That must be nice KeepCalm! I think my supervisor makes me more nervous than the examiners would! Hopefully :$

NNNOOOOOOOOOOOO definitely not!!!!!!! I hope it doesn't even come up to be honest, but I will (politely as possible) say no if it does. I didn't think it was the 'done' thing until someone else here a while ago had her supervisor just invite himself in. But apparently he sat with his back to her and didn't say a word... is that even weirder or what???

I'm sure it must have been a shock but at least this has happened relatively early on - and 2/3 of your supervisors are staying the same - you will be fine! I know how you feel though, my supervisor is about to dump me or so it would seem... about 2 months ago he said "I've no interest in this thing (that's my research btw)" if it goes on past 1st August"... Wow thanks for the support!!!

Why don't you apply this year: If you get it, just deal with the financial issues when they come up, and if you don't you can think about that 'alternative career track'. If, after a year, you still want to do it you can apply again! I'm assuming there wouldn't be a problem applying two years in a row?

Good luck with it :-)

Yeah seriously some things should be sacred and nice quiet libraries with 'no talking/mobile phones/eating/drinking' signs everywhere is one of them. For god's sake if 'the way students learn' is by sitting around on sofas eating and drinking then why can't they just study at home???

======= Date Modified 04 Dec 2008 14:54:42 =======
Thanks for all the replies, it's nice to know I'm not the only one who is bothered by this kind of thing! I like the idea of ordering a pizza to teach them a lesson lol! I think I will go the route of getting library staff to enforce the rules... and maybe an anonymous note if that doesn't work! I don't really know any of the 'offenders' well enough to feel comfortable saying it to them - although maybe I could say "ummm, I know cause you're NEW here you don't know the rules, BUT... your crisps STINK!!!" Hahaha on second thoughts I think I will let the library staff handle it, I'm worried I won't be able to say it in a non-rude way ;-)

First of all, this is the situation: I work in a large-ish postgraduate area (about 40 desks) which is located in a separate room in the library - it is a 'quiet' work area i.e. we're not meant to talk so I assume we're not meant to eat in here either. There are signs all over the library saying no food/drink but none in this room....

Over the past few months there has been a number of new postgrads arriving and they keep treating the place like a canteen!!! It's really bugging me... all I hear all day is people munching on packets of crisps. One girl in particular, who sits right next to me, starts eating junk food from about 10am onwards. Right now her desk is overflowing with empty crisp packets, coffee cups, you name it. Also she is a big fan of 'Cheese and Onion' crisps - which I can't STAND!!! They stink... I thought I was going to get sick here one day with the smell...

So anyway what should I do? I don't want to be a bitch but it's really annoying me... I was going to put up a sign saying 'No food/drink' but I'm worried that people will know it was me and think I'm a cantankerous old bag. What would any of you do???

======= Date Modified 28 Nov 2008 15:44:59 =======
Try this thread: http://www.postgraduateforum.com/threadViewer.aspx?TID=9448

I think you are being a bit too sensitive - if you are nearly 'losing your cool' just because she suggests how you can get help with endnote I don't see how you will cope with other things like criticism of your work. She may not be the friendliest person but that doesn't mean you can't work together! My supervisor has ZERO people skills... once I tried to make small talk at the end of a meeting in the canteen and he said 'ok, off you go now' - he may as well have said 'shoo'!!! But you have to laugh about it, it was pretty hilarious ;-)

Yes! Absolutely... At least once a day I start getting distracted by looking at job websites... it is a bit depressing though in one way, I don't think there are that many options for me... I don't want to do postdoc work, I do want to get a full-time lecturing position but they are very few and far between, and the time for me to go into industry (Computing/IT) has kind of passed i.e. I have been doing a theoretical PhD and have forgotten how to program... *sigh* Any jobs I have seen are a 2/3 hour commute away... The good thing is after thinking about jobs for half an hour or so, I am actually happy to get back to my PhD!!!

Scienceishard, I am the exact same... sometimes either a handful of raisins or one of those options hot chocolates does the trick!