Hey everyone, thanks!

I'm feeling much better now - I actually went back to the hairdressers - I was trying to work out what I wasn't happy with, and saw that it looked uneven at the back. This was because some of the blonde had been cut out and exposed my natural colour underneath, making it look more "choppy" when it was in fact level. I went back and had afew more highlights put in this bit and now it looks GREAT and I DO love it! It was a much needed change!

As Ann says, I cannot emphasise enough selecting an internal with as much care as the external. I think alot of people forget this which is why they find their internals to be harsher than they expected.

Also, it's worth knowing that your internal doesn't have to be someone in your *department*, it can be any academic member of staff within your *university*. I had an internal from a different department as his methods and theoretical infuences were similar to mine. Other potential internals in my own department had a different emphasis which would not have been suitable.

Hello Goods, in mine, it was the external who did most of the talking - I'd say the question split was about 3/4 external, 1/4 internal. The internal had some questions but these mainly led from discussion with the external. The internal's job is to effectively chair the whole process, to explain the procedural elements to you and more importantly make sure you understand them. I've heard stories about harsh internals but I think that's more to do with how they were as individuals rather than what is officially expected of them in a viva.

With regard to revisions, yes internals have some influence, but it is usually a result of discussion with the external. In the case of minor corrections the internal does indeed sign them off, but if major revisions are required both of them need to see the thesis again.

You sound EXACTLY like me when I was at your stage! Believe me, I posted on here with virtually IDENTICAL concerns before my viva. It's so easy to look back and say "what was I worrying about", but trust me, you WILL get through this and your work WILL be good enough. The very fact that you are questioning your ability and your work quality makes you a good researcher. You are reflective about your analysis and your particpants. This can manifests itself as "I'm not good enough" but it is an integral part of the research process and makes you human! Far better than coasting through being unconcerned then being told that you're not up to scratch.

Think of your findings as positive - no-one else has done what you've done. Maybe the previous work was TOO academic and that's not what's needed in your research area? Think about who your research is relevant to, who's going to benefit from it. And trust me, you ARE good enough.

cont'd...

While I understand your reticence at taking medication, I would strongly recommend it, it will get you out of the pattern of srutinising yourself in trepidation and help you to think more logically.

Here are some other resources that you may find useful...
http://www.mind.org.uk/
http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/

They offer help and advice, and are fantastic resources.

Please keep us posted, and thank you for sharing your difficulties. It's a very courageous thing to do, especially online.
All the best,
Kronkodile

Hi Insomniac, really sorry you're having a struggle right now, BUT, it's really positive that you recognise your behavioral patterns and want to do something.

It sounds at the moment that your GP is not going about the consultations the right way with you. Is there another doctor at the practice who you know you could also see? It's really important that you have a good relationship with your primary care provider as this will be your point of call should you ever have a crisis point - although we on this board will do our best not to let that happen!

I struggled with depression and anxiety for 3 years of my PhD. I've finished now but it doesn't magically disappear and you need to have some strategies in place for managing your polarised episodes. Perhaps you could enquire with the reception staff at your practice if any of the GPs there have a specialist interest in mental health?
continues......

**She has never supervised a PhD before and is not an academic, working in a heritage setting atached to the university**

Hi there, do you just have the one supervisor? Does she herself have a PhD? I just wondered as you say she is not an academic. IF that's the case, shouldn't someone else be supervising you as well? And if that's the case can you raise your concerns with them?

Sorry, I may be making too many assumptions, but my understanding (at least in the UK) is that anyone non-acadmic/without a PhD can supervise a PhD student but only as a joint exercise.. but if anyone else knows differently please tell me..

I know people who got PhDs and ARE academics but as they are relatively new in post they are not allowed to supervise doctoral students single-handedly.

Anyone else wished for their hair back after having it cut? Now i've had my viva I wanted to spruce up my hair. It is (was) long with blonde highlights, but because of repeated colouring it started to get very dry, lank and brittle. So today I decided to have it recoloured, but this time get a conditioning treatment and have it restyled, thinking that having a considerable amount cut off would look better.

This morning it was halfway down my back - now it's a bob. It's graduated so it's about 3 inches longer at the front than the back, but I'm feeling abit shaky. I like it, but not sure yet if I really LOVE it. The condition DOES look better, but now I'm flitting between liking at, and then wishing I had my long hair back!! Please tell me I've done the right thing!!

Have to say, Otto has a point. My MSc supervisor did her PhD by publication. It's a field where the department has a few lecturers without PhDs as it's heavily reliant on practice/industry expertise.
Even with 15+ years working in the field, and nearly 20-odd publications, she found it hard. hard because it too a back seat alongside other things and because it's difficult bringing many publications together under one "roof".

It's not the kind of thing that you can do "on it's own" if that makes sense. The only people I've ever known who've done it are existing members of an academic department (as Jewel points out) and they have other duties - teaching, other research projects, administrative duties etc. Unlike studying for a PhD where it's pretty much the main thing in your life, a PhD by publication is more "sidelined". At least that's the impression I get...

going to conferences/meetings and telling more people about what I'm working on.(Espesh if the conference is somewhere exotic!)

Can't agree more about a mock viva (great advice from Ann!) My supervisors did one for me about 5 days before the real thing. It was enough time to address any issues that needed refining, but not long enough to forget things - it stayed fresh in my mind. It also gave me the opportunity to discuss how best to answer a question (we kept switching between "viva" and "discussion" mode if that makes sense)and about 3 questions came up in the real thing!
I started reading through my thesis thoroughly about 2 weeks before... once through is enough. I made my own list of typos, did a "key word" document so I knew what was where, and checked out some of my external's work (I hadn't referenced him in the thesis). I passed with minor corrections, I was VERY nervous before my viva and kept building it up to being something terrible that in reality really wasn't that bad. But I know how bad the nerves can get, so please feel free to talk if you need to

Hey that's brilliant news! many congratualtions

and now the DOs!

Do smile It makes a difference and makes you feel better

Do dress smartly but comfortably.

Do ask to be excused if you need to loo, at whatever stage! Again, you need to be comfortable, and sitting cross-legged with a bladder that’s about to burst is neither comfortable nor good for you.

Do take a breath. This sounds really obvious, but I have often waffled due to not pausing and thinking about an answer properly.

Do say if you don’t understand a question, and ask for further clarification

Hope this helps

VERY BEST OF LUCK and let us know how it goes!

Don’t feel pressured into answering quickly. Take time to go through your notes and supporting material.

Don’t assume that every question you are asked refers specifically to a weakness in your thesis. Even if your thesis is perfect in every way, the examiners still have a job to do and time to kill!

Don’t wear something that you’re not comfortable in.

Don’t try to answer a question that you haven’t fully understood

Don’t forget that the examiner is (usually!) human too and will be nervous. I picked this up from mine (if only ever so slightly). Remember they are under pressure to establish a rapport with you too.

People employed as RAs usually register as PhD students too, and the work they do as an RA can form the basis of their PhD. However there can be disadvantages to doing a PhD as an RA, rather than being a 100% PhD student.

1. As an RA, you have contracted hours, whereas as a PhD student you manage your own time
2 - you are more accountable to your sponsors - they might expect a particular outcome that may conflict with what you find and ask you to manipulate your work
3 - Even if you are registered as a PhD student, you still pay income tax on your RA wage
4 - A 100% PhD route gives you more ownership of your work and can take it in the direction you want. An RA route might not give you that flexibility.

I am sure there are RAs out there who can argue advantages too, I worked as as RA while writing up my own PhD, and found that there was a marked difference in how research is conducted between the 2 contexts.

Hope this helps, Good luck