I've printed!!!!!!!! I can submit on Wednesday when it is bound
I'm going to have my viva ASAP. I can relax at least for today and ignore PhDs and job applications. I'll keep you updated on my viva.
Thank you for being supportive.

I've had some pretty bad advisor's meetings. They've said I don't know stuff, and tried to get me to drop 2/3 of my thesis at one point. Luckily my supervisor was on my side. I cried after the 2nd and 3rd year ones, and I'm about to submit, so OK so far.
Can you talk to someone else about it, or change advisor? Either they're being honest in a really unpleasant way, or they've let you down badly.

Can you believe my partner is working harder than me at the moment...
I worked from 9.00-23.30 yesterday. My partner went to work, went straight to a paid gig, came back at 1am and did 2 hours work he had to do. We've no hot water (aprt from shower) so I think that bath and the massage is out of the question.....

I'm sure over a year ago there was an H who I thought was male.
Either you're the same person and female, or new, or I've just lost it somewhere down the line...!

This morning I was planning on just checking minor things. This afternoon I realised the mammoth corrections left on one chapter. I've already had a panic I don't understand and have been having big re-writes of sections
If I can finish that one chapter tonight.....

Luckily an associated group has a fantastic printer
Again it's wierd when people in your year have their viva
One guy was in our group too and originally wanted a bet on who would finish first-I didn't take it as I knew I'd take ages if only because my supervisor is slow at reading....
senthilin20 you might get better replies if you start a thread or join a thread about starting PhDs. I'm in science so can't help, sorry.

In fact, I fell out with you a little bit when you said you were ready to print because I want that SO badly!
I was in tears when I thought the other person in my lab was going to finish, and celebrate and I wasn't. We said we'd both go out together with the lab today to celebrate. I was so relived when they were doing lab work(!) and said they couldn't finish this week either
Getting the last set of postdoc corrections has really helped as although I've now got to work on the chapter again, I think it will be much stronger in the viva and I feel I understand bits I didn't.
Good luck Sue! I thought you'd finished ages ago before you postdoc-I take it you just started before you'd finished your PhD?
My main gripe with myself is that I've not worked or done anything useful and yet I'm still finishing at the last minute and struggling to understand everything I need to.

Ahh, you're not the old H from the forum
There's a happy smiley face, will that do?

I wonder if a mature PhD I know got it right. She started having kids at 18, has been working, then at around 40 is starting a PhD, and her husband is very well off, so no money worries. She's also worked for years in tha lab and knows what it is like.
There's the issue of where to live with partners too, as mine has a business and can't move.

Could you finish your PhD as an Mphil and do an MPhil or PHD in the new field? I spoke to an academic before my PhD as wanted to get into immunology and didn't get offered any PhDs. I've ended up in structural Biology. Anyway, he said you could change field if you had a PhD, but you would be at the bottom end of the pay scale. After doing research I would think they would expect some experience

I'm 26 and finishing soon. I've not had a proper job, so will need a few years career to get started, but then won't have kids before 29-30.
I said I didn't want to get married until after my PhD, but it is now 4 years later and we've been going out 6.5 years!
I'm considering a writing career where I can get some experience then go freelance and work from home.

Thanks, that's really sweet. Maybe I should try and find ways of relaxing.

I set myself targets with writing up and I just can't reach them as each one takes longer than expected. I'd had enough months ago, but can't give up. I want it all to be over, but if I want the examiner who will be good for my confidence I will have to wait until at least December and drag it out longer. I'm not sure whether to pick someone else who will be gentle and have an earlier viva, or wait.
I feel a failure for taking most of a year to write, and have done nothing much else except look for jobs, and have worked 1 week in total.
I feel I can't live up to my PhD, and I'm struggling to get temp jobs, let alone a graduate level job. I'm now competing with people with PhDs that are cleverer than me, and/or people with bags more confidence.

Sorry this is a big moan.
My confidence has got worse and worse during my PhD. I've got under 2 weeks to submit before my 4th year deadline, and don't feel I'm on top of my other subject. I feel I'm not good enough, even if I get through as I'm not as knowledgable as the people around me. I really struggle to talk about my subject, and have gaps in my knowledge. I'm leaving academia as it has really knocked my confidence and made my depression a lot worse. My supervisor creates new obstacles/upsets regularly even though he is outwardly pleasant.
Every step through something goes wrong and the end gets further away. With the end of my thesis in sight the printer has broken and I keep getting corrections such as spelling or mistakes in the work that should have been ironed out earlier. I feel so stupid for missing all these things, when I've had so long to get it right. I now have mistakes I need to discuss with a postdoc that she's surprised my supervisor let through. I was going to have it all printed on Friday...

Check the entrance requirements on a university website? I know someone with a 2:2 who did a masters and is now a postdoc (science). Some people with 2:1 or 2:2 are better than people with a 1st.

Be prepared, have a list of points to go through. Even rehearse if you need to! Try and pin him down to and give you ideas of time limits etc. Schedule the next meeting at that one with a target maybe.
If you come up with good suggestions, there's no reason why you shouldn't be able to do them. You're supposed to be an independent researcher by the end, but still need guidance as you're there to learn.
I asked for a new project during year 2 as thought my first one wasn't going well. I never did what I applied for though as was not practical when I actually arrived.