======= Date Modified 04 Jun 2009 15:35:55 =======
I feel for you, it is always annoying when supervisors have different approaches/perspectives on things like that - there is no pleasing everyone. Considering you have limited time left before submitting the report, just do what you can. As much as possible, do treat it in a business manner, i.e. keep it brief where possible, but also try and include some points from your first sup, even if you cannot go into as much detail as your first sup would like. I presume at some point you will have a panel meeting (or similar) to discuss the report (??), which will then give you the opportunity to express your understanding/awareness what still needs to be done. And maybe by then you have done more reading and you are clearer about the methodology(?).

Most importantly: Don't panic, prioritise and do/write what you can in the time left.

that's an interesting "turn of events". well, i wish you all the best, Pseudonym.
i find it interesting that you felt this all was a question of ethics (title of your post) - no, i understand it is about your integrity, whether to pretend to wanting to continue when that is not the case etc, and in the end it is your personal judgement call. i dont think you would have done something "unethical" though, if you had stayed on for now and left later. good luck with the teaching career.:-)

If you do not really want to do an MA, try and get a PhD without one. Sure it can help having a masters, but really, as you say, your key aim is a PhD, not an MA. If you get completely stuck (no uni will offer you a PhD), you can always reconsider...

Is there any chance to get funding through companies (environmental consultancies/big petroleum companies such as Shell, BP etc)? Have you checked whether BGS (British Geological Survey) has some PhD positions going? I think key will be that you find a university with a department/supervisor that covers your interests and that also has a good track record in getting funding for their international students (e.g through company funds, or through research grant money). No doubt, it's hard and these studentships/funds are scarce, but as was said before "dont give up". Keep checking all possible avenues. Also, if you want to improve on your applications, ask for feedback from the unis that rejected you. Sometimes that can be helpful...Good luck.

Hi Leighmo.
I found The List really useful. In print or online http://www.list.co.uk/flatshare/
Happy house/flat hunting...

Can you go and see the admin people in person? Alternatively, can your supervisor/head of department write a letter and then admin just need to stamp it?

Know what you mean though (about some admin staff...)

======= Date Modified 02 Jun 2009 15:08:53 =======
Hi *Pineapple*. I am in the same situation, but I know I will not be able to finish by September, and yes, I am also getting bored with the thesis.. In principle I am still very much interested in the field, but not just the particulars of what I am working on... At the moment I am working on something that is still a bit fresh, so it's all good at the mo but I definitely had a massive low when I was reworking a paper again and again (because I had made errors in my analysis). It was hard. I think it is normal to go through the phases of intense work (and motivation) and then just a bit later all running on empty.. I am trying to break up bits of work and focus on finishing off (even if it's not the final thesis version vetted by sups).. and working towards a conference/holiday break in September :-) Then hopefully after that I will be "ready" to for the home straight (lasting a few months, no doubt).

You are not the only one... and I have heard the biggest motivator at the end is just to end it all.. and I can see why that would be.

First off, I think it is hard to judge someone in terms of supervision skills on the basis of whether they worked in industry or academia. The point is whether the person can deal with people, and maybe your supervisor in question had managerial tasks in industry, hence knows how to lead/guide/advise people... What you describe about the topic and his knowledge- it is a tricky one, and I think in the end it depends on just what kind of guy your supervisor is: Sometimes it is an advantage to have someone who is not an expert in the field, yes, it can be infuriating when you do not get the help you think you should get, but also, it allows you to become the expert first, do things the way you want, put your stamp on things. Things might take longer in the beginning. Sometimes supervisors who have been long established in their fields can be a bit conservative and are more controlling as to what you can and cannot do, and you might have to be willing to fight your corner (new idea..) much harder... I think the main point is that you feel you will get along with the person and have good vibes about the topic/subject matter yourself. That's my two penny's worth;-)

Well, I would just say (if prompted) that you were initially liking the idea of a change of scenery (as you put it) and after Birbeck did not choose you, and you still definitely wanting to do the course, you'd be happy to do it in Brighton. I suppose the general advice is to focus and say only good things (how much you are looking forward to the course, how nice it is to be in familar Brighton, etc) rather negative sounding things (shame Birbeck did not work out, rejected, not change of scenery now).. I think key is to be enthusiastic, open and friendly. Good luck.

I would hold back telling the supervisor and company people for a while. But also, I would give a bit more notice than 3 months, maybe spring 2010, because then your supervisor will still be able to recruit a new student for the new academic year in autumn (?!) and you'll give people some time to adjust to the fact that you are leaving, whilst you do not have to pretend to be there in three months time. Also, if you hold back now, you give yourself another chance (in case you needed it) to reconsider finishing the PhD. Good luck.

Well, if you and the lecturer have give revision sessions, then there is not much more you can do really. Maybe it would help to email/speak to the student in question and just tell her what you just posted: She will need to take responsibility for her own learning, i.e. sit and down and revise, revise, revise. And at the same time, she might be reassured to know that you also appreciate that it is a diffcult exam, and thus the best one can do is have a level-headed approach to it.
I read in some article (cant remember where/when..) that if a student can answer the whole of the exam perfectly, the lecturer (or the one who devised the questions) actually fails the students, as it is supposed to truly test knowledge and understanding, i.e. stretch the student. So, I think, your student in question needs to have the right attitude here to do well ?! See the exam as a challenging task, which can be fun, actually;-)

I have not been in a similar situation but maybe you could offer a revision session to all the students (how many are there?), an hour long or so, when you are willing to provide hints and tips on how to approach the exam questions? I think you should not provide individual detailed help, out of fairness to the other students, but a voluntary group session advertised to everyone on the course should be a fair way... Regarding the lecturer, has he/she offered such a session? (He/She should really do it!) If you do not feel comfortable helping this student yourself, can you direct her to the lecturer?

That does sound like a lot. I have managed about 1500 a day before, but I was clear about what I was going to say. It can probably be done, working very concentrated and long hours.. but that kind of regime for eight days? No, not impossible, but it sounds extremely hard!!

Thanks Rick. I will try phoning them and see whether that will work.

I tried two ways.
1) I read the papers, then made notes straight into word document. Later on I re-arranged notes/summaries into section and then revised the structure and text. This only works for small lit reviews, as if you have too many pages, working like that in a work document it becomes tedious and I dont really recommend doing it this way.
2) This is the better way, I found. Read the papers, make hand-written notes or summaries. Then after a good chunk of reading (I feel I have a good grasp of the topic now) I re-read my own notes, put the thinking cap on and build an outline/structure to the review. Then create subsections and with the help of the notes, write each section bit by bit. In each section, I make sure I have all the correct citations and arguments, so sometimes I needed to go back to some papers to clarify. For me, the lit review is kind of an iterative process.

I think the way an approach will work for you will also depend on how much you know already about the bigger picture of the topic. You might already have an idea of what your lit review will contain, and so, reading will be more focussed. I suppose most of the time though, there is a certain amount of reading around, and not all will end up in your lit review.