Just wanted to thank you all so much for your replies. I went to see a specialist today and have been booked in for surgery next Wednesday. It is going to mean two weeks out of action but i'm hoping it won't be as bad as they say. This is such terrible timing, but I just really hope it will be ok. I couldn't give two hoots about my PhD just now as long as this all works out ok.

Thanks again for the supportive replies.

Just wanted to thank you all so much for your replies. I went to see a specialist today and have been booked in for surgery next Wednesday. It is going to mean two weeks out of action but i'm hoping it won't be as bad as they say. This is such terrible timing, but I just really hope it will be ok. I couldn't give two hoots about my PhD just now as long as this all works out ok.

Thanks again for the supportive replies.

I am entering the final 6 months of my PhD. As an international student I have to complete medical tests in order to extend my visa for my write up. I had a full medical last week and I have found out there are some worrying abnormalities and I have to go for further tests. A growth has been found in my throat that I may have to get removed and have a biopsy on it. I also had some abnormal blood results which show I have low haemoglobin levels. I am sure it is nothing but I am so freaked out. I am only 26 and am really fit and healthy. I am known amongst my friends as the exercise addict.

This is so not what I need right now. I have to go and see a specialist on Thursday. Seriously don't know how i'm going to get any work done until I know what's going on!

Congratulations! You must be so relieved. I'd say you can use 'Dr' now, although i've heard people say you need to wait until you officially graduate but I don't see why really if you have passed.

I am also seething with envy! I am based in NZ and my Uni has just introduced mandatory viva for all PhDs from Jan next year. We had hardly any notice of the change. So rubbish! I would really rather not do one.

On the topic of people using 'Dr' when they are not 'Dr', my ex partner is an accountant and a woman who works in one of the teams in the company he works for has an MA but she makes all of her hotel bookings as 'Dr'. All of the people she works with have PhDs but she is still working on hers part time. I can't understand how someone could do that! Weird.

Anyway huge congrats Aussie chick - hope you get a bit of a break now too!

The other day a friend of mine who is actually lovely and very well meaning said - 'so have they sorted you out with a job at University for when you finish then?' I wanted to burst out laughing and then slap her but as she is lovely and didn't mean it like that I restrained myself and said 'oh no it doesn't really work like that'. She looked very shocked and said 'well I think that's ridiculous'. Yeah - it was both funny and irritating.

Thanks guys - this is very therapeutic!

======= Date Modified 26 38 2010 11:38:55 =======
I realise this topic has probably been covered several times but I really need to vent. I find it so bloody irritating when people who have no idea what it's like to do a PhD act like it's so easy. My flatmate had a friend around for dinner tonight who made a number of comments suggesting I just basically do nothing and I'm really just on holiday all the time. I'm so annoyed at myself for reacting as I kept my cool until the last remark. She commented on her making us jealous with her 7 weeks holiday (she's a teacher) and then said, well no not (me) anyway, she doesn't really work. I said 'well doing a PhD isn't a walk in the park you know'. And she replied 'well so and so did her masters and that was certainly a walk in the park, she only had to hang three pieces of clothes up and she had her masters'. I didn't bother replying to that. Really though what I should have said is:

(A) A PhD is not a Masters.

(B) No one would get a Masters for hanging up three pieces of clothing. There must have been far more than that involved which is beyond your understanding, idiot.

(C) What on earth would you know about it anyway?

I am so annoyed at myself for reacting. Usually I manage something sarcastic to shut these people up. It's not like I want people to be all 'wow you are so clever', I just don't want to be treated like some layabout when what I do is actually really challenging and i'm approaching my final six months and under craploads of pressure. It is so irritating! I can't wait to finish and actually get a job (I hope this happens anyway!) and then these people will hopefully pipe down. Of course if I get an academic job, which is unlikely, I guess they'll move on to the other stereotype about academic jobs being cushy and well paid!

It made me wonder whether the person who made this recommendation has also got a PhD because it seems completely unrealistic and out of touch to me. Sure you might put in weeks like that towards the end but no way is it sustainable for 3 years straight! I think they are just trying to brush off the concerns made about the feasibility of finishing in 3 years given the VERY low stipends our university awards to a small number of students. It isn't possible to live on without working at least 10 hours a week. They don't want to give us any more money so they can ignore it by just saying hey it is possible you just need to work 50 hours per week for 3 years whilst also having a job and therefore no life.

The university I am currently based at is in the process of reviewing the PhD policy. One proposed revision is the recommendation that PhD students work at least 50 hours per week on their thesis if they are to complete in 3 years. A lot of students (including me) are appalled by this. In order to survive I have to work at least 10 hours per week outside of my PhD so that would mean working 60 hours per week. It is just completely unrealistic. Why can't they just say in the policy - it is unusual for students to complete the PhD in three years therefore we recommend you plan financially for the additional time that may be required. Agggggh!

Thanks guys :-)

I seem to have repelled them by ignoring their actual questions and just referring them on. Reading the email again it is no way it is a student. I am a bit concerned as I have had a journalist on my case who has been known to write some dodgy stuff related to my topic for the past 2 years and I keep telling him the same thing - my thesis will be available via the university library when it is complete and should I want to talk to the media I will get in touch myself. I'm not sure if journalists are allowed to pose as other people to try and covertly get information. I never told the person anything at all though and have kept all copies of the emails just in case. Hopefully it is just someone being a bit nosy and I will not hear from them again.

Hi guys,

Thanks so much for responding.

I replied to them as suggested and they replied back to me saying that they were a student and they wanted to know whether 'getting my sample' was 'hard'. I hate it when my participants are referred to as a 'sample'. Just a personal thing I guess, I just feel it is a bit clinical sounding. Anyway I replied and said it wasn't easy but it depends on the approach you take and advised they get in contact with a specific organisation. They replied back to me and seriously I am now doubting that they are who they say they are. The reply is full of ridiculous typos and obviously very little knowledge of the subject. It makes very little senseThey claim to be a PG student already but I seriously doubt it. Hmmmmmmmmmm. I have referred them to my supervisors now so hopefully whoever it is will buzz off!

Hi all,

Just interested in getting some perceptions of an email I just got and how others would respond to it.

My area of research tends to draw quite a bit of interest from people. I've had quite a few emails from campaigners and organisations since I started asking for me to let them know when it is finished so they can read it. I also get the odd query from journalists. Today though I got an email from someone who said they had just read about my work on the school website. They gave no information whatsoever about who they were and why they were interested. They had two questions - how many participants did you get, and how did you recruit them? I have googled the person and can't find any clues about who they are and why they might be interested.

Generally I do tend to be quite a paranoid person. I know I should like it that someone is interested but I feel quite uneasy about this one. I feel like just responding and saying - um who are you?! How would you respond to this? I think mainly I feel quite nervous as the area I work in is quite contentious and sometimes attracts really negative and emotionally charged responses in addition to the nice positive ones. I also just think it's a bit rude that the person just asked those questions without saying who they are and why they want to know!

If anyone has any thoughts i'd really appreciate it. I'm probably just being silly but it is bothering me so thought it would be worth putting it out there.

Thanks

Wow, I am totally amazed. I wish I could work that much, I just can't. It probably means i'll be submitting in about 6 years! I am also in my final year. Funding runs out in 3 months, so really I should be putting in 12 hour days.

======= Date Modified 26 Jul 2010 23:29:47 =======
I'm the same at the moment Eska. I think with writing it is better to do short quality sessions than spend 7 hours with word open but spending 6 hours of mostly websurfing while attempting the occasional sentence then going back to the websurfing in disgust (what I have been known to do!)

I honestly think most people who claim to work for 12 hour days are not being entirely honest. I'm sure a lot of the time they are not actually working and just say it to make themselves panic less.

All of these options sound like a dream to me! Including those saying they have been on 12k a year. I would be rich on that! I get the equivalent of 6k per year over here! Plus many people get no funding at all. I think we should just be happy for what we have. Doing a PhD is a choice and a privilege that many in society do not have.