I've been doing it two years and I still feel an idiot. :p

Why on earth are universities putting out antibacterial handwash/cream to combat swine 'flu - has no-one informed them it's a virus?

What about university hardship funds?

You're British and because you do not object to higher fees for international students, you must be an imperialistic pig-dog? Imperialism!? In Britian?! Our politicians haven't gone the spine to think that boldly. Where on earth did this muppet come from?

I need to go and lie down. :p8-)

I think this is one thing you'll have to do by your lonesome...

Telephone, letters and the looking forward to the fact it is not permanent. I have been away from my other half for four months now owing to "interesting times" moving house/

Good research is all about patience and persistance. Have a chat to them - just wander in to see them - and plan the next best time. Hardly your fault this event happened two weeks prior to the lab meeting...

Bravo Sly! Encore Encore!!! 8-)

Hi Florence,

You need to discuss this with people. Start with your supervisor, tell them your concerns and worries; the impact it is having, etc. They are there to help you and between the two of you will work something out. If you don't keep them informed they may just assume you are being lazy and behave accordingly. Once that is done and dusted, you can start to make plans.

I did a literature review for publication that ran to 35, 000 words (including references)

I'm drawing Kilroy's all over the side of it now... :p

Hi Fairyface,

'Bug has hit the nail on the head: funding - even for UK students - is viciously competitive, overseas or not. Bear in mind that many UK students feel that they lose out to overseas people purely because they pay more to the universities, again, as 'Bug has said. I will add though (and apologies if I'm getting the wrong end of the stick) that being bitter at organisations such as BBSRC because they do not fund enough foreign students is rather missing the point: it is a British organisation initially set up to fund British students. Studying overseas is a luxury, not a right. Be happy you got any funding, plenty here in the UK don't.

With respect to the expected academic standards and universities "robbing money" because "u don't know anything, u must do self study of the subject" - with all due respect, what did you expect? We all have to do it, our BSc/MSc are seldom up to the requirements of a PhD and having to do self study is the norm. You are not going to be spoon-fed at this level, no-one is going to give you a PhD just for turning up and being attentive.

I'd also have to agree with 'Bug about identifying why, after (presumably) passing your upgrade, you have now been told that your academic santdard is not where it is to be expected. If you passed the upgrade, they obviously thought you could go the whole distance. You need more information; go and speak to people, get to the bottom of this and then, when you have all the answers, you can formulate your next step.

Focus on the ones you want to explore and that have a bearing on your overall objective. You just have to be selective about what you look into.

I suggest you begin by identifying what you wish to work on (specifically) and where you would like to work. Then begin the hard task of trawling the internet for funding. Start there and everything else will slot into place.