I had just kind of slumped and given up recently and was just thinking - oh well - I guess I'll know if it's all rubbish when the external reads it. Dont' really want it to go that far though :P

I have also been to another dept for math advice but the main guy was clear that he didn't deal with individuls' projects (I think he gets a ton of people begging for this) - but I went to his course and spoke to a couple of postdocs.

You are right. Before I submit I must get an appropriately mathsy person to check it over. There are plenty of them here - it's the delicate matter of getting one to agree to REALLY look at it - I shall have to think about that.

An external was proposed a while back that I was very happy with but when I repeated this last time my supervisor didn't seem to remember having suggesed him! I'm hoping it will still be him though.

There is someone in my faculty who coudl definitely do this. I asked him about this ages ago and he has been on sabbitical and tends now to refer all math queries to his new assistant. Noe I had some brief advice from each of them - and on both counts it has turned out to be wrong. This is because they answered to quickly without looking into what it was really about. So I am feeling a bit burned there.

Hey LU - are you acknowledging your supervisor in you thesis....? I know I have to say soemthing - but I will be wording it VERY carefully.

Well i think my thesis is in Uranus write now....

Sorry, just couldn't resist

Good thinking Olivia. I think I will make some kind of list come Sep and suggest that someone else needs to review at least some of it. I don't yet know who my internal examiner will be and I'm not sure how that might affect such a choice - maybe someone who acts as an advisor can't also be your exminer - could be tricky. Let's face it, people don't queue up enthusiastically to check someone's thesis when they don't ahve to.

He's very slippery. Quite likely to agree and promise everything then just disappear.

No-one can lean on my supervisor unfortunately - can't explain why without giving TMI

I have complained in the past and basically absolutely nothing happened. When he gets back though, I am really going to have to push harder for feedback. It's just really hard to keep any momentum going like this. It's as if this whole PhD is just a figment of my demented imagination...

I don't think I can call *again* but I am thinking of just sending chapters to him and asking for feedback by a certain date. I think he's just leaving until Sep now anyway. At least, as you say, I can have a trail showing I tried.

I did try going to someone else in my dept for advice but he just said it wasn't his area - and I thought he was the closest.

And apparently he ony reads stuff at a meeting and feeds back. So I'm wondering just how thoroughly 30 pages of theoretical math modelling can be checked by someone who is unfamliar with both the method and the topic by reading it through for 10 minutes. So I wonder if it's even worth chasing for. Am I doomed.

I'm just sliding into a murky sludgy working-from-home-in-a-black-hole rut here.

I always thought that I could make it on my own
Since you left I hardly make it through the day
My tears get in the way
And I need you back to stay

Anyone eles remember this Bread song? I'm thinking of emailing the lyrics to my supervisor. He's been MIA since about Feb. I've emailed. I've called. He's apologised and made promises. But still - I'm lost and all alone....

My grant runs out in Oct and I'd really like to submit between then and Xmas. Has anyone else ever submitted a thesis without anyone actually checking it first?

Yes it's common in quatitiative research - just part of the overall challenge. No idea about your area though. Sorry you have been struck by lightning twice, but in my limited experience, all the people I know who changed supervisors went from the frying pan to the fire. Not sure why that is.

You have the right to be mad. I wouldn't say this is normal but it does happen. It happened to me - my supervisor finally read through my thesis in front of me 4 days before submission. I did complain about lack of supervision but absolutely nothing happened.

Has he always been like this with all his students? Can you meet or get feedback from the other advisor in the meantime? Is there anyone you can go to to register your complaint (for future reference in case there are problems when you submit)?

That's brilliant for a day! I hardly ever break 4 figures...

You can see how focussed I am by the regularity of my posts when i should be working....

Oh definitely. No hope of getting done my Oct but aiming for Xmas - and as you say - you'd think I'd be eager and excited to be reaching the end. But I'm not really - I'm finding it hard to keep going and don't work the hours I planned to.