Me and SPSS have somewhat of a love affair - then again, it is the only package my department is willing to pay for us :p

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My sup told me to take a week off last Christmas - I'd had a tough month between writing up a tiresome funding application, a proposal, 10,000 word literature review and what seemed like 5,000,000 theory and methods assignments! I must have looked wrecked! I laughed at him and said that I'd be back in on December 27th. Think he thought I was going to crash and burn! :p Needles to say, I wasn't back in that day but I did a lot of work at home. I'm such a nerd - my own sup slags me off over my nerdiness :$

We only have access from 1996 - sorry! :(

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I'm usually in my office from 8am-7/8pm Monday to Friday (I also sometimes go in for a day at the weekend if I have deadlines) , but I'd say that I spend only 5 or 6 hours on productive PhD work but I'm making good progress for first year. The rest is spent taking classes (I'm on a fully structured credited programme), on teaching/marking undergrads, working as a research assistant on a large departmental project, having meetings/conservational chats with (overly talkative!) supervisor, chatting to my office mate and making coffee :p I guess it all depends on how much work you have to do outside of your PhD.

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Hiya,

I'm not doing it for my PhD, but have taken classes on it as part of the programme. I have a few really good articles on DA as a method. PM if you want me to email them to you.

Thanks guys- feel better about the whole thing :) Had a chat with my supervisor about it this morning too, he seems to have noticed and told me not to worry too much. :)

Hiya,

I didn't have to give a presentation (or even an interview, damn my uni seems so easy compared to elsewhere!), but I would definitely use Powerpoint if I had to. Gives you something to focus on, looks really professional, gives you a chance to show off your presenting/lecturing skills, and I personally think that it makes presenting so much easier! For 5 minutes though, try to keep the number of slides/text on them to a minimum - just key points. :-)

Good luck with it - hope you get it. xx

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Does anyone else here have a problem getting on with any members of departmental academic staff (besides your supervisor of course), to the point where it is making life in the department almost awkward? One academic in my department would be generally within my discipline. She is very outspoken about other people's work at seminars, pointing out gaps like there is no tomorrow, but to the point where she is just overly critical and harsh. She is like this to everyone, but because she is in my field I get it much worse! (as I said she is very generally within my field, but she wouldn't have researched on topics at all close to my project)

Thing is, there seems to be a bit of a personality clash there too. I know that herself and my supervisor don't get on at all - I've heard that they sometimes fight like cats and dogs over certain issues at staff meetings. She isn't very nice to me sometimes, I don't know if it is over my supervisor or not, but it makes me dread bumping into her because my office is very near hers. She has made no secret out of the fact that she doesn't like my topic and has criticised it harshly in front of my supervisor, as if to make a point to him. I don't know if it's a case that I'm the piggy-in-the-middle or if she just genuinely doesn't like me! She shouldn't have a reason not too, I'd be a chatty, friendly person and would try to get on with everyone.

Anyone else have any issues with departmental staff? Would make me feel better if I knew I wasn't the only one!

:-(:-(:-(

Yip, I've been very close to tears in front of my supervisor twice - it's totally normal, think that nearly every student has! He's a shy man too and I'm a very emotional woman, so think he must of felt a little awkward :p

I've had angry rants in front of him too, tending to be about my secondary supervisor who neither of us like very much!

I love the name Elle - so feminine :)

For me, it's constantly running to the staff kitchen to get coffee - the amount I drink is absolutely disgusting! My poor stomach by the end - but at least I'll have a PhD! :)

I didn't for my undergraduate thesis, but I have the same supervisor for my PhD and he's been very good to me, so definitely will when the time comes. I've heard of students giving their supervisors nice bounded copies of their thesis, wine, a copy of an old book that they couldn't get their hands on, brought them out for dinner... a book voucher might be nice (if not a tad boring, but an academic is sure to get use out of it!) :)

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Mine is an expert in the general field that I am in, but not in the specific subject-matter that I am doing. He doesn't like theory very much - prefers statistics - so I am reading about the relevant theories behind those statistics, and informing him about them really! I wrote a theoretical paper a few weeks ago and he used it to try and get himself up to date on it :)

Geography (as my name suggests!) :)

I wouldn't worry about it too much - that happens quite often. It could have been extended for simple reasons, such as administrative or institutional issues. Good luck with it xx