Alone!

Working people don't understand your workload, and tend to get needy. And it is too much to live with other phd students. You see enough of them in the uni, and they keep talking about their phd. Boring!

Hi,

My phd is also part of a larger program, and I work 50 hours on weekdays plus a daily 2 hours for commuting, which doesn't leave me much time for socialising... On top of that I have work to do on weekends. I constantly Feel tired, I don't sleep much and it's been ages since I cooked a proper dinner or went to the gym.... So the outcome of the division of my stipend to working hours equals illegal. My supervisor is fully aware of that, and he knows he couldn't hire a postdoc. In top of everything uni imposes bureaucracy rules on me, expecting me to fill in forms and give presentations, like I hadn't enough already.

I treat it as " take it or leave it" deal, after all we are cheap labour here, at the bottom of the food chain... I hope that my sup will put some money together, and top up.
It will give me an excuse too in the future to drink other phd students' blood " when I was your age...." I am joking, I only think that it is a really nice project and it is totally worth it :)

What you think to include seems fine to me. My supervisor always says that in a science PhD, first you say what you will do, then do it, then say what you just did. It sounds boring and repetitive, but this is pretty much what the reader expects.

I would also advice you to stay away from the thesis for a while, then re-read it and write the take-home messages. Don't include too much detail, I assume they want to see the bigger picture.

Well done so far!

Hi there!

I have found that in these situations it can be more of a "pattern", falling in love with people who are in a powerful position. Have you liked teachers/ bosses in the past? Is this a real feeling or just a game? And why does this happen? Of course you don't need to reply to me or anyone but yourself. Would you have the same feelings for him if you have met him independently in a group of friends?


In case something happens both of you will be exposed. And to be honest, it will damage your reputation far more than his. It is very easy for people to think that you didn't deserve your PhD, and very hard to defend yourself. Or that he puts your name on his publications, not because you worked hard, but because you are his gf. So you need to think if it is really worth it. You can wait for a couple of more years until you graduate, get a post-doc in another uni, before you make a move.

Good luck with your PhD, and try to give chances to other people who might want to relate to you. 17 months over a guy that doesn't respond back is already a long time.

I always avoid colour, even for graphs, as journals publish in black and white, theoretically if you publish you will have to change everything in shades of grey.

Hi Matts,

I am doing a multidisciplinary PhD, and because it is impossible that I am an expert in 3 different areas, I keep reminding myself that I have THIS background, therefore I examine the topic from THAT perspective. I only go as deep to the other disciplines as I need to justify my decisions. I will pick my examiners from a similar background as me, so I will be definitely knowing more than them on the other areas. I already know more than my supervisor, in most of our conversations when it gets specific he cannot follow.
Just make sure you have a clear goal, and you know enough to justify it.

For me, research is a life-lasting process, and the PhD is only a small step. Acknowledge the fact that it is impossible to know everything, and make sure you know what you need to know. Focus, don't divert too much. And keep going, don't panick.

You are allowed to work 20 hours per week as a fully funded PhD student. This will top up your income, will organise your time better, look good on your CV and will make you decide what you like better. I think you should go for a part-time job

I can completely relate to your desire to get a 'real' job, I was also feeling like that after studying 6 years engineering. The best thing of real jobs is that you can actually see the outcome of your efforts instantly (especially in smaller projects). This doesn't happen in the PhD; things pay off but in a much slower pace.

The bad thing about real jobs (and this was the reason I ran fast and far from industry) is that after a few years of work experience, you learn nothing new: you produce one drawing after another, exactly like a machine fed on cash and bitterness.

Hi Farie,

I was looking for a place myself only last week, and I have to admit that it was really hard to arrange even a viewing! Worst of all, nobody believed me... It seems like a hard period when students come to London, and there is a shortage of housing. In this desperation I would almost take anything in any price.

I would advice to be cautious when "landlords" ask for deposits through Western Union.

Also you might consider to put your application in the residence, so you will be closer to work in a reasonable price.

It is going to be better from now on, new things seem to come up.

Hi Flack!

it is surprising that we have such a similar story!

There is no point keeping in contact with them. Just cross them out of your life. My wider family behaved in a similar way, and to cut a long story short, they poissoned me with anger, bitterness and hatress.

I think that they are jealous, and they are worried that you will ask them for money.

Take care

I would actually think that the best part of the PhD is all the amazing isolation it offers.

I don't even make the effort to talk to others, chit-chat just turns me mental. I am definitely turning old and crumby.

This made me laugh! I can relate to your situation, I am rubbish at statistics myself.

Search in i Tunes for Berkeley Statistics with a guy named Fletcher Ibser. He is really really good in explaining basic concepts of statistics to get you started. Find SPSS courses already provided from the uni, or gather up with other PhD students and find someone to give you classes. I am pretty sure that many PhD students need to learn some statistical software.

Knowing some statistics can be useful in many occasions. Good luck, you can always mix qualitative with quantitative research

I think it is very thoughtful of your supervisor to sign you to earn some extra cash, as stipends are fairly low. A few PhD students in my department pay their rent from marking, lecturing etc.

Good luck with your PhD.

When I read the paper this morning, I felt exactly like I would feel if God rang me on my mobile to say that evolution is rubbish.

I think it is pretty normal by the end of first year not to have a crystal clear question. PhDs are like a living thing constantly changing and moving around. I spent first year mostly on the lit review and methodology. Second year will be mostly fieldwork. I will only know my research question only after I have completed my analysis! I know, I am a lame researcher

I would be more worried that you get so stressed out and constant self doubt. After all it is 3 years, and life is all about pleasure, not pain and cry!

positive: I managed to recruit enough participants for my 1st paper with minimum effort through facebook.

negative: around the time I started teaching students around my age, something like 100 pictures of me in a bikini from the last holidays popped in. Nightmare.