my problem is not cooking a meal, its the need to have something to nibble on whilst working I do have the fruit as well, but usually crave something savoury, pringles go down well, so do other crispy things as you can handle them more easily than an apple or something, and oranges and the like just mean you have to go and wash your hands, which stops the flow. The dog takes care of the exercise, and the rest of the family mean that meals have to be cooked, not always by me though which is a bonus!

Sometimes you need to think just why they made these comments. Instead of it being a negative thing, they might think that what you have started could be really good, and they just want to make sure you focus on it in a way that will make it a really excellent piece of work and not just a pass. They always push the ones that they think can go far don't they

I don't think it is possible to have everything at the same time, but you can have everything over a period of time. I've had some great jobs, and a great time with the kids, but I didn't go back to my original work, it just wasn't possible. If you are working in genetics, will you be able to keep up with the latest trends/techniques? There are few supermen, or superwomen about, and I expect they too have things they wold like to do, or things they regret not having done. If you can get back in, fine, if not diversify!

I tried it, and my work was very lab based (it was in the basement too ) If you can work set hours then mabe it will work, anything else becomes a logistical nightmare, combining kids and long hours didn't work for me at any level, you may be luckier but it is very hard to have so many demands all of which are of equal importance. There are only the same number of hours available, they just have to be spread more thinly, which can mean that neither can be completed to your satisfaction. You could take a break, I did, but then found there were still no part time openings in my field, too male dominated for it to be seen as a necessity I'm afraid.

Well, when I was doing research I found it quite difficult to combine the two, partly because my work involved being available at the drop of a hat when specimens arrived (being hospital based there was no chance of knowing in advance when a piece of 'interesting' material would arrive, and at least 30% of the time it was in the middle of the night). It was also partly due to the male dominated nature of the work, they just didn't understand, my prof had to wait to get funding for me, because, as he put it, he wanted me to work with him, but he wanted to get a man in place first not something he would get away with now, well he might but it would have to be more subtle. So I suppose it depends upon how much juggling you would be prepared to do, and, I'm afraid to say, how the department views women with children working, which is still a sad, but unfortunate aspect of working in a male dominated area that you have to take into account.

So how many words are you going to be allowed, for me its somewhere in the region of 80,000, so you have a bit of a way to go! I would ask your supervisor how long they think you will need and be guided by them. One thing I would say though, is you might need work on one chapter at a time (not exclusively of course, but spending most of your time on it, so that you concentrate on the one bit), then leave it aside for a while and come back to it. That is the way I'm approaching things, it doesn't mean you can't add bits as you are working on something else, but it will give you a structure, which is something I think may be easier for the science based topics, (I'm ducking now, but I'm sure you know what I mean!!!)

Its when papers are at 45degrees, occupy every flat surface, you sometimes have to balance your computer on top of a pile of books because all space is occupied, the cat manages to squeeze in between two piles of papers, and then wiggles and wiggles to get comfy and sends both piles flying - or - as I found at work today, you know there is a piece of paper on the desk with some vital info on it and you can't find it, you search through all the odd bits of paper several times, and even go to search somewhere else even though you know it is on the desk, and then it just appears in the pile on the desk, out of the blue - how does that happen then???? On the other hand I can't work in a really tidy place...well that is my excuse anyway and I'm sticking to it too.

Little story about my aunt, who, at 60 plus was told she needed glasses, fair enough she thought and went ahead and bought herself a pair of top of the range specs,they even had a designer logo onthe side, only to be told she only needed them for reading not for outside, she was well miffed as she thought it was an all the time thingand that was why she went for the best, so she sometimes used to wear them round her neck when she went out - she said they were too expensive to keep just for indoors .

there is a function under 'view' to show you headers and footers is that what you want?

well, my uni has at least two of the world experts in my field, and probably know 90% of the top people in the same field in other countries, to say you have studied with them would be probably more important than the uni they are at at the moment, I suppose it might depend on the area you are in, but personally I would go for the top people over the uni in my field, as long as it was where I felt comfortable. Don't go anywhere you don't like, it won't get any better than your first impressions !!!

if you are in a place where the people in the department are at the top of the tree then that is the best there is, they know the people you will need to know, will probably be ultra enthusiastic and will help you all the way, if they are up and coming the same applies. You have a long way to go and you need someone who will be there for you whatever the name of the place. A friend of mine got a place at Oxford and expected the best, but it didn't deliver for him. Choose the place you will be happy at, get the vibes right, once you start publishing and getting known it won't be an issue.

Be careful how you word ' my supervisor was no good' if that is what you want to put, you never know who they may know and it wouldn't look very good if one of the people who holds your future in their hands was their lifelong friend. You have to be very contrite and humble I think - after all it is only until you get what you want - . don't cite 'no time' no-one has enough time and as others have said, that won't count for much if anything. Do ask them how you can make it right, there must be a way through this, was a time limit set at the beginning? If so, have you obeyed all the rules to the best of your ability? Be pro-active, but not at all agressive, keep them sweet and they may find a way through for you, annoy them and you stand little chance.

Are there any good books on selection bias then? (Ok, so when we were doing the research module for the MA we had to cover everything in just 6 sessions, so although I did it it wasn't that comprehansive) . The survey I am going to do is going to form a very small part of the research work, but will not only be kind of self selecting - it will be from a small group to start with, and I will be asking on the site for participants, but will also be undertaken via the internet, so double trouble there.

Is it ready to go? I would have thought that the uni was obliged to give you some warning of their intent - unless the time restriction is in their handbook maybe at the time you enrolled rather than now as presumably when you accepted their offer it was under the conditions that prevailed at that time? Best thing to do is go and see them, they should not have let you get a whole year beyond what I think they accept for part timers without someone flagging up your non submission, but whatever you do, be polite, contrite, and if it ain't ready yet let them know how long you need - but make it a short time and they might let you finish.

Ah, but then you will become a self-selecting participant!!! and may be therefore unsuitable, just hang about looking as though you don't want to join in, that should make them seek you out