Got to say since i read this one from Olivia it's helped me immensely...

"You do not need to feel motivated to work..."

It frees me from analyzing whether or not I’m enjoying the PhD and enables me to just get on with it. Thanks Olivia!

Life handed us a paycheck, we said "We worked harder than this!"

Apologies for this being a repeat of a previous post.

What’s the best available free software for managing references (i.e. an alternative to endnote)? I know this has been discussed before but I can’t remember the name of the alternative, nor can I find it using the search function.

Cheers, belfry.

My understanding is that most 'big companies' don't authorise personal references and so to expect one on letterhead is unrealistic. Perhaps i'm taking the optimistic view point here but I'd focus on the GRE, and wouldn't worry about whether they trusted my referees.

I would agree that the university will expect an academic reference, are you able to get one? Although, after 6 years in industry they may be more lenient

i wouldn't worry too much about the letter head, if in the reference it is stated what your working relationship was (i.e. manager/supervisor)

I dread meeting with my supervisor. I put so much effort into holding it together that i never leave feeling that i've gained anything from the meeting. I don't feel like they're trying to catch me out but i do feel like i let myself down in these situations. In fact, I actively avoid meeting my supervisor which is relatively easy to do given that my supervisor is really busy all the time! The problem is that i'm now 14 months in and we've had only 2 or 3 meetings, which i'm now paying for in stress.

What have you been doing since August to help cope or get over your anxieties? There are numerous things you can try.

I would also add the point that the business world may not present a better situation for you. I don’t want to add to your worries but I feel academia is a good place to be for those individuals that are a little bit nervous/shy/anxious/etc.. What alternatives to academia are you considering?

If you are going to get through your PhD you’ll need to be determined and focus on your work. Don’t waste time and energy worrying about how you’re being perceived, just focus on your work and everything else will take care of itself. At one point you thought doing a PhD was the right thing for you, perhaps you should try to get your head back to that place and stop worrying about everything else!

it depends on the university. At my current university:

First-Class Honours (First or 1st) 70%
Upper Second-Class Honours (2:1) 60-69%
Lower Second-Class Honours (2:2) 50-59%

I did study out with the UK for a while, where the grading was quite different. sStudents were expected to get >90% whereas at my current university this is not a reasonable expectation.

Don't look at it in terms of percentages...think what's the top-award at your university, then the second-from-top, etc... and (assuming you're at a reasonable good university) they should be comparative to a first, upper-second, lower-second (as http://www.findaphd.com/students/explain.asp#5 suggests). Why not ask the registration department of the university that you are interested in?