this explains how to set up a backup system in windows xp:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/setup/learnmore/bott_03july14.mspx

this allows you to back up onto a flash drive/external hard drive etc

i presume other operating systems (eg. vista) have a similar set up?

i knew i wanted to do a phd, but didn't have a specific topic in mind. so i ended up doing a project where the main ideas were already decided upon, i.e. i didn't have to write a proposal myself. the subject is something i had never studied before, with people i had never met or worked with before, it just caught my eye in the advert and when i learnt more about it it sounded really interesting. i wouldn't necessarily recommend this approach to everyone as there is no guarantee that picking a topic almost at random like i did will be enough to get you through 3/4 years of hard work, but i would say that you don't always have to have a definite research idea in your mind before you start looking for a phd. this approach worked for me as i had never found a particular area that really grabbed my interest during my undergrad degree.

some people manage to work their phd like a job (me included, but it is early days for me!); others find it takes over their life! i guess it depends on lots of factors, including your personality, your attitude to your research, the pressure your supervisor puts on you, how you manage stress etc etc. it is definitely a lot more work than an undergrad degree, and i think doing a masters to perhaps narrow down your research interests would help you, and would be a good way to test how you cope with more stress (as a masters is generally more stressful than an undergrad degree, but a lot less stressful than a phd!)

You Should Get a MBA (Masters of Business Administration) 

You're a self starter with a drive for success.
You'd make a great entrepreneur.


this couldn't be more wrong, I'd be a hopeless entrepreneur and I am severely lacking in drive! ;-)

as far as supervisors/advisors go, your supervisor is the person who literally supervises your work, i.e. you are 'their' student. the work you do will be directly related to their field of research and area of expertise, and you should go to them for any academic help. they will supervise your research by holding regular meetings with you where you can discuss your work together. they may have come up with the research project, or you may have come up with it yourself and requested to work specifically with them. they are there to guide you through your entire phd, start to finish.

an advisor on the other hand is someone who you can go to for other issues not necessarily regarding your work, eg. other university issues etc. they can be there to mediate if there are problems between you and your supervisor, and should be present at any meetings you have with your supervisor (this is compulsory at my uni but may not apply everywhere). they are basically there as backup if need help with non-academic issues.

the standard stipend from the BBSRC (biotechnology and biological sciences research council) has just gone up to £12940 tax-free per year, which is roughly the equivalent of a salary of £17000, so it perfectly possible to live on this amount! i am lucky in that i get this stipend from the BBSRC and also a CASE award as my phd is partly funded by industry, but unfortunately this is the exception rather than the norm! actually, if you have a recognised veterinary degree the stipend goes up to £19,970 per year! http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/funding/studentships/studentship_handbook.pdf, look at page 15 for stipend amounts.

you can also have a look at the Research Councils UK website for more info on the different funding bodies - www.rcuk.ac.uk.

some helpful careers advice....

http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=1077

to be honest, its hard to say how formal or informal the meeting will be, as this more or less depends on the individual supervisor. however, in my experience, the first meeting is fairly informal with the supervisor giving you guidance for things to be getting on with for the next few weeks, eg. they might have a few papers for you to read to get you started. they might also want to make sure you have a desk sorted out, computer access, etc if you haven't already. you don't need to direct the meeting as such, they should do this to begin with to guide you, but it would be good to have a few questions prepared (about the project or about general uni stuff) just so you look interested and enthusiastic. the meeting probably won't last that long (again this depends on the supervisor), i would expect it to be around half an hour or so but don't be surprised if it takes 5 minutes or 2 hours!! the important thing to remember is that they don't expect you to be an expert so don't be afraid to ask basic questions about the research if there is anything you don't understand. as time goes on, the meetings will be more led by you but to start with they should be giving you lots of help. good luck! :-)

Smoobles is celebrating having her first star! thanks admins, what a great way to start the week! ;-)

considering i have spent the morning so far chopping up organs i am struggling to see the beauty in everything.... :$

You Are Having a Green Day

You are approaching today with a good deal of balance and awareness.
If you didn't pay attention, today could be like any old day. Nothing too exciting is going on.

But for you, today all about making the most of each moment.
You are seeing the beauty in every situation, and you're keeping your mind open to possibilities.

i agree with verypoor, it is definitely worth applying! as for your msc result, i really don't think the actual grade is all that important, just the fact that you passed should be enough as it is regarded as quite a tough subject (i did a masters in bioinformatics too, and nobody ever asked what grade i got when i was applying for my phd).

everyone has problems along the way so don't worry too much about your deferred project. in fact, in my opinion, anyone with a masters in bioinformatics will be fairly sought after (particularly if you want to stay in that field, as it isn't the most popular subject!). the main thing is to be able to explain to somebody why you took longer, for example if someone asks you in an interview, and be able to justify it (e.g. illness, problems with supervisor, change of topic partway through...)

so try and feel confident about what you have achieved, and find a phd that really interests you to keep you motivated. good luck!

wow, that sounds an amazing opportunity! as for your family, the only advice i can give is to do what you want, rather than what other people want you to do.... my family would be really unhappy if i went away for 4 years, but if it was something i really wanted to do then i would probably do it anyway.

i think having spent 6 months over there already will have given you a good idea of what it will be like, and although it may not stay perfect for the whole 4 years of your phd i think 6 months is long enough to decide whether or not you could stay there long term. it is a big decision but if everything about seems right in terms of research topic, supervisors etc then you have to think about how much you would regret it if you didn't take the chance.

as for going home for holidays etc, maybe your family could visit you one year, then you could go home the next? then while they were in australia you could take time off and do some travelling/sightseeing with them? i know if i had a relative living in australia i'd be over there like a shot!

if this really is your dream phd, then i would say don't give up, you've made it this far! maybe taking a little break for a few days would help, then when you get back to it start making those lists.....

i know what you mean about the 'insensitive idiot' - i missed a test at uni once as i was at the funeral of a family member, and when i got back my lecturer (who knew the reason for my absence) moaned at me for being an inconvenience as she had to give up 30mins of her lunch break to let me do the test!

yes you are being paranoid about the dyslexia issue! it is not an unreasonable request to ask someone to write things on a board, they could always have refused if they didn't want to/couldn't do it for whatever reason.

i remember when i was an undergrad we had to give a 5min presentation, on any subject, to be marked on our skills at presenting, confidence, coherence, etc. one guy in our group gave a terrible talk as he got so nervous and the lecturer marked him quite badly accordingly. when he saw the mark (it didn't count towards anything, it was more of a feedback session really) he went berserk and started ranting that it wasn't fair, giving presentations was his weak point and the mark scheme was biased to people who didn't get nervous when he had clearly made the best powerpoint slides! he then stormed out, after insulting everyone else over the quality of their material.

so my point is, you can't please all of the people all of the time, and hopefully if you do ask someone to do something they are uncomfortable with they will calmly talk to you about it instead! i personally feel that geting the students involved by asking them to do things such as present material or write on a board is the best way to teach, as the student is forced to actually participate rather than drifting off and losing concentration.

so good luck, and hope my story didn't put you off - i'm sure that doesn't happen very often!