Good luck J-W! I absolutely dread this. I am in my final year and the going is getting pretty tough. So much pressure, uncertainty and horribleness! And to think of vivas and corrections... life isn't worth living! I've never said this before but: I can't wait till it's over. Just think: you are nearly there!

It's so true, Pjlu, how such things give us perspective. A friend of mine recently lost her husband. When I think of her or give her a call, all of my PhD-related-things seem so small and insignificant - as indeed they are in the bigger scheme of things.

Hmm. Are you considering appealing? At my uni, in my experience at least (just as a student rep on the appeals panel and from hearing from a friend who also went to a panel when her PhD was downgraded to MPhil), the appeals process is fair. It is negotiated by the Student Union and an external body whose name I can't remember (something obvious like Student Appeals). You can get advice from the Student Union on how to do it. It is a long and arduous process though.

Also, it may be worth adding - after your PhD you will have more opportunities to do research. The PhD project isn't the end of your research life, but just the beginning, if research is the path you continue on : )

Hi there,

I am a little confused. Where does the "you are wrong" come from? What context?

I could be wrong, but reading between the lines, it sounds like you are worried about not doing what you are capable of/have potential to do/something interesting enough. The problem is, you can spend a lot of time dithering and trying to find the cool thing that you could do (I speak from experience), when actually, if you just get going on something somewhat interesting, you can build on it and make it more original and interesting as you get into it. The main thing is to get collecting data asap (it easier later if you started earlier...), you will probably tweak your hypotheses and develop your ideas more as you go along.

I changed supervisor too - and know what a difference this can make! It is so good to have a supervisor who isn't constraining or having a negative effect on one's attitude and work. I am also a mature student (older than you if that's any consolation), and yet I too wonder why I didn't speak up sooner about issues I was having with my first supervisor and also just take control a lot sooner. I think it is because although we have life experience and are confident people, there is this idea that academia is a different ball game, and we don't quite know the rules and had better not go against things just in case (I didn't want to lose my funding!). In hindsight though of course, it is always better to be assertive and speak up - no matter what the arena. Don't beat yourself up about it! We live, we learn.

Back to your proposal. Have you asked your new supervisor for her thoughts on your ideas?

Tudor

What is he doing?

Hey J_W, It seems a bit surprising to me that your sup who was responsive is now being unresponsive. It seems odd because obviously they want you to pass. I wonder if they think you are sorted anyway and they don't feel the need to invest too much more time with you? But then still why not reply. It sounds like maybe they are busy and because you just need fairly minimal input from them now (compared to their other projects, students and time investments), you are going to the bottom of the to do list. I guess you just have to chase them up and remind them of your time-scale. Maybe ask to meet and agree on a time-scale for feedback in person. Reasoning: the request to meet in person - which would use more of their time - might scare them into thinking let me get this off my to do list so he stops hassling me! It does sound to me like ultra-busy-ness and your stuff is now small fry to them. But (obviously) to you this is not small fry. And as your supervisors they need to give you guidance so that you can feel confident that you have addressed the corrections as required and will get your PhD awarded. I'd say keep chasing up. Is there a deadline for your corrections? Maybe highlight your desire to submit them on X date.

Someone I know who suffers from anxiety and stress a lot has found this book to be super helpful:

I'd say just have a google if you're hoping to find some good websites/resources. Different things suit different people, so it probably best to just have a look around and see what you find helpful : )

Just to add, my own experiences on the PhD have been up and downy at times, but not really to the point where I've been seriously worried about my health (I've got quite a resilient personality I think). If you are really worried about how you're doing then maybe talking to your GP and/or uni counselor would be a good idea, as you say - so that at least they are aware of how you are feeling and what is going on, in case things don't improve or even get worse (or even if they get better, it might be good to find out where the services are etc - you might get some good general tips).

You're definitely not alone. Take care of yourself!

Best
Tudor

Hi Candyfloss, Sorry to hear that you've been feeling so bad. Not being able to relax or step back from it are sure signs of needing to do just that. Please do take some time out. Are you living by yourself or with family? If the latter, maybe you could visit family for a few days and regain some perspective and distance from your PhD? Sometimes, when the going gets tough, I remind myself that I can leave my PhD right now if I want to. I have a choice. Somehow that takes away some of the pressure in my case. Another thing I have found helpful is visiting websites/reading books to do with things like stress, confidence, etc. Some of these can be extremely helpful in just helping you to understand why you're feeling a certain way and helping you to challenge the beliefs that are bringing you to that place. Big hugx

Congrats Trilla + thanks so much for sharing!

Thanks pm133 - fingers crossed!

Thanks for elaborating Pjlu - that's helpful to know. I think in my case that I don't have to worry about it being considered published material or anything, as there won't be any conference proceedings or anything so I could submit it elsewhere. I guess I was wondering whether to kind of give an overview of my PhD studies or go into one of them in more detail. Probably going into one of them is wiser, but I guess I could still give a backdrop of what each of the studies is about (since they are all related).

Hi pm133. I'm visiting and have been invited to give a talk so no guidance on what to talk about - but they know I'm a PhD student so it will be about my PhD work. I used prestigious to describe the place, not a person. I guess I'll treat it the same as one of our departmental meetings and prepare a talk as I would for that.

Hi Pjlu! It is similar to what you describe - I don't know why they call it a lab to be honest! So it'll be to a small research group in my field but at another Uni. What do you mean by the main items vs something interesting? And why do you suggest that? Thanks for your reply!

Hello,
I've been invited to give a talk about my research in another (rather prestigious - not sure if that makes a difference) lab. I am trying to decide on which of my PhD studies to talk about. Is the function of such talks generally to get constructive feedback about your work, as well as to disseminate what you've found? I am trying to decide on whether it would be more interesting (and beneficial for me) to present my final study, which is still in progress. Does anyone have any thoughts/advice on this? I know it is up to me; but insight from others who have done this would be useful. Thanks : )

Maybe just see how it goes. Say to yourself - right, I'll prepare the best I can for this presentation and do what I can for the interim dissertation. If I am not able to give the talk as I really feel I can't by X date (e.g., the day before) and / or if I do not pass the interim dissertation, then I will call it quits?

Dear Lewlyn, Why the secrecy? Why can't you offer your advice on the forum where everyone can see and benefit from it?

Amuttaa, glad you got further clarification from your supervisor. That is what I was going to suggest! Specific feedback is much more helpful. All the best!