You sound like the real life Bridget Jones!
That's a great song to wake up to though. At least it's not Celine Dion's 'all by myself' :-)

Does anybody else think about little bunny rabbits skipping around a bright green field full of great big daisys when The Archers music comes on?

Classical music is ok, but I find I either drift off or work too slow with it. Contemporary classical music is a bit better - esp. something with a chilled out mellow beat.

The sound track to the film Great Expectations is a good one. I'm quite productive with this one...erm...with my work that is :$

Muse is another really good one. On the other hand, maybe not. I always end up getting caught in the lyrics, just sitting there listening and analysing them. Oh man I love Muse. Muse, if you're out there somewhere (maybe doing a Phd...), You're POWERFUL :-s . So awesomely great that I think I will award you with another constipated look... :-s

If all that doesn't take your fancy, how about taking a little break and and press the play button to:

Queen - The Show Must Go On

Wow. I didn't know that so many people felt the same about this.
I've thought about getting involved in 'outside' things. The local school are putting on a musical so, I thought I would offer a helping hand with that. That would get me interacting a bit more with people of all different ages and would be a bit of fun (and something to take my mind of everything else!). But still, again, that's not getting in with the social circles that I need to be in.
I've thought about joining the gym - but again, that's quite an isolated hobbie to do, even if keeping fit makes my brain feel all happy and warm.
I would love to join a society, but it's quite tough to just turn up to one when you have nobody to turn up with (!) and people look at you like you're the new kid in the class. (I must overcome this. I must overcome this and just say to myself "bugger it! I'm just gonna walk in there and join that damn society!"
We've all gotta start somewhere I suppose).

It's strange, but you're so right about the English.
I'm English myself, but it's one of those things that always really gets to me. It's quite a relief that others have also noticed this. Perhaps the English are very distrustful and dubious of new people, I don't know.
I'm starting a new job tomorrow and about 90% of the staff are non-english - I'm really looking forward to that - there's a really good mix of people there. The manager told me that in her experience, whenever there was a majority of a particular nationality working in the restaurant, that group were always the most rude and bitchy, so the company have purposfully mixed it up a bit.
I know you can't say that for all situations, but it's funny isn't it. Perhaps it's not the English after all.


Anyway, sorry for the ramble. Thanks for all your advice. If this isolated feeling is quite common among research students, then I think I will make it my challenge to not be isolated, knowing that if it all fails, I won't be alone in my retreat back to the isolated researcher's way of life.

P.s I've given y'all some stars for ya help! x

Does anyone else here feel completely isolated in their university?
I feel like a bit of an idiot, walking around campus, going to the library, campus shop, getting the bus home...and not actually knowing anybody!
I mean, you see the regular library staff faces, university security staff, and occasionally the supervisor, but I don't actually know anyone else at the uni, mainly because I spend so much time with my boyfriend at home when I'm not studying.
I just feel like anyone that I do know are really just acquaintances and not actually REAL friends who I can go and have a coffee with, or moan with about the work.
It worries me because I feel that I have missed out on the 'start of term' networking things that might have gone on - I wouldn't know if there was anything like this anyway, because I started my course later than most people.
I'm not the most confident person in the world - it takes me a little while to feel comfortable in my skin around new people. People might think that I am confident when meeting me, but I don't really feel like I am being myself. I haven't always felt like this. It's probably just because it's been a while since I had a real buddy to meet up with, and I suppose the ability to make new friends is almost like playing an instrument: you have to keep practising - or you lose it.
:-(

Oh damn...I got here too late! I want to know what he said. :p Nevermind. Back to work.

...maybe I'm just worrying too much. I think I'll just go and get on with it now, or at least give it my best shot.
Any more advice would be greatly appreciated though! :-)

Yeah definitely! I think it is even encouraged that you go to as many conferences as you can anyway when doing research, even if you're not contributing.
It's a really good way to network, get advice, make new friends, and open new doors to job opportunities.
It's probably a good idea to give a paper now and again so that others can see what you do and know that you exist, but if not, you could always volunteer to help organise one. This way, you will be at the centre of a network which would be particularly useful if you've chosen to help in one that is more closely related to what you are researching.
Go for it!

Hi Rick and Stressed, thanks for your replies!
I guess you're right - it is like asking 'how long is a piece of string', but I just think that if I have a really good idea of what the sup is expecting it to look like, then I could probably judge for myself how long I think it would take me.
I just don't really know if it is only meant to be bullet pointed ideas of what I intend to do, or full paragraphs stating in some detail a few ideas I may already have from the primary literature, and where I intend to take it... oh, i don't know.

Does any one else have any more advice? Is it like basically breaking down the ideas I have suggested in my proposal? and then stating how and what books I'm going to use to answer my questions/sub-questions?
Also, do we have to put in our plan how long we think such and such chapter will be completed by?

Thanks
x

Has any one else noticed how really helpful and super-cool eska is?

I think we should all stop being greedy here, and alternatively start to think more about who we would really like to give our stars to for all their nice advice!

Lets make a change!!! :-s :-) :-s :-) :-s :-) :-s :-) Give stars to your favourites!!! WAH HEYYYY!!!!! WOOOOO!!!!!


Peace.

I have to submit a plan of what I intend to write about in my 40,000 word dissertation in about a weeks time. However, I also have to email a VERY detailed plan of the first chapter on the same day.

It's quite difficult to get myself together at the moment, because I keep on thinking 'how the hell am I going to know what my plan is without having read everything first!?!' (let alone the detailed plan of the first chapter!)

You can probably tell that I am very inexperienced here... :$ , but how long does it normally take to do them? Will one week be enough to do both a plan of the whole thing AND the detailed plan for the first chapter?
What exactly is my supervisor expecting? I feel a bit daunted by the idea of writing up a plan without having read all the secondary stuff, you know? Or can you say in the plan that you INTEND to read blah blah for this bit in order to find out if...(etc). Or would that look rubbish?
I know that the plan won't be final, and will most definitely change over the next few months, but I still want to get it as brilliant looking as possible - I suppose if it's even just to prove a point and say: "see, Mr supervisor man, you did make the right decision in taking me on for this project. :-) ".

Just so you know (in case it changes the amount of time it might take to complete), my subject is in Literature.

Thanks for any advice in advance. x

Wow walminski! Thanks very much! I am so happy I could cry.

What tears?! I don't have any tears...I accidently poked my self in the eye ;-)

How strange... I am not a teacher, but I was thinking exactly the same thing on the way home last night.
I was waiting at the bus stop when I heard a group of students complaining about their seminar leader, saying things like 'They don't know what they're talking about!', 'They haven't got a clue', or 'He/She is only a postgrad'.
This really pi*ses me off when I hear that. They don't realise how bloody rude they are, and they don't even care if other members of staff at the university hear them saying things like this.
I know that you will always get the arrogant, know-it-all sh*ts in every generation, but come on (!), the ones that were complaining were complete dumb ars*s! :-s

Has anyone else noticed students saying things like that?

To tell ya the truth....I feel a bit left out too. :-(
I sometimes give people good advice, but I think that either people forget to give me a star, or my advice is really crap. :$

Eska! That's terrible! You gave a poor old man a heart attack! and killed him!!!



(I do kinda see the funny side...:-) )


I'm starting to wonder what I've unleashed here in this communal confessions thread...