I just started myself there on monday. studying an historical issue within the media in ireland. BAD NEWS THOUGH, i have had to move back to home alreadyto belfast, away from the northwest campus at Coleraine, as the estate agents i used put a french guy (who was extremely rude and awkward) and a mad girl into my humble abode...after our housewarming, the girl brought a couple of lads home who trashed the place and when i walked in on them wrecking the living room at 6am- i was ready for a war and had to exert some aggression- something i haven't done in years and don't wish to have to do at my own house. needless to say these scumbags were dealt with by the remains of my previous alpha-based self! mental. i'm turning 25 on sunday and i realised that i have outgrown much of the student way of life and with all the info given to me in the past two days about extra compulsory training courses and my 100 day viva, i thought it was best to just get out of that environment. a mental start to my phd. LOL- please validate me!!! Ciarán

At least it's material for your stand up comedy! Seriously, a lot of people on here work from home and it depends on the nature of your work, you and supervisors but you may find you didn't, or don't, need to move away to do your PhD (depends how far away your University is from home).

Try to put the teething problems behind you and hopefully you'll soon be cutting it!!!

thanks delta, yeah, i got some great material about the awkward french bloke. god help him, his english was as good as my french, which extends vaguely as far as asking for and giving directions to la ferme (the farm?) and la gare (a station?). he had to deal with my hard west belfast accent and an accent from down south too, pretty funny really. awkward as hell. yeah, i think a lot of my archival research is in belfast anyway. what are you studying mate?

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sorry wrong post..

Social sciences but the subject matter is not of any interest to me but beggars can't be choosers and all that!

Just as I was worrying about finding a flat on my own, you've reminded me why the alternative would be far, far worse! I moved into my own place at 23 and haven't shared with anyone since, and 25 was certainly too old for me to consider sharing again. As someone who also had difficulty working in my lab's noisy shared office and preferred writing at home I wouldn't want to go back to sharing for my PhD.

Good luck with sorting out some less stressful living arrangements!

i am essentially back at home, which should be grand. i'm converting a spare room into a small office and the university (being multi campus) is giving me a room on the belfast campus as my research will take place in belfast even though my research faculty is based sixty miles northwest, at coleraine. so im feelin a bit more like myself. just back in from headlining a massive comedy event in a city wide culture night. brilliant

thanks for the support