Your'e all going to get sick of my queries soon ,-)

In the mean time...how long was it before you all started giving papers at conferences? And how did you find out about them? Did you already have a decent knowledge of them or did your supervisor point some out? Did you come across them by chance?
I've only been doing my PhD a few months so I have no idea at what point I should be ready to start. My sup has mentioned a couple, but only in an idle way ('maybe think about this..')
Sorry to ask more basic questions!

Hi Alicepalace,

Very well done on finishing your thesis :-) I'm going to sound very stupid now, but what is cognitive dissonance?

Thanks Olivia, that was really helpful. Especially this bit stood out for me:
'the PhD seems to be like a layer of circles, you spend a lot of time perhaps circling around and back to ideas, etc, but hopefully always with more knowledge, more ideas, more links, whatever, so that each time you revisit something, you see it slightly differently!'
That's exactly how I feel about the past few months. I recognized a theoretical problem and thought that I could 'solve' it through research (of course I know that you can never finitely solve any theoretical problem but you see what I mean, I hope). I've now ended up coming back to that same problem without any real conclusions. Or rather, the conclusions that I do have don't match up. But, like you say, I have come back to the problem with a lot more knowledge and understanding than I previously had. And now I go off again!
What you say about people having different approaches to writing is interesting. It was quite a while since I finished my dissertation, which was my last substantial piece of written work, so I'm finding it hard to remember what my approach was back then. It might well be that I'm like you and need to work things out on paper: I think the best thing I can do is just start writing up some ideas that I know definately stand and see if having written them down I can see any connections/problems which weren't there before. If I find that doesn't work then I may well be the 'other' kind of person.
Your post really helped, and all the best with writing up!

Ha ha, well you gave me KC so I needed to give back...and 'PhD' doesn't have the same ring!

Thanks again Bug,

I guess I was feeling a little disappointed as I thought I had grasped the basics of my nebulous idea, as you put it. And then when I sat down and looked at the ins and outs it wafted off again lol. The basic problem, if this will make any sense, is that I'm currently looking at a huge range of literature and while I thought it all vaguely 'fitted together' I've now realised that what I'm arguing for one section theoretically contradicts what I'm saying in another part.
It's not really a huge problem. But I need to decide what my way around it is going to be:I could for example leave it to rest for a while and keep reading, with the probablity that I will find something which helps crystalize my thoughts. Or I can say the scope of the thesis is too big and decide just to concentrate on the one genre of literature. I'm hoping this is something my sup can help me out with on Monday. But I do think it's something I need to decide soon so I can work out what direction my reading now needs to take.
Its heartening to know that this is normal though Bug, so thanks for that. You mentioned that your supervisor gets you to write regular essays. I think this could be the way forward for me too rather than trying to think of chapters, which inevitably leads to a sense of panic.
You've helped a great deal


:-)

Hi Phd Bug.

Thanks for replying so quickly :-) Maybe I didn't make myself clear though. I totally understand that my thesis is going to go through continual change from now until the end and there's a big chance that the things I'm writing about now might not even end up in the finished product.
Personally I'd be quite happy to ramble on for a few more months until I'd got my footing. However, I am being specifically asked by my sups to give them some sort of chapter outline and I can't really do that until I understand the essence of what I'm trying to say (I'm from an English lit background if that makes any difference).Every time I mention a text to my tutor he asks how that would fit into the scheme of my thesis- he asked me in my very first meeting how I would structure an idea I had into chapters.
Most of the advice I've had so far has been to start writing as soon as possible, even if you then have to go back and totally revise/disgard it. So I was thinking to start work on a chapter in January/February and I'm trying to organize my thoughts in order to do that.
I appreciate what you've said but I don't want you to think that I'm trying to decide on some infallible masterplan at this stage :-)

Hey all,

Just a query. I thought I was doing well so far: I've pretty much finished my IPA and after my supervisor dragging it through hot coals my second sup said he liked it and there was lots of good ideas : D I spent a few days feeling chuffed.
THEN. I've been trying to think about how I'm going to structure the beast. This has descended into me realising that I don't have an overall, cohesive argument anymore. I've got lots of little chapter-sized arguments and some general thoughts wafting around but nothing nearly as solid as I thought I had.
I'm meeting my sup on Monday morning but I'm too ashamed to say: 'you know how I've spent 3 months on this? Well I've suddenly realized I don't know what I'm saying anymore.' I need to read a lot more primary material before I can even start to make my mind up.
Has anyone else experienced this? I realise it might not make a whole lot of sense!

Oops; just had a read through and my post looks pretty redundant now. Oh well!

I've only just come across this (long) thread so sorry if what I'm about to say has already been covered. I was in exactly the same position when I came to the end of my English BA: really, really keen to carry on in academia but with absolutely no hope of affording it. My advice would be firstly to let as many of your lecturers, profs etc know that you are serious about carrying on afterwards. That way they know that you are determined and, if theyre any good, will let you know what's coming up within the uni so you can apply. I aslo went to my university's financial advice department: they basically told me that there was no way of me continuing unless I could fund myself. What a load of balls!
After bugging my lecturers to death I was told by one of them that it would probably be easier for me to get funding to do a PhD than an MA. I then found out about a studentship they were offering. Originally I was told that I almost certainly wouldnt get it as I don't have an MA. Well, I went away, researched the subject thoroughly and I got it! My supervisor then told me afterwards that if I hadn't got it he was going to apply for a fee waiver on my behalf. Again, I was told at first that this was extremely rare.
So my advice is persevere! If you have the talent and the ambition then you will get in there in the end.

Hey,

In my university arts and humanities PhD students are allocated three rooms: two are full of desks (and hot desks for part-timers) the other is a common room with fridge, sink etc. This system has worked great until now, where they have decided to break us all up into our subject areas. So me and the other 2 English Literature students for example will be moved up into an office on the third floor with the English lecturers. I must admit I'm not looking forward to sharing an enclosed space with the same two faces day in, day out and it's a shame that they've decided to break up the little community we have when doing a PhD can be so isolating. Having said that, we're very well provided for in that we will have an office whatever happens and won't be forced to work in the library.
As for funding for conferences, I've not been here long so I'm not entirely sure but as far as I know you can bid for travel funds etc, and a board meets every so often to decide on the amount you will be awarded. From what I can tell, they are pretty generous. I'll hopefully be attending a conference next year in Michigan and my supervisor doesn't seem to think I'll have any trouble sorting out costs (although this is probably normal amongst all universities- again, I'm not sure!)
Overall, Im qute suprised at the amount of money the university seems prepared to invest in postgrads when it is relatively new and not especially well established. As a postgrad we were pretty much herded in like sheep!

I know exactly how you feel Buzby. In fact I often think that getting over these kind of self-confidence crises is the hardest part of the PhD process. I think its difficult in that you very rarely get hugely positive feedback from supervisors (or maybe this is just me!). Coming from an undergraduate position where I regularly got high marks to a point where firstly, you don't submit completed work enough to get a nice, satisfying grade at the end and secondly, where that work is raked over with a nit comb can be very disheartening. The most encouragment I get from mine is that my ideas have 'improved'...which doesn't say much, really!
I constantly feel imposter syndrome, and like I said in a previous thread, feel like I somehow tricked people into thinking I was good enough for this! I'm starting to realize that I may always feel like this, and as long as you can keep it under control it may even be a positive thing- much better than being arrogant and presuming you know everything, anyway.

Wow, so many replies! I can't keep up with them all :-)

Glad to see there's lots of people around here who have gone straight onto PhD. There's one other guy in my department who's my age so we sometimes have a little rant together, but I still manage to convince myself that he's way more prepared than me.
With regards to what PhDbug and others were saying about the masters, you're totally right...I think I was just trying to convince myself that I'm not at a disadvantage because I didn't do one. Really I should just be accepting that I am at a disadvantage but that doesn't mean I can't have a damn good shot at it anyway. As for sitting in on some Master's modules A116, that sounds like a good idea but I'm sure I mentioned it to my supervisor a while ago and there was some reason I couldn't do it. Might be worth asking about again though as it will probably help me feel more prepared.

Thanks everyody for making me feel a bit better though
(up) xx

I think I see what you're saying phdbug: that it is preferable to do the extra work AND start a PhD young?
The more I think about it though, the more I doubt whether, in my specific circumstances, a master's would have helped very much at all. I'm looking at quite an obtuse range of texts which I doubt would have been covered in sufficient depth in most master's courses to have been any use. In fact, I was accepted onto a master's course before I found out I had got this studentship, and there was only one module which covered the time period I am looking at, and its focus was entirely different to mine. I don't doubt that it would have helped broaden my general knowledge of literature, and possibly have prepared me for the written aspects, but I'm sure I would still have been facing largely the same problems as I am now had I done it. And at the end of the day there was quite a lot of competition for my place: I'm sure some of the other candidates had MA's but they picked me.
Can you tell that I've talked myself out of my earlier insecurites
:p:-)

Thanks everybody for your replies.

I know deep down that what you say is right- there are advanatges and disadvantages of doing this at any age. The main positive thing about doing this so young is that I have no other real distractions in my life at the moment and its a time when I can be completely selfish and focus on myself. On the other hand, like you say, Scienceishard, it is also a big sacrifice to make. I've never had to handle stress and anxiety like this before and its hard to know if I'm emotionally ready. But I love my subject (most of the time!) and I've always known that this is what I wanted to do so if I can keep my head up high then I'm pretty sure I can get through it...I think...
For those who said that dressing professionally and acting confident would be a good idea, I agree. I've not had to meet many 'elites' yet, though, and as for supervision meetings etc I don't really want to go in suited and booted as my supervisor is pretty laid-back and I think it would seem a little odd. However, I might start wearing, as you say, shirts or smart dresses. I guess when I'm slouching around in jeans I really look young, which cant help.
A116, no I didn't do an MA, which gets some people's backs up, but like you I would still only be 22 even if I had. So besides deliberately going out and getting a job I didnt want just to waste time until I was an 'acceptable age' there's very little I can do about it really!
Just interested in what you say MissSpacey about it usually only being scientists who finish within the 3 years? I'm a literature student and am expected to finish within 3 years. Just wondering what you meant?
Thanks again, everybody.

Hi Guys,

I'm new around these parts so firstly, hello! I can't tell you how much reading all your posts has helped me in the past few days.
This is related to something I wrote in reply to Beave's thread the other day. I graduated this summer from uni and went straight into a PhD in October. Is anybody else in the same boat? I'm finding it so hard ignore the little demons in my head that say I'm not ready (even though I desperately want to do this), especially when I get the usual 'you're HOW old?!' from people in my department. :-s
Just wondering if there were other people who have experienced this and how they have got on?

Cheers folks