I would apply for funding (or a program or whatever it is called in your neck of the woods), and then once secured I would chill. I think that would be the more productive thing you could do - as it would be great preparation for the grueling 3 years ahead.

Ps. Re 80% not being impossible. You know your own abilities. If you apply yourself more than previously you should be able to achieve greater things! Even if you don't get the result you want, if you really commit to it then might manage to increase your overall average, and every little helps.
All the best.
Tudor

Hey! I had "the grades" but found it difficult to get PhD funding (I sucked in my first interview and had to wait another year for my next applications - it was stressful as I thought "how many years am I going to have to do this for?!"). Thankfully it was only a year in the end but still - it was hard.

I would say in your position just do the best you can and see what happens. Enthusiasm counts if you get through to interview stage. I'd say apply for as many as possible (within reason - after all - each one will involve some work) to increase your chances of getting funding. I wouldn't resign myself if I were you, but definitely go for it.

Also - maybe consider Plan B options. A colleague of mine got a 2.1 or a 2.2 (can't remember now but think it was a 2.2), funded herself for the first year of her PhD, and then managed to obtain funding for the remaining two years. That could be a Plan B for if things don't work out the first time round. Also maybe apply for a mixture of different unis.

Good luck with everything!

Keep your chin up dotdottung - it will soon be submitted and no more revisions to be made to it. Look at it this way - probably your supervisor's feedback has enabled you to improve the quality of the proposal, and next time you come to write something, you will be able to preempt some of the kinds of comments he/she is going to make.

Take a break. Seriously! Sleeping and eating is far more important than what your supervisor wants. When you're rested and refreshed, you can look on your PhD with fresh eyes. You might find that it is rewarding once you get the feedback from the external examiners, and this may encourage you to continue.

I can't relate entirely, as my supervisors aren't demanding (I wish they were a bit actually). But I can relate to a difficult first year experience. I was unhappy for most of my first year. Second year was better. I'm beginning the third year now and really enjoying myself. So my advice - prioritise your health, don't neglect other parts of your life (eg. hobbies, friendships), and persevere. It'll get better. A phrase that helped me throughout my first year when having to submit continuation reports and such like was "I can only do what I can do". : )

Absolutely - this is really tricky as I've sent my work over before when it was still in an early phase and it was a nightmare to then improve it independently at the same time as trying to address their comments (you feel that you can't change what you now think is crap because they've already seen it and may not have raised it as an issue).

So I would suggest definitely send it over only when it is ready to be sent over (ie. when you've exhausted all your own knowledge and ability!). Get it done as quickly as possible and send it to them as if it is the final piece of work that you are submitting. Then the feedback you receive will be most useful.

If you worry that timing will be a problem, then it is perfectly acceptable to ask them how long they would like to have it for so that you can factor in time to address their comments before submission. They'll probably appreciate agreeing on a proper timeline as given their already busy schedule. Mine usually has it for 2 weeks give a day or two.

In a nutshell, my advice (from a horrible previous experience!) definitely go for later rather than sooner if you want the most useful feedback. Unless of course you are stuck now and could really do with the input to get you going. Also try to agree on a date to send it and a date to expect it back so that it fits in with your deadline.

Good luck!

Hi everyone -

Thank you! You all seem to be saying something similar here, which allays my fears somewhat! I do look forward to when I am focusing more on writing and less on the data collection. But the writing part will come later.

Thanks as always everyone. Love this forum!

I really struggle with acquiring and retaining information and knowledge (eg. findings of studies, overview of the field, and other vitally important stuff) on my PhD. I am about to enter my final year and can't believe how scatty my notes are and how disorganised and uncertain the knowledge feels in my head... compared to at undergrad when everything was so neatly written up and organised - ready to revise from. I still know what I learnt back then, whereas my learning over the past 2 years just feels so messy and incomplete. I think I must be doing something wrong.

Does anyone who has experience of doing their PhD have any tips or advice? Do you use cue cards, write extensive notes and organise them very carefully? I feel embarrassed saying this as I was a really organised learner before. Now it seems to have fallen apart (I think stemming from the lack of structure) and I really need to change things NOW. I don't think my supervisors are aware of how rubbish I've been, as I still produce good work (eg. run my studies, analyse the data properly). It is just when I come to write up things could get very challenging. Please help!

Congratulations timefortea! And glad you enjoyed your graduation ceremony!

Personally I think the best thing to do is look at articles published in the journals you are considering publishing in, and copy their style.

A friend of mine has just done this (been awarded funding elsewhere and so switched to a different institution) and has no regrets. She said it was a bit awkward telling the old supervisors that she was leaving. Other than that - she is really excited about starting her new project.

Do you want to finish it?

Desire is the key to motivation (Mario Andretti)

Maybe you need to spend some time reflecting and reminding yourself of what you really want... and then what you need to do, in concrete and measurable terms, to achieve it.

Better the devil you know? But then again, could be an opportunity...