Haaaa. HHHaaa, ha, just read all the posts - maybe I am Nicky Hambleton Jones!!!! I've never pulled anyone's teeth out though. Hilarious!!!

The smocky top look is so over!! you could try a wide belt, sometimes works on them, updates them. Having said that I'm wearing a 'bubble' shape top today which although is too short to make me look pregnant does give it a good run. I quite like it, its comfortable. But anyhow I'm sure it'll all be over soon. They're defo over in the fashion mags. What a great thread...

I'd just go straight ahead and do the PhD purely because studying costs alot of money and has an ultimate career aim which I'd like to get to sooner rather than later.

I can't see that having experience of such a wide variety of methodologies would be a significant enough help to offset the costs in money and time an MA would entail. 'Thesis' does mean defense of a premise so I think of methodologies as being a means to an end, rather than vice versa.

AS you said, finances play a major part in these decisions so I'd only do it if I had the money and the time.

I've been working today too. I'm delivering my first paper next week and am working like an undergraduate finalist!ahhh that adrenalin (not sure I spelt that right) rush again. Have been working since about midday and stopped about 9.30. Don't papers take alot of work?... Must get off the laptop now and rest for more work tomorrow.

Just wasted about an hour!!! I new my PhD would useful to someone! I wonder if usfulness of procrastnation activities will count in an AHRC application...

Hey Zingo - good to hear you are taking control and making positive steps.

Jouri I can understand your concern, but I think ignoring someone and shutting their thread down would be more damaging than any of the responses we've given. It really does help to know other people are going through these things, and sufficient mental health is a relevant factor to consider when beginning a PhD, plenty of people have had suicidal thoughts and don't think discussion of that sad fact should be banned. None of us are pretending to be professonals.

Hey Zingo, take care of yourself. If you have enough money to take it easy for a while, maybe work part - time you could do that. I've spent alot of time working on myself and healing from a childhood trauma which had effected my adult lfe. I feel so much better equiped for the high pressure PhD life as a result. Don't worry about the PhD you have a much more imprtant project to deal with. Take care, and I am confident you will get there, you've done really well to come this far.

Oh sorry - I mean best of luck Bertie!!

Oh and back on thread, maybe a god way to judge the value of Russell Group/Red brick universities to you is to take a look at departments in which you would like to work and see where the academics there got their PhDs from. I've done this and found that PhDs held by academics in the departments I wanted to work for were from either top unis or had supervisors who were at top of their field, most usually both. Best of luck Jouri.

I know this is completely off the original thread, but I think Jouri id right in that we as the next generation of academics should try to improve the PHD process. It would be great if we could do something to safe guard against poor supervision via training and auditing or something. I think our PhD system does allow corruption to flourish where it would like to.

I think it does matter in terms of working for Russell group unis yourself in the future, they like to see it on your CV. But it's only a factor. I'd say the standing of your supervisor in the field you want to enter is just as important. And of course the quality of your publications even more so.

No, I'm also at a Russell Group and have no distinction, I know planty of others who are also distinction free

I have a dodgy supervisor at the moment, mine shouts and finds ways of blaming me for her mistakes and I'm going to move on as soon as I can. Just find another sup, a PhD is hard work enough and it can take a long time, too long to put up with this sort of treatment. I would say it's the 'bossing around' and 'ridiculing' which is the real red flag in this situation and what suggests youor sup has very dodgy boundaries. That's a bully at work and I'd get away ASAP, it's still early enough in your PhD for a move to be smooth. Good luck.

I agree with the above comments that if people are discussing drinks openly with you then this is a group thing, and as part of the group you are automatically 'invited'. You could always ask someone if you want re-assurance.