No problem Ace. This sort of request infuriates me at the best of times, but the demanding tone in this one is shocking.

Hi Fizzy Lizzy, One way to decide would be to have a good nose around this forum to get an idea of the highs and lows of PhD, and post PhD, life. But also please bear in mind that many people post here when they are at their lowest ebb, in order to find support. If you think it is worth going through what you find here, for the love of your subject and of academic work, then a PhD probably is for you.

If you do go ahead then there are a few things which, in my experience, it is essential to do your research on, they are:

1. Find a good supervisor. Good signs include expertise in your field, make sure they know your subject areas very well and that they are as capable as possible - this includes their success in funding applications; make sure they take pride in their students, find out how their graduates fair in the job market (mine is excellent and advertises his past student's successes on his web page); try and fathom how sane they are, and how likely you are to work well with them.

2. As WJ suggests, get as much money on your side as possible, this will free you up to work and make your life much less stressful.

3. Choose a topic which will keep you stimulated, and which will lead into, and provide a foundation for, the career you want.

If you can get all of the above sorted then you're doing amazingly well, and you'll be off to a great start.

Hang around here for a while and see what you think of our craziness, and of you think your love for your subject is worth it. Good luck. :-)

Hey WJ, That's great news - it seems that you have achieved so much and come so far, and that you deserve to get where you want to be; keep going, we are supporting you. Good luck and thanks for updating us 8-)

Are you serious? TBH, if you can't find your own PhD, or even just complete a google search, then IMO you don't have the self motivation to complete.

I think scrapping stars is an alright idea, but it is nice to have something to have a laugh about and be competitive - not in a serious way mind - maybe we could have some other sort of fun competition we can be silly about. What else could we run running jokes around? What about a monthly fashion show? I appreciate that for new-comers requests for stars, however much in revelry could seem a bit ruthlless. To be truely competitive one would need to give advice and support to predominantly new posters, but as far as I can tell, no-one does this, so I don't think there is much real, serious competitiveness at the mo. I give people help when I think I can offer them something, when they seem to need it most and when I have the energy. The star thing is a joke, a laugh etc.

Good point Sneaks, not encouraging loyalty at all is it? hmmmmmmmm:-(

Wally, how sad to solicit stars in that way, from someone in need too...

Cobweb, all I can add is that, as Wal says, you must get the trust issues worked out in your relationship. Emotional matters are soooo draining, they sap your energy and your self esteme, they make everything else seem out of proportion and much harder to deal with; so some time spent on that, would, I think, be an investment.

Oh, and also, I think it's important that we PhDs make an effort to socialise with friends. I know I always work so much better afterwards.

Good luck:-)

Oh dear, sorry to hear it's all witchetie grubs and kangaroo's bits on the VIP thread. Thanks for the star though; good luck with the new campaign (up)

Will you be giving us all stars then...? Glad u're feeling better. I'm going out on the lash tonight, apparently I don't have flu, but stress, so I have to socialise, it's been perscribed.:-)

Hi Florence, I have an old victorian wooden scholar's chair which I usually sit in while writing (Igot it from the old uni in th town where I live when they were sagely chucking them out in order to replace 'em with IKEA type numbers, no doubt); it has a broad, rounded seat with a rounded back and arm support . I put cushions on it on the back and the seat, and I have never suffered discomfort in it. However, I don't use it for more that two hours at a a time solidly because I take breaks and move around. Occasionaly, I sit ont the sofa, to read and write, with the laptop precariously balanced on the arm of the sofa, but I don't stay like that too long either. That's my experience, I hope it helps. Good luck.

Yeah Caz, you've rally started something now; I dunno about Wally's story thread hitting being the creative nadir of PhD life, we have a new contender. Here's my effort (of sorts):

The legend of Sir Wally

AAAaaahhh, Sir Wally of the forum,
So many Postgraduate dragons slain,
So many lonely evenings saved,
With your wit and charm,
There can never be alarm,
At the perils of PhD life,
Or the student's stress and strife,

Arise Sir Wally, Great Sir Wally of the forum,
Do not be afraid of the dark path ahead,
Of the hoary viva threesome, who may wish you dead,
Just know that you are Wally, the dragon slayer,
Whose trusty weapons are wit and a confident prayer,
With these yee will slay, and yee will conquer,
So go boldly, Sir Wally, and know you are a stonker.


In the style of Robert Browning ... for some reason dunno why hmmm.

Hey Wally (I hope you don't mind me caling you tha, I just started doing it because the name's so long!), I'm so sorry to hear you are down. I think you are right though, you've invested too much to drop everything now; but I also know what you mean about isolation and missing contact with other people. I just took a week of normality and spent time with my friends, rather than PhD work. This forum is great for getting a feeling of commaraderie, but we're not real people in the way that flesh and blood firends etc are. I reckon you should cut loose for a bit and spend time with friends if possible, just to make your time more bearable. I know you are funny and fun; having made me laugh on several occasions, your stupid sense of humour makes the forum a much better cyberspace. I hope you finish, and I hope you succeed in life, you seem like a very bright, funny and insightful person. Maybe this is just one of those tough patches on the ways to success. I know many academics who seem to have managed to build up happy lives, I'm sure you could be one of them. And as the old showbiz saying goes: 'never work with animals, children or phenomenological subjects' they're the worst!

You all just came across as a being defensive, standing up for youth so vehermently, when no-one had said any different, that's all.

Yep, it's just that the original post to which these responses were made was very clear that they were stating a personal preference based oon their own life history, and not making a general comment at all, so they wouldn't need reminding, their post gave us that piece of information and sentiment. I just think worrying about how old/young you are is bit if a waste of energy, that's all. BTW, one's brain power does not diminish to an extent which would interfere with research by the age of 50-60, unless, of course, there is the early/premature onset of some disease such as altzeimers. Take it from a middle aged 'un with friends who are even older middle aged 'uns.

Well I'm 40, have brown hair with little flecks of sparkly grey, am a Taurean and plan to hit the top in my field in the next decade or so. Seeing as it looks as if we're all going to be working until we're 70 by the time the middle distant future is upon us, I reckon I have plenty of time, and am very glad I did some other stuff in a completely different 'industry' (sorry for the naff quite marks, I just couldn't think of a better way to express that) before I finally came to this.

Age, in itself, has little reckoning on your ability to carry out research, so I can't understand why all of you young 'uns are feeling the need to defend your youth; as far as I can see no-one has said any different, just that they, personally, weren't ready when they were in their 20s, just as I wasn't.