There is someone in my office with dyslexia and dyspraxia who is about to finish her PhD. Her drafts take a bit longer than they should but she has managed quite well.

Don't worry we are friendly. Ask any questions you have and usually someone will talk/answer them. Good luck with the applications anyway

Make a bold hypothesis and try prove it. Use only the most relevant data that proves or disproves it to write a chapter. Rinse and repeat until you only have supplementary data.

I had a similar problem where I lost focus of my overall aims and tried to over analyse all my results. Eventually I worked out that only 2 variables really mattered and stopped trying to find trends among the chaos. I might look at those unused results one day but I know they won't fit in my thesis.

I think they mainly have the overqualified problem. Some of them have done 2 or 3 very technical postdocs and now find that they cant get graduate jobs or senior roles due over qualification and lack of "real world" experience respectively. I honestly think with a post-doc you need an exit plan.

The depressed postdocs in my university, so maybe not the best source in hindsight

I don't see a way to verify either way without telling the examiners. How big is the difference and will it matter that much?

Generally the longer you stay in academia, the harder it is to move into industry.

Things are doing not that bad, you have a degree from Cambridge! Your project was 2:1 despite you not doing a viva which I would consider a success and you even got offered a PhD. You are definitely capable even if you don't believe it. Though have you talked with people in real life about your stress and mental health problems? Mental health problems can keep getting worse unless you address the problem and they can destroy your self confidence in the process. I would focus on sorting your mental health before making any major decisions.

Don't do a PhD just for the sake of doing one. If you have no interest in academia or the project, what is the point. You are just setting yourself up to fail.

In the UK you wouldn't have to refund the scholarship. Though you would have to pay any extensions.

I have seen other people on this forum dropping out and getting another PhD, so it can happen. If it isn't working it is sometimes better to cut your losses, learn from your mistakes and move on.

Hi athar, you sound very torn between the two options. As others have told you ,doing a PhD is difficult and demoralising but that shouldn't stop you from doing it. I always think you should do a PhD if actually enjoy the work/project or research. If you enjoy the research the long hours, awful pay and mental anguish can sometimes be worth it because you like the underlying project. I feel that you should only do a PhD because you want to do the work and if you heart isn't in it now, it is going to be a tough 3 years. I am not going to say either way but if you do chose the PhD, make sure that you are doing it for the right reasons and not because you think that you should.

Could you show them your offer letter? Or email the university asking for an offer letter. Other people will have had the same visa problem, so they should know what to do.

Jamie_Wizard, that is probably one of the best thankyou gifts I have ever seen!

Congratulations. Very well done!

I had something similar, I spent 3 months in the final draft stage with significant anxiety about my work. Until one day my supervisor turned up and said you are submitting today. Suddenly the option of delay was gone and had to accept it wouldn't be perfect. Since then things have kinda clicked and have more confidence in my work. That paper has been rejected 3 times but I am now invested in that work and want to defend the material. I feel you just need to take the plunge and submit something real, after which you can build confidence in your work. You can see all the mistakes and possible improvements but forget to see all the achievements and never accept it as good enough. So I would set a deadline, tell someone about it and submit whatever you have (co-authors willing). The rejection will hurt but it will give you some perspective.