Hi guys, I'm just filling out forms for funding, and I just wondered whether or not you should capitalise subjects/disciplines? It occurred to me that it might be appropriate to in some cases ie) "my undergraduate degree in History", or "my MA in Literature", but not the case of "...in the study of history" or "literature from the period...". Any ideas? M,x

It's Christmas, you must eat cake, and you can always work tomorrow with a clear head and some new ideas (and satisfied from the cake). M,x(mince)

At the moment I am working with a particularly hilarious lecturer. I've never met any one quite so enthusiastic about anything in all my life. He practically shakes with excitement when he's talking about his (our) subject, and he completely lights up. Anyway, i do admire this but it made me realise that I'll probably never be that passionate about my phd. I do enjoy it and find it interesting, but i don't get that kind of happiness out of it. In fact, some of my research I find to be a complete pain in the arse. Just wondering how enthusiastic the rest of you get about your work? Do you thrive on it, or do you struggle with motivation etc? M,x(snowman)

(robin)

Hi Eska,
I hope that you're okay. Don't worry, it's just a crisis of confidence because you've had some frustrating news, and I'm sure your despondency won't last.
I can entirely relate to your concerns that your supervisor doesn't have complete faith in you, as I had a very negative MA supervisor and got obsessed with the fact that he thought I was useless. At the end of the day you know you're capable and that you have a lot to offer, so do not concern yourself with worries that other people might not be so sure. At the end of the day it's you who has to do it, not them, and it's you who has to believe in yourself. Your supervisor's unhelpfulness was probably completely inadvertent and they most likely did not realise that all you needed was a bit of positive reinforcement. Had you got that, you would probably be feeling okay about the other stuff, even though your situation wouldn't be any different. Does that make sense? What I'm saying is that when all these things seem to come at once, it's easy to despair and feel deflated.  There are always going to be ups and downs, points where everything is going brilliantly, and times when it is all shit. Take it all as it comes and you'll feel much better soon. In the mean time, I recommend Mince Pies and Christmas music. M,x

Hello, in my discipline sources of funding for MSc students are very scarce. I'd say that a first hons. degree is imperative, and that it would most likely need to be a research degree, and the topic would matter a lot. Funding across humanities is rare, especially for MA/MSc. M,x

Hello, sounds like you have done brilliantly in your MA so you stand a very good chance, especially since your diss is being published. Of course, whether or not you secure funding also depends on your topic, discipline and university. Funding in my field (literature) is very scarce, and extremely competitive. I do not know of any one (at my uni) who got funding for the first year of their PhD without a first in their undergraduate. However, I do know a couple of people with modest undergraduate results who secured full funding in the second and third years of their PhD due to excellent MA result, and good progress in the PhD. This isn't the case for every subject though, so you might be absolutely fine. Just make sure you explore every possible source of funding. Best of luck M,x

I know he's got no chance but I do love Olly and his dancing. Suppose he or Stacey will go tonight. Awww.xxx

Thanks for your posts guys; I have woken up feeling decidedly less cringed out than yesterday. I'll keep a low profile for a few days and hope it's all forgotten soon enough. Such a liability.xxxx

Last night I was invited to a drinks party at the house of an academic from my uni. I was only invited because a 'celebrity' critic who I cited heavily in my MA dissertation was going to be there. The only people I knew to speak to were my two supervisors, but somehow I managed to chat to everyone in the room. A LOT. I was drunk. I got DRUNK and God KNOWS what I said to people. I have a flashback of telling everyone that I hate the opera and trying to explain why, but not being able to articulate myself well enough. So, I looked drunk AND uncultured. This critic asked me if I had any thing he could read and I told him 'not really, nothing very good'. (!?) My supervisor overheard that one and tried to gloss over it but no, I had to go on digging and say 'my dissertation wasn't very good either'. I've woken up, so mortified that I want to die. I shouldn't be allowed out of the house. This morning I noticed two massive holes in my tights. Probably, they were there all night and i never even noticed. :$

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Any one else got a worrying obsession with the x-factor this year? I hate myself. I'm a slave to it.

Hellooo I'm studying Literary History; I'll keep my Uni quiet however, just incase I am unveiled. Happy posting, I think I have developed an addiction...M,x

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JoJo the fact that you're doing a PhD abroad is something to be proud of and your confidence should be soaring! Is your work going well? Its not always easy being away from home particularly if you're getting used to a different culture, so I'm sorry to hear that your experience of studying in the UK hasn't been particularly positive. In what ways do people seem to have problem with you not being British? In my department all students are treated equally (or so I thought), but then I am from the UK so have never really thought about it. Is this kind of feeling common among international students? If so that's really sad. I always thought the Brits were quite accommodating! Hope it gets better. M,x

Good luck! M,x

I always fancy lecturers and supervisors at first. I even secretley fancied my undergrad DoS and he was gay. In my case, these are just student crushes and they never last. Since it sounds like you know it's just a crush, I am sure that it will pass. Probably when he starts getting on your case about deadlines and work-loads. Suddenly that power binary becomes more irritating than anything else. M,x.