Hi Everyone,

I'm a first-year PhD History student and I'm coming up to my change of status upgrade interview.

I'm pathetically nervous.

The whole year has gone terribly really. I have nobody else to blame but myself, and I certainly can't make an excuses, but due to various problems I only really got going properly with my study from February (I started in October). Over the year the shape of my study has changed many times, and I've only really 'settled' on the subject focus in the past few months. Since then I have poured my heart and soul into it, but I have barely had any contact with my supervisor and trying to look at my study objectively I am not confident that I have enough of a grasp on my subject to pass the upgrade.

I am still very determined to do my very best, and the material I have produced for it is of a decent standard, but I'm just so worried about facing the questioning of superiors that I really am tying myself in knots about it all.

Can anybody give me some idea of what an upgrade interview is actually like? The best I've gleaned so far is that it's between 90 minutes and an hour, but are the questions likely to be tightly focused on my subject knowledge, or on my future planning, or on the details of the materials I have so far produced?
How... 'aggressive' does it tend to be?

Beyond that, has anybody any advice at all about getting through? meditation? breathing exercises? bribery? running away? quitting?!

thanks in advance!