On the same motivation note I went for a run last night and after listening to Metallica - Turn The Page on repeat I came up with these new lyrics...now some may not make sense because a) you guys aren't in chemistry and b) you don't work with me so are unaware of my working conditions or c) you don't know the original song :/... but my colleagues loved it so I thought maybe you migth too:

In an old and lonesome office,
Waun Ponds Geelong
You can listen to the vac pumps moaning
out it's one old song
You can think about your supervisor
and what he said 4 years ago ….”yes you can finish in 3 years”
But your thoughts will soon be wanderin',
the way they always do
When you write for 16 hours,
and you have nothing left in you
And you don't feel much like writing,
you just wish your PhD was through
(chorus)



Here I am, writing up again,
there I am,
plotting in Excel
There I go, playin' with Science again
There I go,
Thesis rage!



So you walk into this laboratory,
uh strung out from EndNote
And you feel the eyes upon you, as you out on your lab coat
You pretend it doesn't bother you,
but you just want to explode

Yeah, most times you can't hear 'em talk,
other times you can
All the same old cliché's,
is the TEM down again?
And you always seem outnumbered,
there’s Chinese everywhere
EVERYWHERE


(chorus) Here I am, writing up again,
there I am,
plotting in Excel
There I go, playin' with Science again
There I go,
Thesis rage!
Woah


Up there in the office,
you're a million miles away
Every ounce of energy,
you put into each page
As the sweat pours out your body,
like the rubbish that you say
Later in the evenin',
when you should be in your bed
With the echoes of your supervisor,
ringin' in your head
You write the day’s last paragraph,
rememberin' what he said
What he said


Here I am, writing up again,
there I am,
plotting in Excel
There I go, playin' with Science again
There I go,
Thesis rage!

PS Pineaple yes Joey ref WAS intended. Keep on smilin` everybody it will all be over soon!!!!!!

Yep I'm all self-motivating and s*** today hehe

Do anything around the house that needs to be done so he doens't feel like he is "betraying his thesis" if he has to cook or clean whatever. That's what my partner does. Also understand that he may be ranting on about somehting or other most likely because he wants validation and although it might seem stupid just saying stuff like "wow you've made so much progress today" would mean THE WORLD to him if he is super stressed.

Also if he's snappy and crabby don't take it personaly. I snarled at my partner the other day because he didn't get me a knife at breakfast, after he had made me breakfast and coffee and lunch for the day :/. I don't envy your position either and i'm glad my partner earned his PhD BEFORE he met me LOL

Well done Pineaple much love being sent your way!!!! xox

It seems like we're all at different stages. Pineaple is post Viva, you Alan are coming up to submission in dec and I plan to have my first FULL draft end of Jan.

Now I am speaking from experience when i say this, I think you are overthinking things Alan. I came to this realisation on Friday when I had another major meltdown/freak out. Started freaking out that I couldn't answer this one question and then a PostDoc I have collaborated with on anotehr project said "who's posing the question? You?" and I said "yes" and she said "then don't". At the end of the day the thesis is what you make it to be. If you don't think your results adress a ceratin question then....well don't bring it up. Your thesis is your interpretation of the results. What I found helpful was putting every result I had down into chapters and then writing around them. How does the literature explain THAT? And if it doesn't the can you come up with the next best thing? And so on.

I came to realise that most of my freak outs are self induced so I have resolved to write what I have the way I see it and hope for the best. I was so angry at this post doc in my group who's always so chilled, even when he was writing his thesis 2 years ago he had no care in the world. And then a few months back he asked me if the fridge is colder than the frezzer. So my epiphany was "he is so chilled and relaxed because he doesn't think" :). So try not to over think it and you'll be more relaxed....worked for me :). Also try to get some exercise if you can. I run as much as I can...as a matter of fact going for a run right after I post this, after a whole day spend plotting graphs LOL.

I know what you mean if you fail now it's 5.5 years lost....it's exactly what I was freaking about too but the way I see it is if I flunk now I still have learned so much. I learned 1) research is not what it used to be and it no longer is about what you know it's al about who you know (my field anyway) 2) there are much much more important things in life than a high powered career 3) high impact papers don't keep you warm at night so as long as you have a happy personal life you're a winner no matter what else in life you think you have failed (there's a post doc in the same department as me and she is 40, lives alone and has no personal life. She's a very angry spiteful woman and I pitty her.).

Keep your head above the water. I'll be here for more ranting as needed ;)

WOW museum studies sounds soooooo cool. I'm in chemitry :(. I have come to the realisation taht I don't want to do research and although I love lecturing (I hold a part time lecturing position) I could never be a true academic as I hate research so.....PhD for me is pretty pointless BUT since the only thing I need to do is write it up I may as well and see what happens. If I get the degree than good, but if I don't no big loss (except for 4 years of my life....but I guess that counts as experience).

Anyway I think it's important to not lose track of what's really importat in life like family and friends and being happy. I've always said "if the cost of happiness is success f*** success". :P

When are you planning to submit Alan? I'll keep checking in for emotional support!!!

And Pineaple what about you? How YOU doin`?

I'm in the same boat guys. I'm coming up to the end of my 4th year and had to apply for extension as my supervisor has decided to go on leave a month before my initial proposed hand in date !!! I'm half way through writing the dreaded thesis and I alreday think I need to rewrite the lil review and the more I look at my results the crappier they are :/. I have this insane fear that I will fail miserable and end up with an MPhil :(.

Hang in there Alan I totally understand, the past two weeks I have cried pretty much daily....this PhD thing isn't exactly dignified is it?

And smile Pineaple we can all make it!(up)

======= Date Modified 04 Nov 2011 03:20:20 =======
Hi all I actually joined this forum because of this thread. I was thinking the same thing the other day when I was having yet another demoralising experience all thanks to my supervisor. I am approaching the end of my 4th year and in the process of writing my thesis however I am extremely worried about what reviewers will actually think. The one paper I could come up with from my work has now been rejected 3 times and my supervisor's comments? "Bad luck".

I now need to add that he has not read my paper once nor has he given me any direction during the course of my PhD. When I started he told me I will be working on biopolymers and told me to go for it. When I would approach him with a problem he would shrug his shoulders and tell me that another student of his has already published before me. I owe all the results I have (crappy as they may be) to my own work and no-one else's and for that I guess I am lucky, however I truly hope I do not fail my PhD based on the fact that I somehow tried to 'wing it". I had many other PhD offers before I took this one and I regret every day joining this group. I have thought recently of starting a website aimed purely at rating PhD supervisors (country and subject specific). It would be a place where students can rate their supervision (or in my case lack thereof) and act as a reference guide to new students and warn them off people like my supervisor. I know universities would not be highly appreciative of such a thing being available however it's about time supervisors are made accountable and scrutinised.