Overview of eng77 on PostgraduateForum.com

Overview of eng77

Signup date: 08 Jan 2017 at 6:11pm

Last login: 03 Mar 2021 at 6:05pm

Post count: 345

Recent Posts

Suitable age for a masters in finance from UK -

eng77 345 posts
1 day ago

Well said before, age does not play a role. It is irrelevant information. 26 is too old? What are going to say when you are 70?
Age could be a concern if you are about to reach pension age.
I am sorry to point out that in many places around where the work culture is different, opportunities are limited, competition is tough, people are judged by their age. Luckily this is not the case in the UK.

Corrections after PhD viva without scholarship or job

eng77 345 posts
3 weeks ago

Quote From anne_with_an_e:
Hi,
I am in my fifth year of PhD (in the UK). I had my PhD viva in February this year. After that, I have been given major corrections and six months to complete them. My scholarship ran out 2 years ago. I am surviving on my savings and some part time jobs. I am trying to keep up my morale to work through the corrections but it's getting unbearable - I don't even want to look at my thesis. My PhD was miserable - my supervisor was not at all supportive. I have no papers out of my PhD. My family members are getting impatient because I bring no money home. My marriage is strained as money is strained at home. They seem to consider last 10 years of my life completely unsuccessful and a total wastage. Before I started this PhD, I tried doing a PhD at another university - didn't work out - lost 2 years there. I have kept myself afloat with part time jobs and scholarship all these years but I don't know how long I can do this for. I feel extremely depressed and fed up. Lost confident in my ability to get this PhD done and get a proper job. Feels like I am in a prison of stress.
I guess I am just venting. If you have any advice, suggestions, thanks. Thanks anyway for listening.

I am sorry you are going through this. It is understandable. You have good reasons to feel this. But look at the other side. The ten years will not be a failure if you have your PhD degree. You have gone far, go a bit further. The last few miles are the most difficult ones.
Do you what is worse in searching for a job with PhD without publications? It is searching for a job WITHOUT PhD and also with no publications. Having the degree can help me telling a reasonable story about your university experience. It would be much harder without the degree.
All you have told is bad a depressing. The best way to overcome this is to "solve" the problem. You have to dig in this dirt and get it done. Look at the corrections. Address them with best effort. Seek the help of a postdoc or another researcher, whom you have a good relationship. Get it done. This is the only way out it.

Problems with Zoom

eng77 345 posts
1 month ago

Quote From Amaryllis427:
I had a meeting with three professors via Zoom today and I couldn't get my screen to work. It was like a seance and I was the spirit. My primary supervisor didn't look happy, probably because it's the fourth Zoom technical malfunction I've had this year.

Has anyone else had similar problems? I feel so foolish for not testing it before the meeting.

I am sorry for this. It is bad but I bet it happens many times since Covid in most professions. The phrases of the year "you are muted", "Sorry I was muted", "You are cutting". If the sound was OK, this is already not bad. There were even worse instances where people did not know they are not muted or did not camera is on. Just try to test it in advance with a friend next time to increase the chances of good quality call.

minor error in Phd thesis spotted

eng77 345 posts
1 month ago

Quote From nervousme:
Thank you for your reply. It does not impact the result in any major way, the result was supposed to be insignificant as compared to others as it is in the thesis. It is just a calculation error but I was feeling very guilty about it, although my supervisor or examiner should have spotted it. If I decide to correct it now it will be a big effort as my supervisor will make me re-do the measurements for this study, which is very difficult to do now and will easily cost me 3-5 months.
I am just feeling very nervous about my defense as I am getting very anxious and stressed. I fear a few minor errors will cost me my 7 years of hard work. My supervisor is already threatening me that any mistake and you will lose your degree.

Please help with some suggestions. I am very close to a breakdown.

Just forget about it. Act as you see it for the first time if they spotted it. It is not rare that these things happen.

minor error in Phd thesis spotted

eng77 345 posts
1 month ago

Quote From nervousme:
Hello,

I have just got my Ph.D. thesis after reviewing it with external examiners. They passed the thesis with minor corrections subject to successful viva (which will be conducted next month).
Now that I have incorporated all the minor points the reviewers asked for, I have just spotted a minor error where I have converted a number say 10 to the power of -12 to log incorrectly from a table given in the chapter to one of the figures (the table and figure are basically analogous). However other points in the figure are correct and match the table.
I am not sure what to do? Should I correct it, I will have to tell my supervisor, and then she will inform the university and create a major scene.

Please advise, I have suffered long in my Ph.D. Can this mistake cost me my degree?

Is it possible to do the correction and in addition change this figure? Does it impact other results? If it will be a big effort and it does not impact the hypothesis and main results, just ignore it.

Typos in corrected thesis

eng77 345 posts
1 month ago

Quote From littlebirdsaved:
Hello, a week ago I've submitted my MA by Research thesis corrected after Pass with minor corrections.
I've just noticed 2 small typos in my abstract and I'm stressing out they would fail me. Is it possible?
One of the typos is uncapitalized word in a book title, while the other one is just a misspelled word.
Am I going crazy?

Just forget about them. it is more likely they will not read it again. They will read the correction part. If they found them, it is not your fault they have not spotted them at first instance. They might ask you to correct them before submitting to the university library. No need to worry.

Job search after PhD viva

eng77 345 posts
1 month ago

Quote From dotdottung:
Thanks for your reply, eng77. I am actually in the field of English language education. It is not easy for me to find corporate positions. Except for teaching positions, i could only find jobs related to English language education such as editors. But I am afraid that companies will 'throw away' my application letters when they see I have a PhD degree.

Having a PhD does not look overqualified now as used to be earlier. I see many jobs now require Master or PhD and not a Bachelor. You can just apply without prior assumption and see what comes out.

Job search after PhD viva

eng77 345 posts
1 month ago

Are there other opportunities outside teaching in your field? Industry, clinical work, lab, private sector corporates, consultancy?
I think working in corporates would do better than high school teaching.

Can corrections fail?

eng77 345 posts
1 month ago

Quote From minirisks:
I survived my 5 hour PhD viva (a nightmare) last November. I almost thought I would fail, but luckily the outcome was "pass with minor corrections." Then I received the joint report from the examiners. Some of the comments were vague and unhelpful. I worked with my supervisor to create a list of corrections and revised the thesis accordingly. I have not heard anything from the examiners after I submitted the corrected thesis. I sent them a follow-up email today, and they told me they did not have time to read the thesis yet. They also told me if they were not satisfied with my corrections, they would fail me outright.

I already emailed the PhD committee for clarification. I am quite anxious now. Does anyone encounter the similar scenario?

It is very rare I would say. This part is somehow not well defined. It is uncommon that examiners send student feedback in case of minor corrections to request further corrections or to say they are satisfied. What usually happens is if you have gone through them with supervisors and tried your best to address them, is they send green light to faculty that you have passed. It is assumed that in most cases that the student addresses the corrections and no further discussion is needed.
Do not push them or write them again. Just wait a while and contact the faculty to ask.

How to make PhD Institution Choice

eng77 345 posts
1 month ago

Quote From waitinggame:
Getting accepted without funding is nothing?!? All my supervisors started their phds with no funding and then got it after. The fact op got funding elsewhere shows their project is fundable and will likely be offered the money if they go to the uni they love for a year and make a new application. Don’t spread nonsense please. Do what you feel op.

I have the right to say my opinion. I do not call your opinion nonsense but I respect it.
I do not want OP to have unrealistic expectations. Again, PhD is all about funding.

How to make PhD Institution Choice

eng77 345 posts
1 month ago

Hi. Choose the funded PhD. Getting accepted without a fund is nothing. If you struggle financially, you will not feel the excitement of the project nor the brilliance of the supervisor. Even funded PhD students do not have a great financial status during PhD. So what about self funded? Be realistic and go for the funded one.

PhD or Master?

eng77 345 posts
1 month ago

Quote From Laura_00:
Hi,
I'm currently studying Biotechnology in Italy and I am starting to think about what's best for my future.
I'd like to continue my studies in cancer biology, but I don't know wheter it's possible with a degree in Biotechnology (specialized in medical biotechnology).
If possible, should I apply for a master or a PhD?

Although I am in a totally different field but I would answer from the perspective of my field. Master gives you solid theoretical background in the subject and might qualify you to answer technical questions in early (junior) interviews. If you have a PhD, you would acquire deep knowledge in a particular subject but might lack the necessary general knowledge in the field. On the other hand, if you publish, this will be an asset in your application. Be aware that PhD is a long journey. If you are not very passionate and dedicated to it, it might be harmful. However, getting a bad or moderate grade in Master will not sound very well.
From my not very great PhD experience, I would recommend to do a Master and if you like research you can pursue a PhD after that.

Am I qualified and not too old?

eng77 345 posts
2 months ago

I read of several instances where people older than you have successful completed a university degree. I would write a cover letter explaining the motivation and the potential to pursue a Master degree.
I wish you good luck.

Major corrections as R&R

eng77 345 posts
2 months ago

Quote From Phd20sb:
Update after 6 daunting months I passed and am officially a Doctor!!

Yes my viva and the post viva months were extremely tough , Yes the examiners were biased, Yes my ego was badly hurt during this journey but in the end I passed and this is what matters the most.

Thanks for everyone one who tried to support me in this forum and to those who are struggling, keep fighting and with determination you are going to get there.

Congratulations. Happy to hear this. This is all what matters. You got your PhD and all bad experience/biasing/misconduct you will forget. I prefer leaving with a PhD than spending a decade to prove I was not treated fairly.
Congratulations again. You deserve it.

Anxiety

eng77 345 posts
2 months ago

Quote From Mademoisella:
Thank you for you response, eng77.

I really hope my original message doesn’t come across as ungrateful or complaining. I am so happy for this opportunity.
At the same time, I just don’t feel good enough and wondered really if anyone else had felt this way and went on to have a great experience, or if these thoughts continued to plague throughout.

I’m not afraid of hard work though, so you’re right - hopefully digging in at 100% will help me shift some anxiety. You can’t feel anxious if you don’t have time for such thoughts.

:)

Take care,

M

Your message reveals the normal anxiety before starting something big. PhD is something that you should worry about. Try to balance between worrying too much or thinking it is a normal 9:00 to 5:00 work. Most PhD students graduate with a PhD (although I have not) with a bit of hard work, good organisation, and "not bad" supervision.