It's a bank holiday again! There has been no rain (yet) but we have had pesky posters...

Hi Natassia, I doubt very much you're going to fail your MSc, and usually all that's required for PhD entry is a pass at this level, especially given that your first degree was so good.

My masters grade was disappointing, for various reasons, and it's never been an issue for me as a PhD student - apart from with funding applications, and even then I did ok on the AHRC scale, back when they had such things, better than some with firsts, so it isn't everything.

It's probably natural to have this kind of worry before the deal is sealed in writing with your PhD place, no matter what your circumstances - I think I had them too - but perhaps your current stress is affecting your attitude to this and making you worry more than you, otherwise, might?

Perhaps you could look into when you are going to get your letter, I'm sure having that would ease your anxiety considerably.

Hi Jepsonclough, I haven't voted because, although my first instinct was 'take the day off!', that roll you're in is, in my experience, gold dust, so I just couldn't bring myself to click the button. Depends when the last time you had a day off was, and what calibre of fun you have available. A day with the kids could be great, sounds like it to me anyhow.

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I had encounter with her once and she wasn't very nice at all, so I can't say I'm pleased.

I have now, officially, given up the hay diet, and am munching some muesli with soya milk... I read on wki that it's been disproven, so there we are.

I'm trying the Hays diet, ie food combining in a bid to cleanse my system of birthday excesses (before starting all over again tomorrow night, and an all dayer on saturday, by which point I'm sure my stomach wil be utterly confused)). I totally get why people lose weight doing this: Because I had protein for tea, I can't have any carbs until tomorrow lunch time, and as it's after 8pm I can only eat vegetables, and I really don't think I can look at another carrot, so I'm just going to go to bed and look forward to the apples etc I have for breakfast. I'm a bit worried about what will happen if my system starts letting go of all the rubbish I've belted into it these last 41 years, so perhaps the alcoholic pit stops are a good idea, they may hault any strangeness.

I'll let you know how it goes.

For dscoursive/research based assignments, I think this is a ridiculous set up. Having marked all years of undergrads, even those who get good firsts in the third year do not have it sussed, they still make big gaffs. How the hell are they supposed to guide other people? Don't they have PhD students to teach where you are? Plus, as Sneaks suggests they could very well be in the same social circle; it also seprates the student/tutors from their peers, a sad situation for an undergraduate. Aside from all this, it devalues the whole lecturing set up, like, anyone can do it... which is what they (meaning cammy and his entirely budget led cronnies) are trying to do anyhow.

I could mark 125 2000 essays in a week, I've just got my count up to 29 in a day. But that's after 5 years experience and it would be an exhausting week, with nothing else in it workwise, so no it is absoluetly not fair to do that to a final year student.

Wow, thanks algaequeen, fab advice. It would be great to see the sheets too, I can send you my email address if that helps?

Yeah, I can see how the title could be read that way! But I meant it genuinely, it really is a massive deal..


Thanks for the thoughts so far Sneaks and Slizor, am still pondering.

Hi all, I hope you can help me out here, I have an interview for a permanent academic post - yes I do realise this is a once in a decade, possibly lifetime, opportunity, and thus, I am nervous as anything and think about little else.


Anyhow, I have to give a ten minute presentation about my career, especially my teaching and research. Do you think I should use a powerpoint presentation, ie show some images? Or do you think just talking would be best?

I, mistakenly, thought I would have to give a sample lecture, for which I prepared, including a powerpoint! But that's not the case, so now I'm all confused, I've never given a presentation about myself before so hhhmmm, what's the ettiquette? Anyone out there know?

Oh dear, all I can think about now is watching funny face. Meant to do some proper writing work, hhhhmmmm, must get going.

A gingerbread soya latte from costa coffee mmmmm, just had one this morning, perfect for this blustery day, plus I think it's suitably vegan for Caitlin's friend.

I also love the film Funny Face with Fred Astair and Audrey Hepburn, it always puts me in a good mood (as do most films with Fred Astair in them- I love his funny face!).

Here's the IMBD, with some clips: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050419/
And here's the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMKm-PpD8Aw

I think some mental health professionals can be very scary indeed. I ran a film interst group for a mental health centre once, it was just supposed to be a nice evening out and a chat about a film we all like, but this weird woman who ran the centre insisted on showing films about mental health issues every week, and a couple of the 'service users' were triggered quite traumatically. It was awful, and this woman was so weird and controlling about it; then she tried to bond with me about reading the sunday papers, bizzare...


Also, the classic denstist. I had one recently who wouldn't believe me that I was in pain when she was drilling my tooth, and she actually pushed me back into the chair when she was giving me a filling, and I did lie their in total panic and some pain before walloping my arm out to get her off. However, after I'd jumped up and down a lot and stood outside I went back to get the fiiling finished and at that monent when they say bite down hard, I did so really, really hard, despite biting through what I thought was a bit of cotton wool, and really grinding on it; which was actually her finger. She screamed and yelped as I bit down really hard, not realisng. I had a real problem with dentists for a while, but my new dentist is fine, she's lovely.

Does anyone else ever look at what they've written and think: 'oh dear that's all just far too complicated and demanding I can't possible muster the brain to deal with it, or the person who wrote that, today'

I have some energy today, so am tackiling a bit of re-drafting of a zero draft chapter half, but blimey it's taken me a couple of days to feel I have the brain power! It's my first chapter, maybe that's why.

hey Cakeman, I hope it goes brilliantly today - let us know how you get on - you know you're a star (up)