I always try to dress a bit more 'professional' on the days that I'm teaching - nothing too hectic, I wouldn't go as far as a suit but maybe trousers instead of jeans or a shirt instead of t-shirt. A lot of other lecturers here dress REALLY casual but they are usually older... I feel like because I am younger I need to dress up a bit to differentiate myself from the students. Also sometimes I teach adults at night and as they are all older than me I feel like I might not be taken seriously if I waltz in wearing a hoodie! I could just be paranoid though...

As you have seen already from other posts you are not alone! But I just wanted to add that I know how you are feeling - several years ago when I was doing my undergrad degree I had a really bad year where I was totally depressed. I don't really want to spill all the details on a public forum, but I went to talk to the student counseller which helped. You definitely need to talk to someone and I understand that sometimes you can't say these things to people close to you because you don't want to upset them.

I think the most important thing that I realised since then is: Life will go on, and you won't always feel this way. I know when you are in the middle of it you feel like you were always this sad and you always will be, but that's not true. Things will get better! You just need to deal with the problem by talking to someone about it. Best of luck and I hope you feel better soon!

Irish??? We say 'ye' a lot here too :-)

I agree it's distracting but a welcome distraction in my case! And as my whole reason for doing a PhD is to get a lecturing job I think the more experience I get the better... I also agree about the teaching qualification, some lecturers may be experts but if they can't get the material across to students then it's pointless! I think I'd like to get a teaching qualification of some sort if/when I finish the PhD... part-time of course!!!

I was told that I didn't get to pick examiners - so my supervisor has picked one for me - but that I could 'veto' someone if I didn't like the sound of them. However, other students in my department have been told to pick their own examiners - so even within one department it seems to vary!!!

In my first year I met my supervisor weekly for about an hour... but I'm not in social science though...

Oh dear... So this is where students get their 'scruffy' reputation from? Just joking :-) Seriously though, in my humble opinion doing a PhD is not a good enough reason to ignore your health! However, I have probably gone to the opposite extreme - I have become obsessed with exercise... yet another means of procrastination ;-)

I didn't hear his speech but I think he's lovely! I really like him for some reason he just seems so well-spoken and kind and everything... haha wouldn't be hard to be 'well-spoken' in comparison to George Bush though!

You probably don't want to hear this, but you did ask...

I think it's kinda creepy. Either you're right and she is attracted to you, then she's being really inappropriate... or you're wrong and you're still flirting with her which is you being inappropriate. I think just stop, give it up, get over it... and if you can't then you need to find another prospective supervisor.

Hi Betty maybe this might be of some help... somebody posted this link here about a year ago or possibly more! It is a "phrasebank" of academic phrases... so there might be more alternatives you could use in there!

http://www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk/

Yes I think Walminski has a point - it really depends on the person! But I always got the impression that the EdD and PhD were at the same level, just different letters - so I imagine there would be the same amount of work involved in both? I don't think one would necessarily be easier than the other...

I always have trouble getting to sleep so I know how you feel and I often feel drained in work... This really weird thing started happening to me lately, either when I am falling asleep or just after waking up that I get paralysed for a few minutes. Yes you heard me, paralysed... it is the freakiest thing ever!!! I can't move a muscle or make a sound even I am struggling like crazy to move or speak... but then after a few minutes it just stops. I actually thought I had had a stroke the first time it happened :-( Very scary... but I looked it up on the good old Internet and apparently it is called 'sleep paralysis' and can happen to 60% of people!!! At least now I know it is nothing serious but it's still odd... Has this ever happened to anyone here?

Hi Billy! I might be a few votes away from another star, but hey it can't hurt ;-) Mmmm... I should at least try to say something helpful... Ooh ok here is a quote I like...

"If we knew what we were doing, it wouldn't be called research" Einstein

Ta-daaa!!! Hope it helps :-)