Not an expert but as you say the result is binary (dead or alive patient) so wouldn't Bernoulli distribution work. Were you assume each disease at each week is independent and you can get a probability of the patient being dead at that week, then you can just compare probabilities. I might have oversimplified it but might help.

I have heard of people in worse positions than you still passing. You still have 18 months which is plenty of time but you will have a crazy final few months.

On a funding basis, I would say it will be hard as you will be doing a course below your current highest achievement. But I know my supervisor did a second masters after her PhD, as part of her lecturing job, to meet a university technicality.

Though what do you want to do after the Masters? What benefit will it add and in what sector?

I would ask if and after you get an offer. They will probably discriminate against you if you say before. But they can be flexible with start time depending on circumstances. From my limited experience deferments, breaks etc are case by case basis but are generally fair.

Have you clicked "keep me signed in"? I had something similar a while back and I reinstalled office, which fixed it. But then again, I have an .iso file of office on my laptop so it want that inconvenient.

Just get into the lab and use the equipment. I spent a few months trying to replicate someone else's work from about 4-5 years just so I knew what I was doing. Because it wasn't for my thesis, I could make mistakes and try different methods and learn what I needed help with. Everyone had to learn the methods at one point in their career, so don't blame yourself. Just take the time to learn it properly now as you probably have another 1-2 years left.

Just post the link and we will do it.

Generally speaking quite a few people pass through this forum over a week and people will do surveys at their own leisure (like 2am on a Thursday night).

That doesn't sound good. They should be asking questions about research in a PhD interview. It could be a massive red flag or they think you are capable enough, not to bother asking technical questions. It is hard to tell if it is good or bad but it is definitely not normal.

Hi Guys,

I don't were else to go but here.
Stress has finally got to me, at present I have; a supervisor pushing me hard to finish a paper, another supervisor leaving, lab issues, family problems and a stupid university conference to organise. I have been trying to manage over the last few months but today I have spiraled into an anxious mess. I can't focus on anything but the amount of work I have to do and can't focus on the work itself. I know need a break but I feel I can't drop anything at the minute. I have so many people/groups pulling on me that I can't focus on any one thing. I feel control is slipping away.

What has triggered my anxiety is this university conference. I am somehow the chair of this committee and have been bumbling through but found out today, that we have a huge amount of work to be done, with less than a month to go. It is a serious amount of work and the rest of the committee prioritize their own PhDs ( I don't blame them) but it leaves me doing a lot of the work. I can't quit the committee as the conference won't happen, without me (not kidding) but I don't want to have to give up a month of my PhD. I also feel that , as I lead everyone into this mess and should at least help fix it. If I could get past this anxiety everything would be great but my mental health has failed and so have I.

The problem is my PhD is going okay. I have nearly finished 1 paper, have enough data for a second but I have the threat that I will lose some of equipment in the next few months. The lab the equipment is in, is due for refurbishment and they don't have any other space for me. So I am looking at 6-12months with that equipment which basically means I should be focusing on lab work at the minute. I am trying my best to get as much data as possible but I can't find the time due to other commitments. If i don't get it now, the final few months of my PhD is going to be awful. It doesn't help my supervisor is pushing me to finish a paper so that she can mention it in a rather large grant application. Her grant application would basically fund my post-doc so I need to get the paper out soon.

I simply need to say no to someone and can't. You will probably hear of my nervous breakdown in the next few weeks as I try and struggle through all this.

What was in the tweet?

First, congrats on getting an external grant! You must have been good to get that and it gives you a bit of freedom. Though it sounds like that freedom is making you doubt yourself. You will quickly learn that PhD students have woeful mental health and I would start reading on how to help yourself. Don't let a small insecurity spiral.

I would worry about the fact someone else is doing the same project at the same university with the same supervisor. What makes you two different? That in my opinion is a massive red flag unless you have decided to go different directions but is still not ideal.

I think (people will disagree) that the project and supervisor matter more than the institution. You want a project that you can stay interested in for over 3 years and a supervisor who is supportive. Get those two right and you can get a quality PhD even at a low university.

Papers are very important but it is hard to say an exact number. You want a mix of quantity and quality, getting the mix right is difficult to say but also depends on your field/results. You definitely want one, preferably 2 papers, as it not only shows your work but also shows to future post-doc employers you know how to publish.

I think to answer that question you need to look at your results and realistically work out with your supervisor what is publishable and what isn't. Then aim to get them into the best journal you can.

hi radozgo,

Not in law but I would suggest looking at your literature review. It may be that your questions are to big without any detail. My research proposal was noted as "huge" but I had a list of several smaller research questions inside it that could mostly be answered independently .

So I would recommend you to ask what do I need to know/answer? Are there any problems or difficulties you foresee in your research plan, if so explore them. Work out a methodology to answer the problems and voila, you have a more focused research proposal. Again I am engineer, so this might not be applicable.

That is quite a big report for confirmation. There aren't any hard rules on how big each chapter should be. They need to be long enough to explain your point clearly but not put the reader to sleep. If your methodology needs to be longer because there is so much to explain then it can be bigger. If you are struggling for word count, forget about the word count and just do a first draft. Once you have a first draft it is far easier to cut words/re-structure, as you have a better picture of the whole work.

I use google to help me learn the pronunciation

Also when there are several authors with the same last name and initials. It makes my referencing so fun!