1. Ability to work independently.

3. Skills related to project management (planning, organizing, goal setting, problem solving, analytical skills etc) .

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Sending you out very positive vibes!!!(up)

If you've got to this stage, YOU KNOW your stuff. Now is the opportunity to show your knowledge. Try to enjoy it and I hope you'll find that this waiting is the most difficult part!

I feel for you. Please try to remember, your boyfriend is suffering depression (if memory serves me) and so he MAY be having difficulty thinking things through properly and may be up and down about various aspects of life, including your relationship. You are most likely at the busiest period of your PhD and so you should be feeling worn out and tired and at a time when you both really need support you are both encountering stresses that can make it difficult to be there for one another and appease some of the stress. If you can just hold the relationship together for the month, it could make all the difference because after this time you will be able to be there for your boyfriend but ideally you need to focus on your PhD. There's no easy answer, I'm afraid. It's just horrible timing.

Take care.:-(

Tell me about it. Anyway, you've been very helpful and have been duly thanked!:p

(Will you be the first to reach five stars?)

Thanks Sneaks. I've already used it and am preparing to write about it but am finding lots of conflicting information.

Hi all,

There is a wealth of information on the GHQ-12 and I've limited time to find the best information. I want to find out about the GHQ-12, its background, uses, criticisms of it and its reliability and validity. Can anyone recommend any good resources or papers to save me needlessly searching and searching...

Thanks in advance!

Well done! Great to hear such good news. All the best for the future, Dr!

Thanks. I forgot, they did feedback about ethics but as regards the literature review they said it was very good for the level I was at or something like that but they didn't hand me anything back or talk in detail about it. I'll make sure to say something as I think it would be the right thing to do.

Hi all,

I've never made any secret of the fact that I'm doing the PhD for a regular income and for something to do as opposed to being unemployed. I've no interest in the topic but do treat it like a job and am getting through the work though not as quickly as I'd have liked but through no fault of my own. Anyway, perhaps because the end result is not the be all and end all for me, I'm quite chilled about supervision, or rather severe lack of it!

I've only had a handful of supervision meetings and am now in 2nd year. I've never had any of my work handed back to me but get the impression that they're delighted with my work but how can I be sure they've read it? I expected feedback about the layout for a data set which I provided more than two months ago but never received it. I've just assumed everything is OK and went ahead worked on it further. If it's not OK I've just wasted more than two months of hard work. My supervisors are nice people but if I was to detach myself I would have to say I am not impressed with the actual supervision. I also think the research has been ill thought out and I could get hammered at viva for this, even though I didn't design it. Although I don't think so, I could be going down completely wrong avenues but I'm not really concerned as such as long as I keep getting paid. However, perhaps I have a responsibility to other potential students? I know if my heart and soul was in this and I was studying my passion, thought my career depended the PhD (I don't), or was seriously struggling I'd be in quite a bad way. I suppose I'm asking, should I speak up and risk rocking the boat or keep quiet?

Completely delighted for you - many and sincere congratulations.

(up):-)

Not at all easy, in my opinion. I've moved a few times now for work, am back home a few years now and have been out with friends no more than a handful of times (seriously). Thankfully, I like my own company but really it is a bit much at times. I'm never moving away again even if it means I'm permanently unemployed as I'm beginning to realise life means little to me without family and to a lesser extent friends to go out with, if I wish to go out.

I'm sending you a PM with some suggestions.

======= Date Modified 28 Dec 2009 16:39:29 =======
I rang a Children's home yesterday to see if they would accept sealed boxes of chocolates, sweets and biscuits but no-one answered. I then heard of someone with special needs who doesn't really have anyone and so I passed the lot on to them. It was nice to make someone's Christmas, albeit a little late!

Great news - well done everyone. You're all a bunch of 'cleverclogs' :p

Sorry to read about your difficulties.

On a practical level, unless you can secure a decent income, take on paid work and tighten your belt or get a loan of sorts it would be very difficult for you to leave. Could you move in with friends or family?

Try to take the emotion away from the situation and judge things. Do you really want to end the relationship or is this a rocky patch that you feel with some effort, especially on his part, you could get through? It sounds as though he's taking certain things for granted but this is a normal part of long-term relationships. I'm not saying it's right but it's the norm. Does he know you'd like to leave? Does he know how you feel? Perhaps you need to discuss things more and decide what needs to change and a test would be if he meets you halfway? Just some thoughts.

No passion or interest in the topic whatsoever. I was backed into a corner, needed something to do that would provide an income and the PhD fitted the bill. I actually resent it because I do enjoy research when I'm researching something that I've a passion for. I feel quite uptight that I have to feign interest to my supervisors and that I couldn't secure funding to research a topic which I love and actually feel is much more important. However, my supervisors are delighted with my work and I do work, just not as hard as some of you. I treat it like a job and take the attitude that I'm being paid to do it. I think it's great if someone has a passion for their subject and it probably makes the PhD experience more interesting and worthwhile but I'm proof that you can work towards a PhD without a passion for the subject.