What's the exploitation here, if the topic is the student's own choosing and the student wants to do it, and the student makes a choice to go for a partially or unfunded place? Nobody ties anyone to a pole, holds a gun to their heads and forces them to take up an unfunded place, especially if the student is brilliant and has many other options.

So, if a good student wants to do something, and do it at a particular uni, with a specific person, and finds it worthwhile to not go for the funded places, advertised studentships or much else for purely intellectual reasons, but instead work twice as hard to fund themselves and do what they want, where on earth is the exploitation coming in????

As for your comment on "wind your neck back in" - a forum with threads are for people to participate. Normally, I'd say "shut up" to this, but of course I wont.

Sorry Natassia for this, no more from me.

Briefly,

@Goodboy - I do not understand your post on whispers from heaven. i..e I do not understand its relevance here.

@PhDSmug - Supervisors are *delighted* to be able to mentor keen, intelligent, driven and ambitious students, precisely because these are rare. In the middle of long bouts of marking, administration, writing for the RAE machine, an hour's intellectual conversation with a fantastic student is sometimes the highlight of their day.

So, someone has to say this, and am delighted it is me - Natassia is one such ken, intelligent, driven (has anyone on PGF any doubt?!) and ambitious student, and has been received positively because she has it in her.

======= Date Modified 08 May 2010 13:18:41 =======
My 3 empirical chapters are basically three different things.

I interviewed 60 children. Then analysing them in one way for one chapter

Then analysing the same kids in a different way completely for another chapter.

And the third e,pirical chapter is a comparative analysis of 10 websites. (not looking forward to this)

And it's all qualitative.


Ok, back to transcript number F$%&ing hell with another heavenly 11 year old.

(Bug gently clears her throat and leaves the room..)

pl pl pl pl tell me this isn't happening

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/election-2010/7690706/General-Election-2010-Nick-Clegg-says-Conservatives-have-the-right-to-govern.html

pl pl pl pl tell me.

Ok, so now it looks like it might be hung!

But if Clegg decides to join the cons (which the BBC discusses as a possibility), no I shan't complete the sentence...

the first const to declare gets a Lab (not a Con!!) 19K versus con's 8k.

Ok, I'm hogging this thread but am gloating over the 8k...

But to be fair it was a Lab seat.

Goodnight for real!

Shcwarzenneger called Cameron to congratulate him???? "Even though results aren't in we know the cons had a great day".

Urgh.

(PS: Did you see the con woman saying GLBTs should be 'cured' of their 'illness'? http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/may/02/conservatives-philippa-stroud-gay-cure)

Maybe I will just go to sleep.

Depressed with exit polls. BBC Radio on, let's see how long can stay up....

Yeah, it's meant to be that way, its our brain which does the controlling. When I was learning music, (which I learnt form the age of 2 till the age of 19!), I knew a girl who could play two completely different songs with her two hands on the piano.

Believe me, it is impossible for these exact same reasons. But I saw her do it.

Exception.

wil sound like a real nan now :-) but

1. 5 a day
2. 1 hour exercise (yoga is superr!)
3. caffeine/smoke/alcohol - reconsider amounts

and vvvvv important -

No stressing. seriously. Like Ephiny said, stress and anxiety can cause wonderfully weird 'symptoms'.

Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday dear Eska!
Happy Birthday to you!

(gift)(gift)(gift)(gift)(gift)(gift)(gift)(gift)(gift)(gift)(gift)

oh twitching is very common! When I was damn pi$$ed off with something last week (like really really upset), a bit on my arm near my elbow twitched in silly manner all night. Then i ginored it and it left. Eye twitches can last fortnights sometimes. Generally, stress/anxiety etc can cause twitching of muscles here and there at times. Generally, I think one is supposed have a balnced diet so we dont miss out on the vitamins, esp B group ones.

On googling for symptoms - I spent Feb-March in complete paranoia caused by googling 'symptoms' which 'confirmed' a million diseases. So, never google.

Hi there,

I work on a coupel of European Commission projects (about 3 days a week) although my PhD is distinctly separate from the projects. IMO, if you want to stay in academia and have a research led career, these things absolutely go on the CV. They introduce you to a network of European scholars and researchers, they introduce you to European peers at various levels, teach you how projects work and are great experience. Since you are not an international student you will be able to keep the money unlike moi!

If your PhD is what the RA thing is, it is like a studentship in some senses, so in that way too you are better placed than me.

Holidays well, when you student life inthe UK is 6 months vacation, I would say term breaks are till the Masters level. then on, who takes 6 months off a year? Our dept continues work, we continue research. We take about 4 or 5 weeks max off a year, at least thats what most of my peers, faculty and I do.

So its a good deal, I encourage you being involved with EC projects, to go for this.

On the relationship count, let;s wait for others to pop by, for I suck (royally) at relationships and have great shame in venturing to advice anyone :)

Ok, I have till now loved keeping my research out of this forum for reasons of anonymity, but now I am more provoked that ever.

I can tell you one thing Dispatcher - there is a criminal offence called *Cyberbullying*. I am not going to go into details for this, as a simple Google will reveal details.

Cyberbullying, even when anonymous can be reported, tracked and indeed penalised.

Moderators - perhaps this forum needs some extra hands for moderating on weekends? This is going on for too long.