Hi!

I think everybody goes through similar periods, but I don't think amphetamines are a good idea at all!
If you're trying to work yourself too hard you probably just need to take a day or two off. Completely! A good nights sleep after doing something I enjoy for a day (and a nice cup of tea!! :D) makes me feel refreshed and ready to start again. So much better than trying really hard to concentrate and failing.
Sometimes you just need a bit of a breather and starting work having a refreshed mind really does help - even if you feel like you don't have time, you will probably find you're much more relaxed and focused afterwards :)

Also, I found once I got myself into a good routine of setting hours through the day where I would go do work it helped a lot. When I was doing my dissertation for example I would go into the library from about half 9 in the morning until around half 6/7, then try block it out of my mind when I came home so I wasn't constantly worrying about it and I could come home to my housemates, cook a nice meal (also lots of veg and healthy diet, as much of a cliche as that sounds!), and watch a bit of tv/read/go out.

That's just general stuff you've heard before probably, but I find it definitely helps :)

Hello! I had my first PhD interview about 2 and a half weeks ago, and I came out thinking it had gone well but was aware that there were probably loads of other people who would probably have good interviews also, the girl who was going in after me had previously had successful interviews (2 of them- although was unable to get funding because she needed to have lived in the UK for 3 years for those studentships) and she had completed her masters, whereas I'm still in my final year of my degree (although, technically not now with my last exam being yesterday! yay!)

Anyway, they said they would get in touch at the end of last week so I was waiting patiently and thought if I hadn't heard anything by today I would send an e-mail to find out what was going on. Anyway, I got a reply saying they were sorry to tell me I had been unsuccessful and that I was a very strong candidate, that they were very impressed and the decision was hard etc. Which I imagine is general feedback from an unsuccessful PhD interview. The e-mail also said that there was potential funding to be coming up in the next 2-3 weeks and they would like to offer it to me, should it come up, without further interview.

Now, I realise that this is perhaps me thinking too much into it and should just take it at face value, but wanted to know the general feelings about this. I would LOVE there to be extra funding and me get a place, and the fact that they've taken a week longer than they had originally said to get back to me suggests there was at least some deliberation? But I don't want to get my hopes up. I have absolutely no idea what the chances of extra funding are, and whether that's something that's said to a number of unsuccessful candidates.

I want to e-mail back to ask why I had been successful in the first instance if they say they could offer me a place if more funding comes up. But I don't know whether it would be better to just send an e-mail saying thank you and that I would be very interested should anything come available?

I'm just rather confused! Any advice would be really helpful!!

Thank you :)