Well, I do agree with you actually! My issue is, the fact that you went to a "low rated institution" is irrelevant as clearly, you have the ability to do a PhD!

Being a "mother of three children" is the kind of thing I'm referring to. I come from a background quite similar to your children I suppose as both of my parents went back to do undergraduate and postgraduate levels qualifications when I was a child. They were able to do this because my dad got in before the grants system was abolished and my mum got funded by employers. So what I mean is, if employers (and as far as I'm concerned my University is my employer) were willing to support education and if there were grants/low cost loans available then mothers of three would have no qualms about making the decision to go and get these qualifications.

Good luck!

A PhD is a PhD as far as I'm concerned and as far as I know.

Getting funded means that you can prove to future employers that you can attracting funding grants etc...

The only problem I have with self funding is that it creates a two tiered educational system which I do not agree with. I feel like education should be available to all, not just those who can afford it.

Don't get me wrong. I completely understand that people who do self fund work really hard in order to fund it and sometimes apply for loans etc. My concern is that some who are really coming from deprived backgrounds would not have the option of self funding.

BUT, it is by no means the responsibility of the students. People who self-fund - Go for it! I just think Universities etc should be thinking more about what it means to not offer full funding to these fantastic PhD projects.

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I don't understand why it's a problem.describe the first case, explain why you adapted your methodology, describe the second case, describe the third case.

I'm only a second year so feel free to dismiss this but I don't plan on following that exactly.

I will be doing lit review, method for phase I, results for phase I, method for phase 2, results for phase II, discussion (where phase II is informed by phase I).

Would this work for you?

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Look at "What do PhDs Do?"

Should be able to find it via google. Was a big government study I think. They use it at my Uni to scare us on a regular basis.

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They should absolutely have different forms. Craziness! And it can't make it easy for the committees either can it!?!?

My research is OK. I forgot just how crazy it is to recruit people! I am however in the situation where everyone will have been recruited in 3 months timish...Nice to know I won't have to worry about it again!

Getting the Health Professionals is a funny one. I've been in contact with the surgeries I'm using right from day one but actually getting them all to sit down in the same place is hellish! Try tempting them with lunch. I've never met a group of people who like sandwiches so much, even students!

What about you? Have you started any data collection yet?

What about organisations like INVOLVE? You could ask them to include you in their next newsletter/on their website?

I'm doing mixed methods too involving patients and HPs, I'm able to recruit from the surgery. What about asking doctors/nurses to pass on questionnaires/invites to patients with the relevant illnesses?

Local support groups/council provisions etc might also be worth looking into.

I agree with Smilodon. 2 hours sounds like a lot to participants although I intended on doing 20 minute brief interviews as part of mine and some went on past an hour. People like to talk about their illnesses generally but they don't like the sound of committing to that kind of length of time.

Good luck

the only thing that worked for me was recruiting through a temp agency.

Reading lots at the beginning of your PhD is what it's all about. Just make sure that you write about what you're reading as well.

It's normal to feel lost at the beginning...and in the middle...not at the end yet but I get the impression it's not unusual to feel lost there either!!!

Try and enjoy soaking up and working your way through all the lovely new things you're learning!

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Did you get ethical approval for this? I'm really suprised they haven't made sure you have a debrief with a trained psychologist. You must sort this out ASAP. University counselling services are a good place to start and should be free. Many services now do remote counselling so you don't always have to be in University to benefit.

And you really shouldn't be helping with practical issus. I agree with sneaks. Have a list of contacts ready for them. When you're getting consent explain to them that you are not in a position to help them personally but you are more than happy to refer them to services which can help.

You have to make sure you take care of yourself.

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I do the same kind of research as you. It drives me insane that I have to fill in the same forms as people testing experimental drugs for cancer treatments in order to have a chat with some gps and patients.

Grr!!!!

However, you have to look on the positive side. It's just there to protect (1) the participant. you may see it as innocent but, what if you ask about quality of care and a patients spouse had died because of a lack of quality of care? something seemingly innocent becomes something much much bigger. the form just makes sure you have the support systems in place for these very unusual cases. tip - always include the samaritans number! and (2) it's there to protect you. say the above situation did occur and it sparked/reignited some PTSD or something like that...i would imagine there are legal issues here which can be avoided by following ethical guidelines.

But yes, it is all a bit of a nightmare. Am currently filling in my second application of the month...grr...

Good luck!

Yup, chapters first then papers.

However, it's definately worth getting the chapters published as papers afterwards as according to my sups, if you get it into a kickass journal with a lovely impact factor it's makes it 100 times harder for your viva examiners to lay into you too much as it's already been peer reviewed by a high quality journal.

Nice, huh?

Now, if only it was that easy...

I was told that by your second year you should be able to give a one sentence reply.

Ha!

I find that because my research isn't in another world (pretty much anyone can get their head around it, they're not tricky concepts and it's about the NHS which everyone in the UK has some kind of opinion on) BUT because it's also very controversal people actually want to hear a lot more about it now. So, I find myself justifying the research regularly in the pub to my friends and relatives (I generally don't tell other people I'm doing a PhD).

Which is great! I can justify the basics off the top of my head now. Bring on the Viva I say (In like 2 years...)

Hi,

Igo to LSE/Warwick/SOAS (don't really want to say which) and I scraped a merit in my MSc and only had a 2i at undergrad. Am fully funded by a University (kind of) studentship. I was told I got my place because of my enthusiasm for the research. I also think it's because I twisted every bit of previous research to be relevant to the prospective PhD.

Tell your friend to go for it! It worked for me.

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Get books on how to do and record systematic reviews. Do systematic literature reviews for literally everything you can think of relevant to your topic as early as possible and continually whenever you have any spare time after that. Record literally everything about the searches and what you find. You can't be too obsessive about i.

Also, book yourself on as many internal courses as you can fit in at the beginning of the year. Even by the end of the first year it's hard to fit training in. So, any Academic Writing courses etc etc etc. Do them now, save time later. Also introduces you to other new PhD students.

Also, have fun. It really is like the rollercoaster cliche so love the highs and know the lows will pass.

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