeholder awareness.

PhD not awarded

PhoenixFortune 92 posts
3 years ago

I agree with rewt, this is a highly unusual situation. Given that your external seems to have no intention of passing you, I agree with rewt's advice in order to get a new examiner. If you are a member of a union (UCU, NUS, your university's union), they might also be worth talking to.

PhD Studying time

PhoenixFortune 92 posts
3 years ago

Quote From MariaResearcher:
I have seen many students complain of not having enough time to complete their final assignment which makes things hard for them. I think the students should work on their Assignments before time to avoid these last minute rush.

How many hours should a PhD student study?
What are your views?

Most PhD students are recommended to work from 9am to 5pm, 5 or 6 days per week (so a traditional working week), although from speaking to others at my university, most students work more than this.
I think the main issue with writing up the final thesis is that many PhD students can't simply focus on that, they must also take part in conferences, write papers for publications, teach, mark assignments, prepare for progress reviews etc. It's also not uncommon for students to find issues with their project in the final stages, and therefore have to redo experiments, rewrite whole chapters etc. and that all takes time.

Problems with Zoom

PhoenixFortune 92 posts
3 years ago

Quote From Amaryllis427:
I had a meeting with three professors via Zoom today and I couldn't get my screen to work. It was like a seance and I was the spirit. My primary supervisor didn't look happy, probably because it's the fourth Zoom technical malfunction I've had this year.

Has anyone else had similar problems? I feel so foolish for not testing it before the meeting.

This can happen for a number of reasons: clashes with other platforms if you also have Teams or other programs requiring your cam/mic running in the background, your webcam may need replacing, your version of Zoom may not have the latest updates etc.

Usually if it's a simple glitch, it can be resolved by leaving the call and returning immediately.

Awful Progress Review

PhoenixFortune 92 posts
3 years ago

Quote From abababa:

3) The depression and your well-being is obviously the most important thing here. Don't lose sight of that. My consistent advice is speak to a health professional; then speak with HR; then speak with the supervisors. It is important you do this, because you are unwell, and deserve support and time to recover. The #1 mistake students and academics with depression make is to not report it and try their best, because then you're seen administratively as someone who's fine and doing a bad job, which in turn makes things worse and can result in a spiral. This has implications for expected completion dates - it's better to have had 6 months off formally sick, than be struggling for extensions towards the end of the PhD because you were unwell but there's no record of it. If work helps with the depression there's nothing stopping you doing it while off sick. I'd generally suggest speaking to HR before the supervisors; because it's less personal, and they will (hopefully) be more trained to respond and advise than an academic, who will likely be extremely sympathetic but have had zero training in how to help.

OP, this is the best advice. So many PhD students delay declaring extenuating circumstances because they are embarrassed, don't want to worry their supervisor, or want to get assessments over with. It's so important to keep your university in the loop when things affect your work, so that you aren't being judged too harshly. A friend of mine didn't declare her mental health deterioration for months, and ended up basically being forced to take a suspension before her annual review (as she hadn't done any PhD work for 5 months without her supervisor knowing). If you have a personal tutor (who is a separate person to your supervisors), this is the type of thing you can talk to them about.

Awful Progress Review

PhoenixFortune 92 posts
3 years ago

Firstly, well done for carrying on with your review after getting emotional. That's a brave thing to do. Secondly, are your supervisors/university support team aware of your depression? They are make reasonable adjustments for you, if so. That's not to say that they would allow you to pass no questions asked, but it may help you re: scheduling, deadlines etc.

As to whether you should continue - did you want to continue with the PhD prior to your review, or are these feelings that came about because of your review performance? It sounds like you might be having a wobble at the moment because of this dent in your confidence.

How to can I verify UK degree？

PhoenixFortune 92 posts
3 years ago

Quote From studentagain11:
I have a degree from the UK and I am applying for a postgrad program in New Zealand.
Can anyone please tell me how can I can verify my degree certificate？
Thanking you in advance...

You can also go to a solicitor and get copies of your degree certificates/transcripts notarised, although this isn't free.

Working on PhD during interruption?

PhoenixFortune 92 posts
3 years ago

Quote From rewt:
I am currently on a suspension of studies from my PhD in order to work as a research assistant on another project, with my supervisors blessing. Before I started my suspension I asked my university if I could include the extra research in my thesis and they said yes. I think their attitude was they wouldn't know if I did the research during my PhD or during the suspension, so they might as well allow it. It also helps I am still talking with my supervisor regularly. Your university might be different but they might have the same indifference as mine.

My university is pretty hot on making students use their suspension time for recuperation rather than work, so that the student can hit the ground running when they return. She has a pretty poor relationship with her supervisor, so I doubt she will willingly keep in contact during her time away.

Quote From Nead:
I took a suspension for a few months during my PhD on health grounds. I did do some work on the writing of chapter and papers- on the days that i felt like it ( which were very few). My superviser argee that I could do this but there was no pressure to, We also argee that I would send one of them an email every two weeks to check it and to keep them infomred.
If its a lab based project, I doubt she will be able to on health and saftey and insurance grounds. I know I wasnt allowed into the lab. If her supervisor know where she at, that must be willing to let her catch up when she back. If it was me I would take the time needed to get better and when they arrive back have a mangable plan of action on how they will complete the needed work.

I've told her that there is no expectation to do work while she's away, but as she had a period where she was actively enrolled but did no work, I think that's eating away at her more than anything else. Her problems are pretty severe (mental health related), it's got to the point where she is so unwell that she has no choice but to suspend. I don't think she has great insight into her difficulties, so I don't think she has a clear idea of how she'll spending the next few months and what she needs to do to recover.

Working on PhD during interruption?

PhoenixFortune 92 posts
3 years ago

A friend of mine has suspended their PhD for at least 6 months on medical grounds. She's expressed the wish to continue working on her PhD throughout this time however, which I told her was kind of defeating the object of suspending in the first place. She had health problems before she suspended, so she had a few months where she didn't produce anything for her PhD, and wants to 'catch up' on that. I have checked in our university regulations, but it doesn't say anything in there about this.

Does anyone know if the work she does over her suspension will be allowed to be included (as her supervisors know what stage she's at right now), or whether there could be any other consequences? She is aware that she won't get any supervision during this time, but is determined to do it anyway.

conferences are too expensive!

PhoenixFortune 92 posts
3 years ago

Quote From rewt:
My uni cut the conference bursary funding due to COVID!

I suspect my university is only offering this bursary because of COVID, as conference travel is now non-existent and admission is either free or much cheaper than an in-person ticket.

conferences are too expensive!

PhoenixFortune 92 posts
3 years ago

Quote From Misha_007:
the same I was wondering. I understand they can be expensive where we have to be physically present but what is your take on e-conferences? These are happening due to Covid-19 crisis. Still, people are charging way too much?!?

A lot of the time the charges are a result of the conference organisers having to pay for the appropriate video conferencing license to host as many people as possible. I'm sure there are other charges too which attendees aren't aware of.

My university offers a small pot of funding for conference attendance (for self-funded students), however it comes with two caveats: 1) you can only claim if you are presenting, and 2) you can only claim once per academic year. This is fine if a student only intends to go to a very specific conference and no others, but I've been caught out already by claiming for a cheap conference and then being accepted for a more expensive one!

First APR review

PhoenixFortune 92 posts
3 years ago

Everyone usually gets some amendments as a result of their reviews - that's what they're for! As it's your first review, you don't have perspective: this is a good result, and it seems clear to me that your report was good. Don't let the amendments devalue what you've done. You haven't let your supervisor down.

Has anyone met any PhD students who just didn't care?

PhoenixFortune 92 posts
3 years ago

Quote From rewt:
I have definitely seen students like that. I am even surprised how many end up getting PhDs. Is it making you depressed that some utter slackers do the absolute bare to scrape past the viva with major revisions while you work hard to both be called Dr? I sat beside someone in my office who somehow managed to "collaborate" her way to a paper and a thesis. Where all she did was ask people for advice or what they thought and wrote it down. I might be exaggerating but I do harbour some resentment but I don't think I have had any bad experiences per se.

Why do you ask? Are you having a bade experience?

I can't get too specific, but I'm currently dealing with a PhD student that I have to interact with on a weekly basis. They aren't a particularly kind person generally (i.e. they directly insult people and then call it 'banter'), and would be someone I'd avoid if interaction wasn't necessary. Myself and other students have said that they feel the need to 'dumb down' what they say in front of this individual so 1) they doesn't copy any ideas and 2) so they don't insult everyone for being 'smarter'. Ironically, this person is also very antisocial, so doesn't admit to needing help, nor seeks it out. In their mind, they are further ahead than they really are, so they don't realise that they are stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Has anyone met any PhD students who just didn't care?

PhoenixFortune 92 posts
3 years ago

Whether it's working with them in the lab, or as part of a study group etc., have any of you had bad experiences with another PhD student?

I've personally met a few students who openly admit to only doing a PhD for the title, and just wanted to stay at university to continue their undergraduate lifestyle (i.e. sleeping all day and drinking all night). I doubt most of them will stay the course, especially when it comes to annual reviews.

I've also experienced a fellow PhD student give me and my peers the silent treatment for days, after saying something 'too intelligent' in a meeting and 'showing them up'.

First choice for external examiner declined and second choice is not responding...

PhoenixFortune 92 posts
3 years ago

I'm only in my second year, so I haven't approached any potential examiners yet, but I was advised to start asking at least 6 months before my completion date. It could be because my field is reasonably small and therefore I have less choice.