I'm not trying to convince anyone anything. I'm telling you that a PhD can be completed successfully without it taking over your life. I know this because I have friends who have already completed their thesis and they said it can be done. Why can't you accept that not everyone needs to work 25 hours a day during their PhD but can still do well?

I started my PhD 6 months ago. In that 6 months I've made loads of friends and had a good time. I've already mentioned that I expect to do more towards the end but until then I'm sure I'll have a satisfying social life and presently I don't feel lonely or overworked. I'm not quite sure where my lack of having a "clue" about PhDs comes from. I'm doing one aren't I? I'm not sure about my apparent contribution of negativity either. I'm actually trying to argue that PhDs are not as gloomy as they are often described as on here. Does nobody know anyone doing a PhD who worked at a good but managable pace, had fun and completed their thesis successfully? I know several and I've only been about here 6 months, as pointed out.

Why wouldn't I have a clue? Please expand on that one? Why, in your opinion, do you know and me not?

I'm referring to the original post. Saying that I don't think tht a lack of sex/social life is because one might be doing a PhD but is more due to personality.

I didn't at any point say that doing a PhD was easy. I did however point out that there are other jobs/careers which are just as demanding or more so. I'm not saying that anyone can do research because it really is quite different from undergraduate courses and school. My point is as follows: as someone mentioned, a PhD takes as much of your life away as you let it. I don't see how it's different from any other position. In your PhD you try to do as well as you can for yourself to progress and complete the task at hand. As in a career whereby you are striving to succeed in order to advance/get promoted/earn more money. I appreciate that PhDs an be lonely but that is not exclusive to them, jobs can also be if you're pulling in 7 day weeks. Basically, in my opinion a PhD is a "job", an apprenticeship if you will. Make of it what you will but to claim that PhDs are more lonely/time consuming than other walks of life I feel is a little narrow minded.

I'm not sure. I manage to fit mine into Mon-Fri, 9-5. Granted I am in my first year but I don't see why if I work at this pace I shouldn't be well on course by the end. I don't feel I need to work any harder either.

You guys make out as if a PhD is the hardest thing in the world, get a grip, it isn't. Most couples don't fully understand each other's jobs/careers.

What do you mean that there isn't time enough for singles to go out and meet people. I think a lot of people here seem to think that a PhD is life consuming, if that is the case an efficiency review may be in order. OK, near write up time I appreciate that things get busy but that shouldn't be the case for 3 years. There's enough time to work and play.

it appears that the group as a whole should descend from the "I'm doing a PhD and my life is so hard and noone understands" high horse. Life can be and is hard for most people most of the time.

No offence intended by the way.

I don't know what any of you are talking about. Can't meet people like yourself, what, are you locked in a room or something and never let out? Why is sex hard to get when doing a PhD? I'm at a loss here: it's harder to socialise because.......

A PhD really isn't the eclipse of everything in life, if you find it that wau maybe you should have a little think about that.

People on this site grumble a lot.

Grumble monsters

Wah!!

It's your thesis and will be your thesis for the rest of your life. If I was you I'd do it exactly how you want to until someone starts demanding otherwise. If money/time is not a major isuue, relax and do it thoroughly and comprehensively. This way, when you go into your viva you'll be confident. If you try to skimp like the others you'll be shitting yourself come the day.

WTF? You have the Summer off?

I think you should buy an apple danish, sit in a chair, eat the said danish and contemplate. Think about the ABSOLUTE best and worst scenarios of what may happen. Either way, neither are that important..

Helps to put things in perspective sometimes, even if you forget after a while, just to remind you that the world around you is still there.

Just out of interest, how long did it take you to decide how great Oxford and Cambridge are? Sounds as though it may have been in the order of 22 seconds. Perhaps you got that idea from a book you read whilst in the Far East? Sounds informed either way though.

They'll probably never reply to your correspondence or emails because noone has ever taken a year out before so it's just crazy talk. They would be amazed that you didn't go straight to your PhD.

Maybe you should find somewhere which does do something you are interested in??????

What I think think ULUG is trying to get at is that Gene appears to be exactly in the same position as he/she was 6 months ago. So what, he/she'll apply for another position, why shouldn't it be exactly the same? you know what they say: a bad workman blames his tools and all that...

If Gene said something like "these are the errors I've made and this is what I'm going to do to avoid them next time" that would be a positive step. At the moment all it sounds like from an observer's perspective is that there's a poblem that seems difficult to work so he/she'll abandon it for something easier.

Where are you from?