I'm a part time student and other than my tutor I know absolutely no-one at my university other than my supervisor. I met a couple of other part timers when I first started, but they have since left and because I have a nine to five job all week, I can't spend time at uni meeting anyone. I have friends doing PhDs elsewhere whose unis provide an online network for part timers, so they can at least email each other but mine doesn't. Does anyone else suffer from this or is it just me?

yup. That's me too. In my final year and never met anyone throughout the entire PhD. Such is the life of the part timer.

Best advice I can offer is focus on the mates you have in your everyday world. I did. Lonely at first but there are good things about being able to escape the whole academia crowd too.

Thanks donny. I'm sure you're right. I'm lucky in lots of ways esp in that I've got a fulfilling career and don't have to put my life on hold to get my PhD. But it would have been nice to have been able to talk about my PhD work with other students at the same uni once in a while - I don't like to keep droning on about it to regular friends - I'm sure they get bored!

hey there,
i'm FT but have a part-time colleague. i never really met this guy as he never came to any of the social events of our centre. but this last year we were both teaching on the same course, and met once a week to plan our classes together. that was great! so what i'm saying is perhaps you could manage to get into teaching? that would be a way to get to know people.
on the other hand, what you are complaining about sometimes appears to me as a blessing! at least you get out of the ivory tower. you get to talk to "normal" people. everyone i ever see is an academic of some sorts or other. it can be too much!

Thanks shani, teaching is one idea I hadn't thought of. I used to teach English as it happens, albeit a long, long time ago, but only in secondary schools. I might look into the possibilities of doing a bit if I can free up some time.

I wish I could swap you some of my real world colleuges for some of your academic ones - sounds like we both have too much of a good thing!

PS sorry about any spelling/typing errors - I'm doing several things at once here!