As far as I am aware it will take longer if you have also applied for funding within the department/waiting on funding (not sure about outside funding bodies). I think deadlines are normally April or Mayish?
Possible supervisers may want to see you before they make their decision. I found that it was a quicker process if you first approach any supervisor you think would be suitable and then apply. Another thing which may take a while is the whole thing going through the actual admissions department of the university - they tend to be the place your application slows down in - in my experience!

I don't think my mum even knows what I'm doing my PhD in - she didn't know what my undergrad degree was in until after my 3rd year exams! Then she had to write it down incase she forgot and anyone asked!!

I agree with you sjo4, there is something that happens once you reach postgraduate level (I found this as soon as I started my masters) where people just don't understand anymore. I have come to the conclusion that like Olivia said, they must be jealous - from what I can see in my situation, all those who make remarks about me STILL being a student blah blah are those stuck in some monotonous job wishing they could do something else. Not saying a PhD is a walk in the park by any means, but I think it shows you have the motivation to get out there and do something challenging and different (well, on good days!! ;)) They also seem to have the impression that because I'm a student I don't have a job, and I do, but all they see is another bloody student = doesn't work, lays in bed all day, pointless degree... ach!
However!!! There is great support available here and it's just so comforting to know I am not alone! Thanks for your replies everyone

Hehe, I go out on plenty of walks - infact, on Saturday I decided it was such a nice day I would go out for a walk in the morning and have a clear head to start working after lunch.. didn't get back until 5pm and then felt like no work, pretty much the same story on Sunday! If anything, exercise and the outdors make me less likely to sit and work! Absolutley ANYTHING is a distraction at the mo!

Olivia, talking about hived off in research - why does everyone try to make you feel so guilty about having to stay in and work? I even get the neighbours coming round asking why I am indoors so much and that I should be out (doing 'real work' no doubt!).
It seems that everyone has a negative opinion on the fact you are still a "student" and yet they ask nothing productive or interesting about it!!

Eddi, you have summed it up nicely there! At first I didn't think it would bother me that much, but as I go on I find that there is just no-one to have a little moan to about this or that, or just have a chat with someone about your ideas. I know a supervisor might fulfill that role but I with me it isn't really like that.
With my MA I had the same thing but it wasn't so much of a problem as you always meet other postgrads when you go to seminars etc., and when my family moaned about "when was I going to get a proper job" etc, although it did get to me a bit, there were always other people who I could talk to about it. But now there is just me, a load of work, and people who appear to not care less.
It feels like a very lonely time, to the point where I have often thought I should just jack it all in then they might take some interest (once I have a dead end job and no prospects)

Sorry, me again! This wasn't particularly relevant to put in the last post..

I'm feeling very downbeat about the PhD at the moment & a large part of this comes from a complete lack of being able to discuss it with anyone other than my supervisor. None of my friends or family have even asked how it's all going since day 1 and as I live quite a way from the university I have found it hard to meet other postgraduates in the department (I'm also quite shy). So, I have relied largely on family for support and almost 6 months in I find that it's practically non-existent.
Sorry to moan on a Monday morning, but I needed to vent it and would be interested to know if anyone else is experiencing this sort of thing - it's seriously de-motivating!

I am at an early literature review stage and I'm having real trouble knowing when to stop reading for it. I am guessing this is a common problem -- it feels like reading could just go on and on for 3 years!!! I am thinking of just stopping the reading - write up completely what I have at the moment, and then fill any gaps. However, this seems like a short term solution because the minute I see a gap forming off I will go again with reading. It just never seems to be enough!

And hence - very little work gets done in a day!!!

I started off thinking I was clever and saving paper/ink by using Microsoft Onenote (ha! how stupid was I!?), then realised that it defeated the object because to see the notes in order to write up (on the computer), I had to print out the notes from Onenote. So then I ended up with notebooks to make notes and the odd strewn piece of lined paper. I tend to use library books mostly, so I make note of any useful quotes etc. and then use a different colour to mark anything of extra importance and also add my own comments. It seems like a good system at the time - until you get to this stage!
I am now redrafting and redrafting trying to find the relevant topics amongst my notebooks and piece it all together again. I have attempted to number every page of notes to be able to make a quick reference back to them, but the notes appear to be blurring into one another! Please tell me this isn't going to be life for the next 3 years

I've never had a problem with my note-taking but since I've started this damned PhD I've come to realise that my note writing abilities are absolutley awful! I have come to write some stuff up from what I've been reading and here I am with endless notes upon notes in a big pile of mess and I have no idea where to start or what to do. I think I should find some help on how to be efficient in note taking!
Any quick solutions for this mess (aside from burning the lot??)???

Pamw, I have had the same experience as you! Luckily I feel quite confident with the content which is a bonus. I find that preparation is totally eating in to my PhD time and I'm really behind with my personal schedule. I attend the lectures and that is about it - not even a one off course on how to teach or what to do! I feel sorry for the students, I know I wouldn't like it if I was in their shoes with someone who had no experience or training - but that's the nature of the department.
One of the disadvantages to this is that I am not sure whether what I am doing is helping them and some weeks I run out of ideas with seminars.
Does anyone have any links to good websites about seminar preparation and ideas?

I think I have wasted months, not just weeks! I started in September and I have only written about 2,000 words and read what seems like only a handful of books and articles. Day after day I feel unmotivated, mostly sitting on the internet with the intention to work, but not doing it. I had a plan to have done a literature review before christmas and I am absolutley nowhere near it and it's already Feb.
I try to treat it as a job, getting up and attempting to do 9-5 on it, but you are right, there is no-one telling you off if you don't work - and ultimately I don't feel like this is a job which I can leave 'at the office' or whatever, it just follows me everywhere and is a constant in my head no matter what I do

Hi all,
As we all know, research changes and develops as you go along (I am in my first year), but to what extent does this impact on the role of your superviser? For example, if your superviser is interested in what your original proposal area, but for various reasons you have moved away from that and more towards a completely different area seemingly outside of their interests?
I wondered if this is common, and what experiences others have had with it? I don't want to change my superviser as they are very supportive and they haven't expressed to me that they are no longer interested, however it's just obvious it isn't what they thought it would be, and I feel that I am way out of their research interest area now.

In the past few weeks, I've been consuming a worrying amount of toasted waffles (now up to about 4 in one sitting)... I am getting very fussy about the sort of butter that goes on top of them too. Twiglets, drinking tea mostly - I'm also concerned about my increasing laziness over having to get up and make afore mentioned waffles/tea.