anyone out there doing a phd that is heavy on lab work? mine is biochemistry. I'm third year and haven't started writing at all so a bit worried! I have got caught up with so many technical errors, instrumentation troubles etc. I don't get much supervision so I am trying to start my thesis writing whilst doing more lab work to try to make a complete story as I don't have enough results yet! I look back at things I've done and realise I should have done more controls, replicates etc and trying to fill the gaps.

I use publisher and find it a bit easier than powerpoint because you can customise grid lines to help get things aligned. Also It's quite compatible with powerpoint so if i made images there for other things i can copy them across quite well. Just be sure to set your page size correctly before you start.

I don't know much about your topic, but I am doing a PhD at Leeds and it's a great city! You get a a bit of a big city feel yet it is small enough to be walk-able and even if you live in the nicer suburbs it only takes 10 minutes to the city centre. Also, as you are interested in the countryside, it's just moments away. I often head to Ilkley Moor (Cow and calf) as it's great to clear the head. I can see the draw of London but I've lived there before and just can't imagine doing a PhD and have to deal with high cost of living, long transportation, etc. Although you can probably work from homein your field, I think having a PhD situation where you can go in regularly will really help because it can be a very isolating process when you get into the thick of it! Leeds uni offer good general courses in writing, time management, presentation, stats, and all kinds of things and all have been very good. The campus is great too, has that campus feel but is right next to city centre. Good luck deciding!