This is hilarious! So true. I can relate to a lot of this - the overriding sense of getting nowhere and frustration of going backwards so much! Thanks Ian - I am glad to have popped out the other end of it...phew thank God!!

Hi there!!! Thank you so much for the good wishes. It means a lot! Not least as I have been pretty isolated throughout. Yes definitely - Charlie Brown - I have quite a long story with regard my phd experience which is going to take some writing up in order to share it. Just about everything that could go wrong went wrong during my phd! The Phd game on my other post about spoof viva answers I can so relate to. Having come through this hell - I have such a lot of respect for people doing phds and surviving them :)

Hi there, Well it has been some time since I first came on here. Maybe four years ago when I last came on to write alot - with the exception of my other post this week on spoof viva answers. I had a lot of bad stuff happen during my phd and lots of really big crises to deal with which is for another post.

Today however I am delighted to announce I had my viva and I passed with minor corrections!!! It went a lot better than I had expected. I had gone in prepared for battle - prepared for the worst.... I wasn't sure if what I had done was any good because I hadn't had any feedback from my supervisors on my final draft - except for a few negative comments on a couple of draft chapters - in fact I hadn't seen them for maybe a year before I handed it in.

I was scared of going because I thought I would be hung out to dry. I am really in a state of shock at the moment - I had prepared myself for what I was going to say to future employers as to why I had not passed it yet spent 6 years on it.....now I have to come to terms with the fact I passed it!!! Wanted to share this to encourage others. Even when it seems like you are not going to pass it - don't give up...you don't know unless you try.

Hi SimonG, Great to share that. Thank you for your good wishes :)

Hi there,

At the moment I am preparing for my viva after having gone through a hell of a time with my phd. It is a true miracle that I am at this stage to be honest. I hope to share my experiences here at some point soon when I have had time to get over it.

I have prepared one set of answers for possible viva question for real and one spoof set to let off steam....you know the answers you really would love to give but know you can't!!!

Here are some of my spoof answers written in the sentiment of someone who has been through hell and waiting for their viva....hope this will brighten someones day.

What motivated you to carry out this research? (I have found myself asking myself that question many many times)
What were the crucial research decisions you made? (Should I stay or should I go?)
Why did you use this methodology? (Because if I didn’t my supervisors would have been even more hellish to work with.)
What would have improved your work? (By ignoring my supervisors completely. Not applying themselves to my work or knowing anything about it but throwing in occasional curveball ideas at me did nothing to help me.)
What are the main achievements of your research? (That I stuck it out without quitting. That I lived to tell the tale.)
What have you learned from the process of doing your PhD? (That I probably wouldn’t have done it if I really knew what it would have been like.)
What advice would you give to a research student entering this area? (Run for your life!)

Hi there, Just wanted to say - a little word of warning - from my own experience and based on my current situation. I had a top job and 10 years working in my profession. I got a sponsorship from a company I worked with to do research into my highly specialist area. I went in with the expectation that I was to be studying something I was interested in and that my real world experience would be welcomed (it could bring something new to the table and I was willing to learn new things and for interesting debates) but instead of that whatever experience I had was devalued and instead of meeting supervisors that were interested in my research I met supervisors that spent most of the time devaluing whatever existing experience and knowledge I had even though they had limited knowledge of my field. Some might think it was because I was no good but I have an MSc with distinction in my specialism from a red brick uni and a 2.1 in it aswell at undergrad level. I have personally been badly bruised by my experience as they made me feel worthless. Working in business was easy - being a phd student in a department where there are no black and white rules about anything - and no set ways of doing most things; and being frowned upon for my existing experience was really awful. My experience has put me off academia for life - I want to try and get as far as I can now and then go back to my profession where I was treated with respect and valued and not talked down to. As someone in their mid thirties formerly in management I didn't appreciate being talked to like I was a 20 yr old undergrad. If I were you I would seriosuly think carefully if you already have a good job - and also make damn sure you look into finding somewhere that have people that know you work - the department I am in do not have anyone who knows my field and that doesn't help.

HI there

Mine was late arriving but I got a laptop and money for books and stuff. It was great to get this help and was a real boost. As someone with a chronic debilitating illness - it sickens me when people pass remarks. I just think well I would rather be normal and be able to do everything they take for granted than have my illness and have DSA.

Hi there,

Just wanted to write for the first time on here. I have just had 11 months of hell with my supervisors and it all blew up this last few weeks. I am presently waiting for new ones but I don't know what to expect or if indeed I will ever be able to repair the damage that has been done to my confidence or my research. Right now I am so confused I don't know whether I am coming or going with it.

I was allocated three supervisors and forced to go to group supervisions all the time where they were all supposed to be equal even though one was supposed to be my main supervisor - he said it was just a term. I was then left to figure it out what was expected of me. I kept bringing stuff I had done, to be hung drawn and quartered each time by one supervisor while the others just sat in silence. Everything I did was met with negativity or neutrality. I am a mature student in my mid thirties and I was a senior manager in business before and at every meeting I have been told that I am not a manager - practically drilled into my head by one supervisor who recently told me that all managers in my profession were ******. I would be spending 3 weeks preparing for the next meeting - for the battle each time. Afterwards whatever I brought I could have just binned there and then. After each meeting I would go into a depression for weeks unable to do any work. I told them that I wanted to change but I was told that I had to put up with it. Now 11 mths later I finally reached the end of the line. The dept are trying to find me replacement supervisors (2 this time not three) and one as a lead instead of equals. I am having to pick up the pieces and to realise that all these months that I have absolutely nothing to show for their supervision except bad nerves and a heap of bad memories. There was nothing constructive. I also have a pile of work that was neither here nor there. Not having done a phd before I wasn't sure if what I was experiencing was normal. My experience has really put me off big time and I am considering my new supervisors to be a trial.