My intention to submit form has been submitted. I have one more chapter to write. This could all be over by February, fingers crossed. Just thinking about it makes my bladder feel full, like I constantly need a wee. Barring renal failure and diabetes, I'm really just hoping it's nerves. I've got so much left to do, in the way of the chapter, some corrections and building a bibliography. But, I can see light at the end of the tunnel and it has the power of a million candles.

Well done W!

I am also very close with all chapters now written and some tidying up, graph insertions, reference insertions, editing and formatting to do. I thought that the light at the end of the tunnel would be there for me too, but I still feel that I have a mountain to climb in terms of acheiving the final product. The euphoria is not there as I hoped it would be as I still seem to be in the midst of the gloom. I am not sure that I need to submit an 'intention to submit' form for my Uni, but I will check on this. I was planning submission by Easter 2011, so not long to go in reality. My external and internal examiners are all agreed and waiting so progress is generally good. I just need to keep on going.......

Hope you are inspired to get over the final hurdle, let us know how it goes.

Nice one Walmiski! It's a good feeling I think when that form goes on. It gives you a much more definate end date to aim for. So long as you keep working steadily it doesn't sound like you're going to run out of time. How much notice do you have to give? For my Uni it's 3 months but they seem flexible on earlier if everything else is sorted out. Got the external and internal lined up?

Well done Wally! My intention to submit form was submitted about a year ago (early January), and I submitted my final thesis in mid February. There was supposed to be a gap of 3 months in between, but it worked out.

After my form was submitted I had a very weird feeling of being on a rollercoaster and not able to get off, i.e. things had been set in motion, and there wasn't anything I could do to stop them. But I also felt I was getting near the end, and it was a really positive - albeit stressful! - time.

3 months should be enough for what you need to do. The final corrections and even bibliography don't take so long, even if you're building the latter manually as I was! So think positive, and well done you on sending in the form.

Excellent news ... a bit late to join the party but I've been distracted by the snow the past few days and testing my snowman building skills is essential in weather like this. You never know it could contribute to my PhD with such transferable skills! Good luck with the end bits - just keep going and it'll all get done somehow even if it doesn't feel like it now! I had this really weird feeling towards the end as it didn't sink in that I had to hand my thesis in a few weeks time. The viva seemed more real to me at that point for some weird reason but it all got done in the end.

(up) (snowman) ;-)