Hey Delta, awesome news, CONGRATS :) Least you will be able to enjoy Xmas now with the viva over and done with. My viva experience was very much like yours- questions I couldn't possibly predict and no extra prep would have touched on them! Hope you've got time to celebrate now! KB

Hey Delta! I honestly wouldn't worry too much- my internal was nowhere near in my field apart from being in the broad area of psychology, and although my external was a much better subject match, I wouldn't have said she was a complete expert in my exact topic. I had a tough viva with lots of questions I never would have predicted (and about a million questions that I was told would come up, but didn't!), but which I was able to answer after a little thought. I really believe that it is your examiners who will create your viva experience- I have had friends sail through in little more than half an hour and others who've had a really hard time, but ultimately the vast majority have had a really good outcome (a few minor corrections). My examiners' work didn't come into play in my viva, but then it wouldn't because it wasn't really related that strongly to my topic. As long as you know your thesis inside out and you know what you did and why, you'll be fine :) I only had 5 days to prepare for my viva, but if I'd had 3 months I couldn't have done any more to prepare. Best of luck with the prep! KB

Hey guys, that's exciting news. Sounds like Jan will be a busy month on the forum! Best, KB

Hey! It is certainly possible to get on a fully funded PhD with a 2.2 at undergrad and a good masters- I have a couple of friends who managed to get onto a PhD with those qualifications and who are doing well now. There are other similar examples on this forum. You will probably find it harder to get on one as you'll be competing with people who have first class degrees, but there's no reason to think you won't get there with a bit of perseverence. You would probably increase your chances by doing a year as a research assistant or a placement- both my pals with 2.2s did that and when funding became available, they had already proven to their prospective supervisors that they could do a good job, and they were offered it straight away. It also depends a bit on your subject and how competitive it is. Good luck with it- the best thing to do at the moment is concentrating on getting a good MSc! Best, KB

Hey Nick! Sorry to hear you're feeling rubbish. The whole PhD system is different compared to how we've been assessed through uni etc, and it can take some time to get used to it. Like you, I sailed through my exams with a first then a distinction (like many on here), yet a PhD is a different ball game. It's hard to deal with the fact that so much depends on a couple of reviewers, whether it's a grant application or a journal article etc etc. I know I've been asked to review a few papers (during my PhD, which I passed a couple of months ago) that I haven't really felt qualified enough to do, and then I imagine other people in the same situation commenting on mine and it's frustrating. But if you persist and attend to any suggestions that seem useful, you'll most likely get there with the publications in the end. Nearly all of my publications have been revise and resubmits, but all of them got into the original journal in the end (some were re-reviewed and some accepted without re-review). It is hard to have your work judged in that way, but it part and parcel of academia :( So I wouldn't attach too much significance to the journal rejections, most people start out getting lots of them, and it doesn't mean that you're not good enough. Even world-reknowned profs still get them. If it's the crisis confidence that's geting you down, then I would stick with it. If it's the whole process in general then maybe you need to think about whether it's what you want to do. Best wishes, hope you're feeling better about things soon. KB

Hey Bilbo! So sad to see you signing off, you've been so much help to all of us, a complete inspiration. I hope that you have time now to do whatever else you want to do, knowing that you've achieved amazing things with your PhD and been such a fab contributor to the forum. Best wishes for the future, KB.

Congrats Slowmo! Totally forgot you were in a different time zone and wasn't expecting such good news so early on in the morning! Fab result- enjoy your celebrations! Best, KB

Hi Slowmo! Loads of luck, sounds like you're really well prepared. Everyone's viva is different, and your experience will be very much shaped by your examiners. Personally, I only had 6 days between submission and viva, and it was enough. I had prepared for all of the questions I had expected, although hardly any of them came up! They asked with questions that had never even occurred to me or my sup, but they were questions that were answerable if you had been through the process of designing the project and carrying it out....nothing I couldn't deal with, although some of them were tough. In retrospect, I has prepared everything I possibly could have done, and I wouldn't have done anything differently if I had my time again. So I agree with the others- get some sleep and do your best to take time out to do something enjoyable. You will be fine, and I wish you loads of luck for it (but you won't need it!). Best, KB

Hey Wal, sounds good! I too have been wondering about the best way to continue to contribute to the forum after completion of the PhD so I look forward to hearing about your experiences! Best, KB

Hey Mamara! As far as I know, it's fine to present a paper that has been published- I have done so myself previously and about to do so again next month. I'm not sure about the issue with publishing conference proceedings- usually they would just publish the conference abstract, which has most likely been modified from the one on the published paper anyway, so I don't think this would be a problem. Good luck with the presentation! KB

Hey Phdbug- We'll miss you on here, but best of luck for the future, and I hope that things work out for you. You've been a great support to me at times as well, and undoubtedly others on here, and you deserve all the luck in the world. Best, KB

Hey Florence, to persevere with something whilst you're going through such a hard time shows how much you are definitely not a loser! Whilst I got through my PhD okay I had to drop out of my undergrad degree 3 times due to depression (bipolar), and it is so tough to try to deal with that feeling whilst also doing your best to concentrate on getting things done. So don't worry if you need an extra year- in the long run it really doesn't matter. The main thing is getting there in the end, and getting there in one piece. Look after yourself and don't give yourself a hard time- I have a lot of admiration for people who complete PhDs anyway, but even more for those who complete in such difficult circumstances. Best, KB

Hey all! I've heard a rough figure that 30% of people who do a PhD go on to secure a post-doc position. Obviously this will vary from subject to subject. I did clinical psychology and have been lucky enough to get a post-doc, but many people doing a PhD in clinical psychology go on to do the practitioner doctorate straight afterwards (3 of my friends made this transition last year). I guess others never intend to go down an academic route to start with though, so maybe the odds aren't as poor as they look. Best, KB

Hey mumbler! I guess one way to think about it is to look at it in terms of a longer term investment than just what happens during your PhD. It's really training for becoming a future researcher for many people (although obviously not all people go down this path!). Even if your PhD is tough and you don't really find out anything amazing, you might so in the next 30 years or so of being a researcher! So best to look at the bigger picture I think, if you're planning to stay in research! Best, KB

Done- good luck! KB