Hi Anne! Hmmm, interesting. I didn't really know much about this but have just had a little nosy on the internet to see what it's all about. I can see good and bad in it really. For people who have to do an MSc to get onto their PhD then it's possibly no bad thing, and might mean that the fees for the MSc will then also be covered, so more people will be able to afford to take this route into academia. In my subject (Clinical Psychology) it is compulsary at my university (and most others) to do an MSc before the PhD, which is very costly. However, having done the MSc and now being in my 2nd year PhD, I can appreciate how vital is was that I had the MSc. Psychology is a hugely diverse subject, and I think one issue is that in first year, people are at very different levels, some having done A level Psych and some not having done it. Thus first year is mostly spent just getting everyone to the same level, which means going over a lot of A level material for people who haven't done it. So the next two years are simply not enough to give everyone a good enough grounding in taught subjects and research skills so that they can progress straight to a PhD. In addition, it's such a competitive area that you need an MSc anyway to stand out from the crowd. But with subjects where no MSc is required and a student can get straight onto a PhD- the pure sciences for one, I don't know much about literature or humanities etc- then this extra year would seem like a complete waste of time and money to me. So in my opinion, for some people this may be beneficial, but I suspect that for most people it won't. Having said that, I don't really know much about the proposal for this new route, so with further information I might change my mind! Happy new year to everyone! KB.

Hey Natassia!

I agree with you- from my perspective the leap from BSc to MSc was greater than the leap from MSc to PhD, given that a large part of my MSc was a research project, so prepared me quite well for my PhD. I am sure there will be others who disagree though! I think the format of the MSc is more like that of a BSc, whereas a PhD is very different without the lectures etc, but in terms of academic level I took to my PhD like a duck to water after my MSc. I felt really well prepared, and even though the PhD is a huge challenge, I didn't feel completely out of my depth- I have loved it from the start and still do.

I guess it's always a bit difficult to gauge the level you are at right at the start of the PhD, so it's a bit nerve-wracking when you start handing in written work and sharing your ideas with your supervisors. I was seriously relieved when my supervisor gave me my first review paper back and said it was definitely of PhD standard in terms of both content and writing style (although it took about another 25 drafts until it was ready for publication!). And now I really enjoy bouncing ideas off her and talking about things I would love to research- even though I really look up to her, I don't feel quite as inferior as I used to. It does take a bit of time though!

It's definitely good to get to know other PhD students. There are over 70 in our department, and it's really helpful to learn from each other as well as to socialise! As I said, there's a team of us working on dementia-related stuff where I am, but my project is very different to what any of the others are doing. So in one sense I am on my own with it, but there are still shared issues like how to fill in NHS ethics forms, how best to recruit participants and that sort of thing. So even though your project might be very different from what everyone else is doing, you can still share knowledge and ideas on some things.

I wouldn't worry about applying to a place that turned you down for your MA.....this will be different people and a different context. I dropped out my first BSc (going back about 10 years now!) because I hated the course, but if they had had the ideal people to supervise my PhD, or if they were to advertise aan interesting post-doc, I would apply there again like a shot. If you like it, and you like the supervisors, then go for it!

Best of luck with the applications, keep us up to date! KB

Hey Satchi- I have just used 0 for male, 1 for female. But first, you need to go to 'variable view' (click on the tab on the bottom left of the screen) and change 'type' to 'numeric', rather than 'string'. Then it should let you enter the numbers! Hope that makes sense...that's on SPSS 16 by the way, but I think it's not changed much over the different versions. KB

We have an unofficial agreement on our floor of the building at work whereby if anyone has leftover chocs they don't want (or leftover food/cakes from conferences/meetings etc) then it gets left on the table in our kitchen/eating area with a 'please eat me' sticker on it! Works quite nicely and makes for a good atmosphere! KB

Hi Natassia! I think most people feel as you have described...to be honest I wasn't that nervous, just really excited and keen to get going. I already knew my supervisor and had a fairly good idea of what I was meant to be doing, although that got changed a bit along the way! Just keep in touch with your supervisors- they will be able to guide your topic choice to some degree, as they will know what is underway and has already been done, needs doing etc, but make sure you settle on a topic you are happy with and excited about- that's the best motivator of all! I didn't feel too overwhelmed really. I am part of a team working on a specific topic (dementia) so I could learn quite a lot from the other team members as well, even though my specific project is different to that of anyone else on the team- their help and advice was invaluable, so don't be scared to ask for advice if you need it, it has saved me a lot of time! And my MSc had prepared me really well for the PhD- particularly the research side of the MSc- I would have really struggled without the MSc but you will have that under your belt and I think you'll be fine! Best wishes with all the applications and stuff! KB

Haha, me too Cobweb. I have so many ideas for additional studies that I would love to do that my supervisor would also love me to do, but there just isn't the time unfortunately within the PhD timescale. If it was left to me I would have at least one additional qualitative study, more participants for my quantitative study, a longer time period between timepoint one and timepoint two, and a series of case studies to go with it all! It would probably take me about 7 years to get it all done! Especially when I'm reading the literature or have been out testing, I always end up so full of ideas and think I might be able to incorporate them, then reality sinks in! Maybe in a post-doc....! Best wishes all, KB

Hi! Glad you managed to get through Xmas okay- it can be emotionally draining at the best of times so it must have been a bit tough for you! Try not to worry too much about what your family (especially your mum) are saying or thinking. When my parents split up right before my finals all I had was them stressing about how bad they would feel if I didn't get the first class honours I was on target for etc, in case it had been 'their fault' that I hadn't met my potential. It was a huge relief for them I think when I was able to tell them that I had got it! Just do your best, that's all you can do, and definitely let your tutors/supervisors know what's going on. They're no idiots these people- they know a genuine case when they see one, and they are probably experts at sniffing out the suspicious ones! A pal of mine once asked for multiple extensions because he had stubbed his toe and was in pain...they soon told him where to go! The foot is okay thanks, the whiplash is causing me a lot more pain than the foot at the moment. I'm picking up my new car in a couple of days so I can sit and admire in until I can drive it in another 6 weeks or so! Keep going chick, and best wishes for the new year, KB.

Hi there! I'm sort of in the middle of a debate on this one myself- my main idea has stayed the same and so have most of the research questions, but one of the main questions I originally had might need to be sacrificed now because I am not convinced that it is feasible to carry out that part of the research to a satisfactory standard, mainly due to timing and recruitment issues. I will probably wait for another few months to make the final decision on that one, but I think it will have to go! I guess your final questions might also be modified when you look at your results and see what you have found- it isn't uncommon in research to see what your results are telling you and then go back to your original questions and tailor them a bit to match what you want to talk about in your results/discussion sections. One of my pals had added an extra study to his PhD as a result of an interesting but unexpected finding on one of his first studies, which he wanted to build on, so it's okay to do that too. My remaining research questions were fairly broad as I am doing a rather exploratory study, but I think it's best to be open-minded really and see where it takes you. I would check with your sup though, that you are on the right track, before you go hurtling down it! Best wishes, KB

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Well, it would be good to think that you could trust your supervisor, but I guess not absolutely everyone is trustworthy unfortunately. With multiple authorship, there are certain 'traditions' that are followed with respect to order of authors, and this can vary according to field. Obviously,first author is always desirable, and you should expect that you will be first author on your own PhD work that you have written, although I know from other people that it doesn't always work like this, and different supervisors have different views of what is appropriate when it comes to this. After that, in my field, the nearer first author you are, the better, and this can be agreed upon (or not!) according to whose idea/theory the research is based on, who collected the data, who analysed the data, who wrote the paper, who won the grant etc, and it can also be rather political. Yet my flatmate says in her field, if you're not first author then the next best is last author, and last authors are often the grantholders for the research. So it does vary a bit. Personally, I cannot imagine my supervisor cheating me out of authorship or sharing my work etc without my consent, but maybe I am just very lucky or somewhat naive!!! Happy Xmas! KB

Hey Walminski! I really sympathize with you- I have ongoing sleep problems and it's a right pain in the arse. For weeks I'll be really crap and take 2 hours to get to sleep and then wake up every half hour for the next 4 hours, then I'll have a week or two where I sleep like a dream. But it can be so frustrating and exhausting to have endless nights of poor sleep. I think it can also be a bit of a cycle you get into- it's hard to work in the day and then you worry that you're getting behind, which makes it harder to sleep and so on. Have you identified the reason behind your poor sleep at the moment? I am on and off prescription sleeping pills all the time, but that's not really a great cycle to get into either. Having said that, they can be a godsend for when you just need something to knock you out for a few hours so you can feel a bit rested...but they don't work for very long and the GPs don't like prescribing them nowadays anyway. Might be worth seeing your doc if things don't pick up though- just beware the patronising 'sleep hygiene rules' they reel off to you though, I am sick to death of being told that I need to sleep in a cool room, where I am comfortable, have a routine, don't eat/work/watch TV too late into the evening, have a milky drink' etc. Grrrrrr....No shit! To be honest, if I am really stuck, I stick on a dvd that will make me laugh (the inbetweeners or big bang theory at the moment- trashy but amusing!) and then at least I am happy and tired, not miserable and tired! A good laugh can cure a lot of things on a good day! Hope things pick up for you soon. Best wishes for a nice xmas and new year, KB.

Hi there! I guess it depends on how you and your supervisor work together, but I guess you are still figuring this out as you have only just started! Personally, I send my supervisor all of my work to check, whether that's written work such as a draft paper, or my initial analysis of my data etc. If I have supervision coming up then we would usually discuss her feedback at length in supervision, or if supervision is while off and the feedback isn't too complicated then she will just email it back to me with comments usually within a day or two. I get her to check pretty much everything that I do with respect to written work- and she asks me to send her pretty much everything anyway. I think if you're learning new skills etc, whether that be academic writing for journals, a new type of analysis, a different type of methodology, then it's important to check things out with your supervisor regularly to make sure that you're on the right track. Obviously you are expected to be independent to some degree with your research and use your initiative, so I don't mither her incessantly with things that I should be able to work out for myself, but in the early stages you will need guidance so best to make sure you have regular supervision and feedback on your work. There seem to be vastly different supervision styles out there, going on what I have heard from people on the forum, but I am sure you and your supervisor will soon get into some sort of routine with this anyway- everybody has their own styles! Happy Xmas!! KB

I'm with Joyce on this one- I have absolute trust that my supervisors would never do this. It wouldn't even cross my mind not to trust them unless I had a specific reason for doing so. What is planting the doubt in your mind over this? KB

Glad to hear you're feeling a bit better about things! Tutors and supervisors are there to help, and I have been amazed at how understanding the majority of people have been with respect to my own problems throughout my years at uni. The best thing is that they know you, and they will know what you are capable of academically, so try not to worry- just do your best in the circumstances and you will be fine. I really hope you manage to have a good xmas, KB

Hi Marry! Well, I don't think any of us can tell you whether you really want a PhD or not, but what you describe sounds fairly normal for someone who has just started! Are you worried because you don't want to do it, or is it that you do want to do it but are worried that it might be too hard? If you do want to do it, then you will be fine- it can take a while to get into a PhD and sort out exactly what you are doing and why. Have a look round the forum- you will find that lots of people worry about these things to start with, but soon get into the swing of it! And it sounds like you are happy with your supervisors and university- that's really important so it's a good sign that you will be okay. Have you moved to a different university or different city? Tell us a bit more about you! KB

Well I guess it depends on how much you depend on it....how inconvenient would it be not to have it? To be honest, I only really use my car to visit my research participants- I could get around the city quite easily even just on foot apart from that, so probably wouldn't bother except for my PhD visits. Be careful- you can end up spending a fortune on a car that really isn't worthy of having the money spent on it when it gets to that sort of age, depending on what it is and whether it's in good shape or not. If you take it for a service, take someone with you who knows a bit about cars- I know bugger all and I worry about being taken advantage of sometimes! One thing I would say from my recent experience is if you keep it, make sure it's in half-decent condition and structurally solid if you're driving on the motorway in it. My car was 9 years old when I crashed the other week, it's only little and quite old, but even though it was written off it kept me safe (broken foot and whiplash aside) and I was glad I was in something that wasn't a wreck and had airbags etc. The other car sustained much more damage than mine and I suspect we would have been talking fatalities or at least very severe injuries if it hadn't been such a big, well-built car. I know you can't go through life thinking about the 'what-ifs', but sometimes you are forced to think about them! KB