Good luck! Try not to let yourself get unnecessarily stressed by over-analysing your supervisors' reassurances. Focus on the task in hand and you'll be fine. :)

I found this article interesting.
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2011/09/talkers-block.html

Essentially boils down to the usual advice of writing regularly, but I thought it was a nice way of getting the point across.

I left a funded PhD a few years ago for a number of reasons. I'm now doing another funded PhD in a different discipline although at a similar end of the spectrum. So it is possible.

In between the PhDs I got a job as a research assistant in the new discipline and then did a masters in it. In the process I acquired a very helpful mentor whose support and encouragement has probably made my transition easier.

I'd advise making direct contact with someone in your target field to start discussing the possibilities of returning and what kind of things you can do to strengthen your case. It may be beneficial to seek employment as a research assistant first so as to get a bit more recent experience and make contacts. Funding is getting a lot more competitive now, so if you can make personal connections and show commitment then it will help your case.

Good luck.

What is your research question?

'Data analysis' is not a goal, it's a tool to help you answer specific questions. So, first define your questions, then you can figure out how to analyse the data.

It's really annoyed me. I don't actually *need* the increment - fortunately I can survive without. But the fact that it wasn't actually announced (I had to look for the info) and the fact that research council stipends aren't terribly generous (compare to charity or industry funded) does little to convince me that my skills and knowledge are valued by society. Yes, yes, I know we're still 'in training' but in my view there are many ways in which the apprenticeship analogy falls down. Given that there are already too many PhDs for the number of postdoc jobs, I think there are alternative ways they could have made a cost saving without disadvantaging existing PhD students.

But I'm in danger of going off on multiple tangents here so I'll stop!

For anyone to help you, you will need to explain:
- What kind of outcome you are looking at (continuous, categorical, qualitative etc)
- What kind of data you have collected (continuous, categorical, qualitative etc)

Generally it is better to decide the analysis strategy BEFORE collecting the data so that the data collection is optimised for analysis, but it is still possible to make suggestions to you at this stage.

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Hadn't read GSM's post before, but what s/he says is a very good explanation. You have to assess the magnitude of your own debt and future earnings but even a fairly uncomplicated savings strategy will be beneficial over early repayment. In my case I won't 'win' the debt write off at retirement game because my loans come from the days when fees were a lot lower, so unless I have a crappy job for the rest of my life, I *will* have to repay it all. But so long as you keep an eye on where the loan interest rates are going and the potential interest you can get on savings then it's best to wait.

I did remind me, however, of the fact that the debt is continuing to increase with inflation but rather charmingly the UK research councils have frozen stipends so the 2011-12 rate is exactly the same as the 2010-11. But hey, it's not like we have to eat or anything.

I'm assuming you're talking just about the Student Loan Company here. Providing the interest rate on the student loan isn't creeping up to something scary I'd say no.

I'm very debt averse, and worked for a year before uni to save up, and during the summer holidays to try to minimise the amount of debt I was accruing. But I haven't made any voluntary repayments of my government student loan. I have thought about it but it doesn't seem worth it to me. Any spare cash from my stipend goes into savings for treats/a rainy day/in case I over-run with the PhD. That way I'm not frittering it but it's still accessible to me. Once I have a proper job with a salary I'll think about making some payments to speed up the process but right now I feel disinclined to repay a debt that isn't hurting me.

If you really don't need the money at all right now, I'd suggest finding a savings account that will give you a higher rate of interest than the loan is accruing and put it in that (e.g. a 1/2 year fixed term deposit).

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I wouldn't touch Facebook with a bargepole for professional stuff. I reluctantly use it as a convenient way of keeping up with friends but there are many things about it that I strongly dislike.

I do, however, very much enjoy using twitter. I follow a bunch of people, journals and researchers in my field and find out a lot of interesting stuff that way, particularly things in the grey literature which I wouldn't necessarily find. I try to keep my twitter use purely professional, particularly as it is open.

I'd apply but I'd raise the issue with either your supervisor or someone in student admin so that they are aware. You can't pass up on the job opportunity but they might want to review the status of this person as your examiner, or at least set out some guidelines to ensure the viva process remains fair.

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I moved a couple of hundred miles for my PhD. Found a place to live using http://www.spareroom.co.uk/ which has worked out very well for me. I liked the feel of that site more than Gumtree - Gumtree seemed to me a bit prone to timewasters and exaggerations of 'stunning' overpriced bedsits, whereas spareroom.co.uk gave me a better feel of the property and likely flatmates. I found a few potential places, went to my destination for the day (just a month before I moved), visited a bunch of them and found one that was good enough to start with (and in fact has worked out so well I'm hoping to stay for the duration).

I hate driving, don't have a car and was moving in the middle of the snowy winter, so the prospect of hiring a car or twisting someone's arm to assist me did not appeal. In the end I paid a small removals firm to do it. I considered it a good investment, not least cos I'm not very strong and have a temperamental back. Google 'small removals' and you'll find firms that can give you a quote based on distance and amount of stuff (or if it gets too confusing PM me and I'll see if I can remember the name of the company I used).

One thing I would say about living arrangements - it is entirely a personally matter and you might be very different to me, but personally I didn't want to live on my own in my new destination cos I knew no-one there at all and I didn't want to be coming home to an empty flat in those circumstances. I've lived on my own before but in a place where I knew a lot of people. I shared your desire to get away from the 'living with students' lifestyle and I've ended up in a flatshare with a 20-something teacher which has been very nice as she has a nice normal lifestyle and is good company for a cuppa and a chat. So maybe don't rule out flatshares totally - just be selective. Establishing a social life somewhere new can be hard work (particularly if you're an introvert like me) so it can be nice to have a flatmate as a starting point.

Congrats on your offer and all the best for the move :)