Just back from the uni. My viva was at 2pm, and I was told at the start that I'd passed. So we then had a very nice chat for about an hour about my research. Then we discussed the corrections, which are very minor typographical ones, and I'm allowed a month to do them. I expect to do them very quickly. Then we discussed publication ideas.

So very very relieved. I started a full-time computer science PhD in 1994, and had to leave that after falling long-term ill with a progressive neurological illness. I never planned to start another PhD, but have now completed a part-time history PhD. Very very chuffed.

Thanks everyone for all your support.

Thanks Sue for the best wishes. Sounds as though you've been making great progress too, and it's wonderful that there's may be a ray of light showing up towards the end.

Cakegirl, your post is intriguing! I want to know more about how things are getting weirder :p Good luck as you near the end.

Haopy birthday Wally! Wish I was still 29 though :p

I'm at the other extreme. I was averaging 5 hours total per WEEK on my part-time PhD. But I submitted within 6 years. And I'm humanities, so had to produce quite a long thesis.

My husband also worked working hours on his full-time PhD: Monday-Friday 9-5, with lunch breaks, and coffee breaks, and no work at the weekends. So on average 7 hours a day in the week.

So it is doable on smaller hours.

Hubby said his reaction was "Ooh!" when he got his final bound thesis, and he stroked it. Sounds a bit dodgy that, but basically he was very happy!

I hope to get to that stage in the not too distant future. I've figured out where I'll get the thesis bound (we don't have a local proper bindery any more: ours was shut a few years ago), so it will be a courier job. And I'd want to get lots of copies: those for the uni, for me, for each of my parents, for my supervisors. Mmm expensive.

Enjoy the feeling!

Teek's quite right. You can't change what's done now, but you can prepare as well as possible for the viva.

I recommend Tinkler and Jackson's "Doctoral Examination Process" viva book. It helped me no end.

You need to make the most of the next few weeks, to do as well as possible in the viva.

Good luck!

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I might be the regular poster you're thinking of. I left my full-time EPSRC-funded PhD in 1996, while my husband continued on - in the same department - to get his.

I can only give you my experiences, but they were tough. I went through a grieving process for my lost PhD, and it hurt enormously. I continued to support my husband in his, but we talked about his work less. Also he didn't go to the formal graduation. And I've never set foot in the building again.

But we got through it. I was immensely proud of him when he finished his PhD. But it was a little bit something we didn't talk so much about. He rarely uses the title "Dr".

I married my husband shortly before starting my first (full-time) PhD. He was going on to study a Masters at another (not too far away) university, so had to stay away during the week for a year. But we managed just fine. And we wanted to get married ASAP, rather than wait for a never-would-really-be better time. Oh and BTW we eloped, very romantic, and cut out an awful lot of hassle :p

Congratulations! Just one hour sounds brilliant.

Actually full-timers have these meetings twice a year at my uni. It's just part-timers like me who have them once a year. They're meant to check that (1) the student is making adequate progress; and (2) if there are any problems with the supervision. At one of my TMC meetings a supervisory problem that I wasn't aware of was identified starkly, and steps taken afterwards by departmental staff to fix things. So they can work well to fix problems, even when the student doesn't complain!