Overview of Mackem_Beefy
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Hellish Viva -awarded MPhil
Thanks for all your comments....
Really, I accept the judgement of the examiners, but what has really irked me is that there was no prior indication that this just wasn't viable - all the upgrades and progress reports were accepted without problem; I am very angry with my superviosr for putting me in this positon, which has essentially screwed up all my life plans. Not least, the fact that I was made to look so bad in front of two very eminent examiners.
I'm interested in the comments about pursuing a complaint; because that is the crux, I want to rant about the ridiculousness, not necessarily appeal the examination which was fair and sound.
I can't quite believe this has happened. sometimes I feel accepting and others I am literally just devastated and feel like a complete failure, despite positive comments and eveidence to the contrary.
It's probably one of the worst things that's happened to me. Tried to explain it to my family that it's kind of like getting a B and not an A; and I only accept As
:-(
Nichola, I think that there are a couple of first steps you can take. Firstly, I would do like TT suggested and check whether there is a deadline for complaining and give notice to your faculty dean of research students that you intend to make a formal complaint about your supervision based on your examiners' comments about the project and supervision.That will get people worried and worried is good in your situation. Check too whether you can appeal on the grounds of inadequate supervision - I think TT and I are right in suspecting that might be a blind alley for you and that it's the complaints angle you need to pursue, but get advice from someone who knows your university's system as they do vary. Then unless the deadline makes it impossible, I'd wait to get the examiners' report and fingers crossed they've done the groundwork for you in raising the impossibility of the project and thus unacceptable supervision standards and your formal complaint can basically quote your examiners' report. Good luck and if you're unsure what anything in the procedures means, ask on here as there are a few people who know their way around uni procedures and can help you. Just follow the procedure and keep yourself in the righteous position and I suspect you can make a lot of people sweat over this if the examiners report says what they said to you.
Solid advice Bewildered. I'll add that Universities don't like embassing situations and they'll take the route that'll get them out of the proverbial (s***) with as few problems as possible. Normally they close ranks and colleagues play the same tune, however, in your case it's not possible due to the actions of the examiners. They'll therefore look for another route out and this could play in your favour.
If the project was as impossible as the above suggests and this was clear before they took someone, the examiner's report could in theory be used to raise a compensation claim against the University. I say 'could', however, that's still a long way down the road.
PhD Offer Dilemma - Advice Needed!
Hmm, you're having alot of the doubts typical of people who've thought about doing a Ph.D. That's why I did this page for students asking me questions about what's involved when I went post-doc (typical questions listed).
http://www.wearthesis.talktalk.net
You said to your old supervisor you'd like to do one sometime but didn't give specifics. It looks like your old supervisor has got the wrong end of the stick and thought you wanted to do one now. I don't believe you supervisor has done the right thing arranging an interview for you and should have left it as mebbies you should contact this person if you wish. You've basically been put on the spot.
You say you're happy with your life, job and girlfriend. I think you've answered you're own question to be honest. If you don't feel ready to take on such a commitment, that in itself says leave it for now. If you do, remember you'll be taking a major hit financially. Also, you'll be moving to another part of the country for the next few years. Whether your girlfirend moves with you or not, the upheval of the move and the stress of the Ph.D. will (unless she's very understanding) put pressure on that relationship.
In all honesty, it sounds more like you're beginning to settle down rather than looking for change, and you're current circumstances are creating a situation where you're able to do that. If you're really onto a good thing, do you really want to spoil it?
I think the person you really need to talk to is your girlfriend. If you're in a relationship, it's effectively a joint decision.
Is there not a chance you could go part-time based on the research you're doing in your current job (i.e. on the job Ph.D. part-time) at some point in the future?
Ian (Mackem_Beefy)
Put together this page of advice for prospective Ph.D. candidates.
======= Date Modified 25 Jan 2011 22:06:00 =======
Thoughts? Admittedly a UK bias to it.
Put together this page of advice for prospective Ph.D. candidates.
Back in 2004 I put together the following page for prospective Ph.D. students at the University I did my Ph.D. As a recent post-doc, I got a fair whack of questions from people wanting to do one.
http://www.wearthesis.talktalk.net/
Recently, a mate has started talking about doing one himself, so after all this time I took a look at what I wrote down (with a view to advising him) and have now updated it.
I hope the information there is of help as I hope it was for the students who were asking me about Ph.D.s back then. Happy reading folks!!!
Hellish Viva -awarded MPhil
That's rotten news and I'm really sorry to hear about the outcome. I second the comments of Gingersnaps and [b]Mackem[/b]. Given the amount of work you've done, it's more deserving than an MPhil and I think you should appeal, doing whatever work is required to, in the subjective opinions, bring it up to standard. Best wishes.
Beefy (which I'm not actually weightwise - old Internet joke) or Ian I prefer!!! (up)
Hellish Viva -awarded MPhil
======= Date Modified 20 Jan 2011 20:47:01 =======
I personally wouldn't and just couldn't give up after all the effort put in. Tell your supervisor you intend to take a break of a few months but also appeal aganst the decision. You are entitled to know what extra work you will need to do to bring the document up to PhD standard.
You can then decide whether or not you wish to undertake this extra work, though bear in mind you'll have to do it in your own time if otherwise employed. You will probably get a given period to do the corrections in, probably six months or a year and by the sounds of it face a repeat viva.
A repeat viva is not such a bad thing as you know what to face now, however, be prepared (less likely now you know what to face) to have the same outcome and that the extra work may be for nothing.
As regards upgrading later, you have two options. You can either do a new PhD, which I would leave for a while until you recover mentally from the current attempt. Another method is PhD via published work whilst you pursue a lower level career in research (Research Assistant rather than Research Associate), which will take some time to achieve and will most likely mean any papers needing to be compiled into a new thesis for viva.
However, for now I would take a holiday and get as far away from the situation as possible. Get your head straight first.
One positive outcome that you can put on your CV, however, is you now know a second language!!! :-)
Dilema
Can you change your supervisor without creating too many waves?
I'd advise continuing full time (whilst possibly looking for a job at the same time for when the funding runs out) as trying to do anything whilst you've a full time job is seriously hard work.
Have you anyone to proof your thesis on write-up and brief you about the viva at the end if your supervisor is not interested, for example, a previous sucessful candidate? If the supervisor has opted out (and knows nothing as you say), passing is going to be extremely difficult.
failed in a new study after a PhD
I am a little confused about the idea not mentioning it.
I would do so, but do you think it is a lie?
Plus, when they ask my supervisor for reference,
my supervisor might mention that I switched to this new study
although she has no clue about my bad performance.
Rory
Been here, chose badly with a second post-doc after finishing my PhD.
It wasn't possible in my case, but if your supervisor mentions it and you're asked, just say in interview you didn't see the point of it once finishing your PhD.
Most post-docs want a quiet period once they finish a PhD (i.e. get head together) and ploughing into a Masters is anything but a quiet, chilled period after finishing.
Quit a Phd and start another one?
======= Date Modified 10 Jan 2011 20:00:50 =======
A lot of people plough in thinking a PhD would be nice to have, without realising what's involved and the sheer effort required. It really can make or break people and you have to be one determined son / daughter of a bitch to see it through.
Ask yourself why you want to do a PhD. Choose a subject area that inspires you to give the commitment necessary to see it through. Ensure your potential supervisor knows the subject area and in interested in what you do (and also has a track record of 'closing off' a project - narrowing the focus of the student as write-up proceeds). Talk to current and recently graduated candidates as regards subject and supervisor. All these factors and others can determine success or failure.
Everyone has mid-period disillusionment, however, it's a whole lot worse if any of the above factors is not quite right. In your case, it's apparently the subject. Step out and reconsider, and if it's only your first year of your first attempt, then changing to something else may well be an option after all. But knowing what you know now, consider your next move carefully taking into consideration the above.
I have a friend in the early stages of considering doing one. He and I are going to have to have a long chat sometime!!!
Ian (Mackem_Beefy)
Quit a Phd and start another one?
You didn't have to work four years on a niche oxidation phenomena.
If I'm reading this right, you've already quit one programme to do your current one and now want to quit this to do something else.
To quit a second time would be pushing your luck and would be difficult to explain on your CV. I guess you'd say you spent time researching your first two subjects before engaging on a third project leading to your PhD. However, you could become undone if either of your first two supervisors was aproached for a reference.
I think you've hit mid-term blues where we all ask why we've done it. I have to say either you cal it a day and join us wage slaves or see out the four years. A second switch is a damaging move.
However, it's clear you need time out. See if you can get your supervisor to give you some time off (holiday?) so you can get some space to yourself to have a think about what you do next.
It does end, however, you do have to work at it to ge there.
Help me, i'm confused! PhD or not?! :S
I did a help webpage on the issue some six years ago now as I was asked similar by quite a few students after I finished. I just said, look at my webpage / blog to save me repeating myself.
Here it is (I never deleted it):
http://www.wearthesis.talktalk.net
The PhD Game (revised)
Still sums up the grinding despair we all feel trailing through the routine. Thankfully a good few years behind me now!!!
The PhD Game (revised)
======= Date Modified 07 Jan 2011 20:45:14 =======
http://www.wearthesis.talktalk.net/phdgame.pdf
This 'board game' originally on the Cambridge University website has been modified and you can only wish there was an option like square 39!!!
(up)
Who's doing the weirdest PhD?
======= Date Modified 23 Nov 2010 13:12:14 =======
To add to the below, a rummage around the British Library brings up some weird ones. Life will never get boring for these people!!!
UNDRESSING THE MOVES: AN ETHNOGRAPHIC STUDY OF LAP-DANCERS AND LAP-DANCING CLUB CULTURE
http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?did=1&uin=uk.bl.ethos.493247
The characteristics of non-clinical fetishists, sadomasochists and transvestites.
http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?did=1&uin=uk.bl.ethos.256150
Queering Nazism or Nazi queers? a sociological study of an online gay Nazi fetish group
http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?did=1&uin=uk.bl.ethos.496881
Computer fetishism and sexual futurology : exposing the impact of arousal on technologies of cyberspace
http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?did=3&uin=uk.bl.ethos.422230
A silly title more than anything: "The development of microsatellites for parrots "
http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?did=6&uin=uk.bl.ethos.288084
Long time since I've been here (got through a long time ago).
But I think I've two good contributions to make.
1) The origins and evolution of the bra (male supervisor and possibly student):
http://northumbria.openrepository.com/northumbria/handle/10145/83473
2) A weird post-doc on lap dancing:
http://www.leedsstudent.org/2009-12-04/ls1/ls1-news/school-advertises-lap-dancing-research-job
http://www.lincoln.ac.uk/socialsciences/staff/2629.asp
http://www.willanpublishing.co.uk/cgi-bin/indexer?product=9781843928171
Ian (Mackem_Beefy)
Who's doing the weirdest PhD?
Long time since I've been here (got through a long time ago).
But I think I've two good contributions to make.
1) The origins and evolution of the bra (male supervisor and possibly student):
http://northumbria.openrepository.com/northumbria/handle/10145/83473
2) A weird post-doc on lap dancing:
http://www.leedsstudent.org/2009-12-04/ls1/ls1-news/school-advertises-lap-dancing-research-job
http://www.lincoln.ac.uk/socialsciences/staff/2629.asp
http://www.willanpublishing.co.uk/cgi-bin/indexer?product=9781843928171
Ian (Mackem_Beefy)
