Clarabelle I want to send you a great big hug.
Life is so unpredictable What is important is to draw strength from people who are important to you, take each day one at a time.
Life is just very unkind at times. Don't blame yourself for decisions you take as a result or the unforeseen consequences of these in the future.
As I say big hug
Dafydd

I am self funding and it is exactly as is sounds. I pay my Uni fees (£1300 part time double if full time) plus any other out of pocket expenses. I have full use of university facilities including access to all courses that may be helpful.

I searched for and contacted via email supervisors with an interest in the area covered by my PHd proposal and met with three at different unis. There was no formal interview more a chat around the topic and my background. After completing the application paprwork I was offered a position with two of them. It is my impression that being self funding makes it much easier to gain a place.

Do you know why your applictions have been unsuccessful - was it competition for funded places?

As someone who is twice Sandian's age I think that life experience will modify what you get out of (and can put into) a PHd. I am now much better able to put a three (or six if pt) project into context, it does not appear all that long from where I sit. I have had to get back into the learning mode that I was in during my undergraduate training but I feel I am able to take a much more pragmatic view of what is realistically achievable and pace my self better.

Reading the comments about supervision makes me suspect that this is the biggest difference. My supervisors are contemporaries of mine. Our relationship is one of colleagues and never once has been teacher/student, leader/follower.

However had I been ready to do a PHd in my 20's ( which I so was not mature enough to do) then I think the qualification would have had a strong and positive effect on my career so if you are ready to do it go for it...!

There have been several threads relating to feeling low in winter with several of us using a light box.
As a good research student I did a lit review before buying mine to try and get a grip on what the science was saying about using them - separate the myth from the fact.
I get a synopsis of medical info periodically and todays included this article on SAD and winter blues that I offer for others interest:

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/736715

My reading indicated an additional benefit in using a light box to extend the length of light in the day as well as its intensity/quality so have one as an alarm gradually producing a dawn in my bed room half an hour before my alarm time (and a further half hour before I can get moving). Does it work? I believe I am feeling better than previous years but honestly there are too many variables to be sure it is down to this. But no adverse effects other than cost of the box.

Florence,

I have no great insight into how to get stuff from the corners of the brain / PDF folder into an ordered and coherent thesis. However if you are feeling the way you describe then you should give consideration to talking to someone about it. If not your doctor then the student counselling service.

It does not matter what it is that makes you feel this way what is significant is that you do and it is so strongly affecting your quality of life. It is also almost certainly making the PHd process much more difficult.

Used it for the first time today to calculate sample population needed for study with known effect size. All appeared fairly intuitive. Pm me and I'll give more detail.

Kikuka,

Sounds like the examiners felt you gave a good account of yourself and have done robust research but the context you put it and the way (style?) of the discussion needed tidying up. So yes you deserve a big pat on the back - well done.

Can I ask two follow on questions:
Firstly do you agree at an intellectual level with the examiners criticisms of your Thesis - can you see why they made these?
What impression did you have from your supervisors about the Thesis prior to submission. Had they made comments that with retrospect could be seen as agreeing with the examiners conclusions?

Well done again.
Dafydd

Does anyone using a questionnaire based tool have experience seeking seeking to check for face validity prior to starting a study? How do you go about approaching academics / clinicians to seek their input - letter with questions, email or phone call explaining what you want with actual questions to follow?

Thanks

LOL I thought I may be alone. Was determined to enjoy a promised rest with my family, so laptop put away and a week of indulgence etc. Until this morning when I could not take it any more so crept up at 4 am and had an amazingly productive three hours before anyone else started moving (book chapter draft sent in, poster and presentation notes all in order).

I then got oodles of credits for tidying kitchen and saying I had just got up to make breakfast in bed for everyone...

Can I second this request please.
Although my main study is qualitative I am looking to explore some of the issues left unresolved with a follow on qualitative one. I will be looking to audio record clinical encounters in a physical therapy setting so need to capture sound from a whole room (not a large on though). The ability to export the sound files to a PC is also a requirement.

Oops.  Must have felt what I had to say was so important it needed saying twice....

I am on my iPad and must have hit post twice - surprised that the forum allows us to do this.

Lynn you poor dear. My thesis is looking at thoughts, worry and how they impact on pain and I can confirm that all the literature supports the assumption that negative emotions exaggerate the feeling of pain and the unhelpful places that thinking about it can take us.  One of the worst thing for you may be that stress makes it more difficult for us to take our mind of the pain to focus on other things especially higher level thoughts.

So adequate pain relief may be important, however noting that some classes of drugs such as those containing codeine can also affect our reasoning/concentration. Toughing. It through the pain whilst trying to focus on higher level tasks is inadvisable as if the pain is allowed to ramp up it is more difficult to bring it back under control. Working in shorter more intensive bursts may help concentration and allow the work to 'distract' you from the discomfort.

Be aware that persisting pain WILL have an effect on mood so apologize to people round you before you start to throw things and hopefully they will be a little more understanding.

Lynn you poor dear. My thesis is looking at thoughts, worry and how they impact on pain and I can confirm that all the literature supports the assumption that negative emotions exaggerate the feeling of pain and the unhelpful places that thinking about it can take us.  One of the worst thing for you may be that stress makes it more difficult for us to take our mind of the pain to focus on other things especially higher level thoughts.

So adequate pain relief may be important, however noting that some classes of drugs such as those containing codeine can also affect our reasoning/concentration. Toughing. It through the pain whilst trying to focus on higher level tasks is inadvisable as if the pain is allowed to ramp up it is more difficult to bring it back under control. Working in shorter more intensive bursts may help concentration and allow the work to 'distract' you from the discomfort.

Be aware that persisting pain WILL have an effect on mood so apologize to people round you before you start to throw things and hopefully they will be a little more understanding.

Nicoiaco. I'm not in your field but am doing a distance learning PHd in the UK and am only half a decade less wise than you, so it is possible. I meet my supervisor in person every few months but talk or email at least weekly.

I suspect that if you are self funding it will not be difficult to find a supervisor with similar research interests.

Please PM me if you think I can be of any help.

What a nightmare on so many levels.
Much much respect for your perseverance. What a well earned doctorate - inspirational to those of us who follow. (up)