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Good luck and thanks, Ian! It was definitely great having you around! 8-)

I've bookmarked your blog to read later. Even though I'm done, it's always interesting to learn other insights and experiences.

As one of the "stars" of the forum, your presence will be greatly missed!(up)(up)(up)

Are you able to call your sup and/or schedule phone conferences? This person is probably very busy supervising other dissertations, teaching classes, having a life, etc., so it's important that you take the initiative to communicate. I would keep working on finishing the corrections, but at the same time, keep calling and emailing - frequently! You might feel like you're nagging, but remember the adage "out of sight, out of mind." You need to know if your corrections are sufficient, and you're working within a short time frame.

Even though the pressure is on, I sense a lot of energy and excitement in your posts. Achieving a major goal in spite of challenging circumstances is very empowering. Sometimes having "a lot on your plate" can compel you to really focus beyond your own expectations. I know this sounds terrible, but several friends told me, "You'll never finish!" and I must confess, I really enjoyed proving them wrong! Not in a smug way, but in the sense that I discovered I am a much stronger person than I had imagined.

Since you're away from the campus, I echo the advice to stay in touch with your sup frequently via skypelink, and other means. Frequent updates will help give you a sense of accountability, and stay on track. It will also help your sup, of course, to know where you are in the process.

During the times when I felt tortured by the whole undertaking, like you, I reminded myself to "keep things in perspective." It's a humbling thought, but in spite of our U.N. resolutions, there are still too many people trapped in poverty who never even get the opportunity to receive basic education in a proper primary school. We're very privileged to get this far.

Hurrah and Congrats! You must be so relieved right now, to say the least! 8-)

Potatoes, I dedicate this pre-viva song to you...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ykkVt7ZOIA

I think these are all great suggestions. It helps to understand that these cycles of elation-frustration-depression are not unusual among doctoral students, and I particularly like the suggestion of stepping back and reading your post as though it were someone else who wrote it. It may help if you look at the PhD as an experience rather than as a goal. What I mean is it's an opportunity to learn a lot about yourself - your work style, your strengths, your fears - and develop skills that will help you in future challenges.

There's an experimental "documentary in progress" called Failure Club, which I find sort of inspiring. It's about a group of people who each set a ridiculously high goal that must be accomplished within one year. By confronting the possibiliy of failure, they overcome the fear of failure. (to find it, google "failure club yahoo" )

Your PhD is certainly an attainable goal, but it could be you're projecting too much of your identity onto this one life accomplishment, as well as stressing over what others will think of you. In reality, your friends and family probably admire you just for trying.

Congrats! It's a great feeling, and you're almost there...look straight ahead, nothing but blue skies!

I forgive you for linking this guy instead of Jimmy Cliff (LOL)

Personally, I found it helpful to read completed dissertations in my field. I was able to identify what made some manuscripts stronger than others. It also gave me a better sense of the structure.

I'm so sorry to hear this, and can imagine the stress you're going through! Absolutely do not feel embarrassed concerning your friends and family. A PhD is a huge undertaking, and many people don't even make it as far as you did.

I agree with the other responses. Regardless whether you submit elsewhere, or launch an appeal, you need constructive feedback as to what made your work unpassable. If you have notes from the viva, I would type those up and ask the examiners to confirm that you've understood their reasons for failing for you.

It's hard to say, because it's possible that each school has it's own evaluation process. It's quite possible they rejected you because the application was "incomplete" and didn't review the rest of the application. The important thing is you've resubmitted now, and hopefully good news is on the way. If you're really curious about the evaluation process, it never hurts to ask, but I suspect they may be too busy to respond soon. Good luck! It sounds like you have a strong application.

What are fitting victory songs for post-viva or post-submitting-PhD?

Songs that capture that moment of absolute pure, over-the-top euphoria?

I, for one, will miss your presence on the forum! Such humour, such wisdom, such panache...Don't go!!!

But, I understand the need to move on and focus on the job search. I wish you all the best wherever you end up!

Thanks again for being so fabulous! 8-)

I passed the viva with minor corrections!!!

First, a big THANK YOU to everyone on the forum, especially Delta, Sneaks, Ady, Keenbean, Skig, Bilbobaggins, Kezia, DrCorinne, Pjlu, Mog, Lughna, Larrydavid, Catalinbond, Mackem_Beefy, and so many others I haven't named, who have taken the time to respond to questions, and contribute tips and advice.

Personally, passing was a major accomplishment because of the many unexpected setbacks during the last years of my program. To top it off, I was actually supposed to have the viva in February, but it was rescheduled and canceled several times by the examiners and committee members (I'm in the U.S., so all five members must be present for the viva). In spite of it all...it's finished!

In case it's helpful to anyone preparing to defend soon, here's a brief recap: After giving my presentation, each of the members gave me their critique of the manuscript. I got the sense that each of them (except my sup) had only read certain parts, because they sometimes suggested things that had already been included. At these times, I interjected, "That's a great suggestion. Actually, I mentioned such-and-such on page 214..." This confirmed my suspicions that people usually don't read the dissertation in its interity, so it's probably a good idea to reiterate certain details several times throughout the document. Certainly, I repeated the key points, but it probably helps to be repetitive when it comes to secondary and tertiary details, as well. This is contrary to what most of us have been taught concerning good writing, but the dissertation is a different type of document. (I could be wrong on this point, and would be curious to know what others think.)

There was some discussion, and a few questions, but I had the impression that the outcome had already been decided. Still, I'm glad that I read my work several times, and thought through responses to what are considered standard questions. I also recruited a friend to help me by listening to my presentation, and then asking questions. He has no background in my area of research, so it was a great exercise because I had to explain a lot, and verbalize my ideas.

I hope this is helpful!

Congrats!!!

(Only 1 glass of wine?) ((: