Hey Teek

Yeh, a Masters after a PhD, more studying!! Poor you!! Still, doing course work would be sooo much easier...

Yep, one of the jobs I'm being interviewed for is the dream job, DH would join me in that city eventually, once he found a good job. The other is a civil service job in a fabulous city. So, either of them would be much better than where I am now!! Just have to hope my health is ok and I can take up new challenges...

I have been working a little less lately, and spending some time with my sweet, sick dog (happy dspite the cancer, just not very mobile) and partner. But have also been gearing back up again, for another big push. Just has to be done!

Hey AL, hope you're ok. And why do these things crop up at the end of the PhD process?? As if the thesis isn't stressful enough, all we need are health issues too!! I had some absolutely ghastly tests done yesterday, will get the results back in a few days, will let you know how I get on. Thank you for thinking of me, it means a lot. Fingers crossed for all of us!!

Right, back into it.

Wow AL, almost done!!!! Excellent!!!! I think I'd go with the viva on 30th - get it over and done with. You know your stuff, you've been working on it for years, just do another 3 weeks of lots of work then you'll be Dr AL!!! So, stick with the date I think. AL - are you OK? Have you got health stuff going on?

I'm flat out at the moment - preparing for 2 job interviews, going a grant application which is due next week, still have thesis to do, altho my submission date has been pushed back again, till late October. Also waiting on medical test results. Life is just insane at the moment. But am coping. Keep working, keep going. Phew....

Yes, some good advice here - especially about referencing as you go. This is really important - I didn't reference properly as I went through, and had to spend a full two weeks at the end doing nothing but references - tedious. Also grab every opportunity you can - for publishing papers, speaking at conferences, networking etc. You'll have a lot of work to do, but try to do as much as you can - it will help you get a job afterwards.

Enjoy it! I hated the writing up part of the process, but loved everything else - learning, being on campus, and loved the field work. Good luck!

Yes, I agree with the others, a full-time PhD is full-time, and working 4 days a week would be extremely difficult. I worked 3 days a week for a lot of my PhD, and even that was too much and I ended up taking a year off to write it up. Work less - you'll get your thesis done quicker and won't burn out as much. A PhD is really hard, and you need to give yourself as much time and space as possible. Good luck!

Thank you everybody!

I agree Rick, am going to emphasise what I'm good at, and acknowledge where I need to learn. Two of the panel members are statisticians, which worries me a bit, as I have no quant skills, but am just going to have to push my great qual research skills instead.

Thanks Eska for your info - that's really useful. I'm thinking about how I could collaborate with people at the prospective uni, but hadn't thought about reading the mission statement and knowing future directions. You're point about not making it all about me is a really good one, I think.

And thanks AQ, would love any info you'd care to send!

Thanks again everyone.

Hello everyone! Haven't posted in ages, but now would appreciate any advice. I have a job interview for my dream job! It's a research job in my area, where there are never jobs, but now this one has come up.

I have to give a 15 minute presentation on 'my central achievements, my research, and where I see it developing over the next 5 years'. Then I have to do a 45 min interview. The panel is made up of 3 professors generally in my area, a statistician in a completely different area, and a hard sciences professor - I'm in social sciences.

Any tips welcome!! I've done loads of non-academic job interviews, and know how to prepare and present myself well, but have never done an academic interview. Thanks everyone!

Gosh AL, off to the printers!!! How exciting!!! Well done, you!!

Sorry I haven't been posting here, and haven't offered support. Life has been madness. Have been working in my job, making corrections and referencing and trying to find someone to redo my diagrams, looking after my dog (who has good days and bad days - and unfortunately is in a bad stage at the moment) and also dealing with my own health issues.

And I've been offered an interview for the dream job!! It's in about 3 weeks, so while that's great, it also adds to the workload and makes life more complicated.

So, hang in there everyone, deep breaths, cope with stupid sups, keep working, and we'll get there.

Hi Matilda and Rick

Thank you for your wisdom, and especially thank you for your inspiration, Matilda. That's truly impressive. Yours and Bilbo's story makes me realise that we can do anything, if we're determined enough, and that there really are more important things in life than the thesis. As I mentioned, I'm waiting and hoping that I'm not going to be given a really awful diagnosis - but knowing that other people have studied while ill makes me realise that even if I do get bad news, not all is lost.

Thank you!

Hi Rick

Nice to hear from you! And glad you're well again, sounds like you've been through a rough patch. Hope you continue to stay well. That sounds frustrating, not knowing about your thesis, and when your viva will be - hopefully you're well enough to chase this up now. Has to be over and done with!

And interesting what you say about health issues...I'm facing (or rather, hoping I'm not facing), serious health issues too. Last time I went through a bad patch health wise, I determined to do a PhD, to do something major with my life. Funny, huh? Weird logic...Now I just need to get it finished, so I can enjoy other things in life, which are more important than the thesis...

All the best, take care.

Hey AQ

Sorry to hear things are bad for you, and hope the bad news isn't too bad. Why does it happen like this? It seems that on top of the thesis stress, we also have to suffer awful other life stresses too, right when we're most vulnerable. Like Walkminksi says, go in there, listen, find out what you need to do, then do it. Try and have a thick skin, and just think, this will be over soon!!! Count down the days, plan rewards, do whatever you have to...you can do this.

I've also received some bad news, which could potentially get a lot worse. And also have 6 weeks till submission. And a meeting with my sup in 2 days. Honestly, these things are sent to test us...

Hi Pineapple

(((Pineapple))) Hugs!!

Don't cry - or have a cry, and then get back to it. Have you done a reverse calendar to see if you can do that amount of work in the 47 days? Do a plan and see how it looks - it may not be all that bad. And it does sound like an awful lot of work, but it is possible to get a huge amount done towards the end. You'll need to put in lots of hours, but keep steadily working, and you'll see, it will get done.

Do you really need to meet this deadline? Can you extend it at all? And am sure your sups don't think you're rubbish - they're planning on you passing, after all! I think that sometimes sups just forget that we need encouragement, and they go blindly on critiquing our work. The stress in the final stages of writing up is enormous, and it's physically, emotionally and mentally draining. I was in tears every few days for the last couple of months. It's hard, but keep going. You can do it!

Hi Monte, Congrats on getting your final draft in!! Well done!!! And glad to hear you had a rest too.

I applied for the dream job, and my partner will move there too, eventually, if I get the job, So, fingers crossed!!! And my dog is doing really well, thanks. She's on chemo, is a lot better, and has energy and is happy. So, things are going ok at the moment! Apart from my paid work, which I hate, but oh well, hopefully won'e be for too long.

I'm referencing at the moment, and it's taking me forever. I had the references included in the text, but chasing up online versions of old speeches/government publications etc, checking journal edition numbers etc etc is a slow and tedious process. I get about 10 an hour done, if I'm lucky. Ah well.

You'll get it all done Monte, it'll come together, and soon we'll all be free!!

Hey Matilda

Be brave and have thinck skin for your meeting with your sups. When I met mine after they'd gone over most of the thesis, I was depressed for weeks afterwards. Their comments weren't all that negative, was just the let down of knowing I still had a lot of work to do...hope they love yours tho and you don't need to do much more!

Hi Jojo. As you can see, we're all inching slowly towards finishing! My complete draft is with sups, and I'm really, really hoping I don't have to rewrite the whole thing again. Am hoping to submit next month - woo!

Glad to hear we're all going well!! Take care of yourself AQ, avoid the cold. I also have a cold, and have been taking millions of garlic and horseradish tablets, which have made it manageable and I haven't yet succumbed. It's not surprising, our bodies need a rest...

Sorry to hear your partner is away AL...but at the same time, it means no distractions. You don't have to cook or clean for you both - let the housework go, make lots of healthy food you can reheat to keep you going, and settle in...

Well, now the job apps have been done, back to referencing. I knew I should've done more as I went along - can't believe that I only get 3 done an hour for some parts of the thesis...gawd, will be here forever...