Hi Purplecat, thanks for the reply! I am on my summer break now and start the PhD the last week of september. I think I did pretty well on the MSc despite working from home, getting mainly distinctions. I haven't found out the results of my dissertation yet so fingers crossed I did ok!

I'm still feeling a little anxious about the office situation. I asked to move offices for my PhD but unfortunately that wasn't possible (I was informed there was nowhere else for me to move to). So I will be staying in my current office for the next 3 years! Luckily the person who was making most of the bitchy and sarcastic comments has now finished her PhD and so she won't be there to bother me anymore!! :)

I still feel under some pressure to be in everyday though. My supervisor hasn't directly said she would like me to be there every day but has hinted that she doesn't want me to feel isolated. I think she would prefer I was in more but doesn't feel strongly enough about it to press the issue. I guess I'll have to see how it goes.... :/


Minnie x

Minnie, I understand this situation. I'm glad that the bitchy one has left, I hope that helps. It can still be difficult though: I'm in a small office which is usually quite quiet, but can be very noisy at certain times. My supervisor has said I can work from home as much as I want (he does!!) but one of the other students asks where I've been every time I WfH. I just politely say that I was working from home, and don't answer any follow-up questions. In the end, it's not their business -- my supervisor seems mostly happy with my work, and it's his opinion that matters. My aim is to spend at least 3 days in uni and 2 at home, possibly more at uni depending on the workload. There is a balance between "being visible" and being productive. I knew a guy who would go into his university and sit on Facebook all day, then go home and work very hard all night. It seemed singularly unproductive to me, but he was under pressure to be seen, and yet he was someone who worked best at night. Not developing great discipline for a job at the end of it, but it seemed to work for him...

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