Living off £3000 a year?? That's £250 a month.. That would just cover my rent.. How the hell did you manage that?? I would love to be able to live off £300.

I live comfortably and can generally afford most things I want but occasionally I have to be careful not to overspend.. There are loads of living costs to think about:- household bills, food, travel to and from the lab, books etc..

I wonder if she has been waiting for more replies before she accepts the PhD hehe

Along the badminton line.. I find squash a good way to relieve stress.. nothing gets rid of frustration better than smacking some balls around the court.

I agree H.. I just shop at high street stores.. You don't need to break the bank to look good

I had high hopes for today.. set my alarm for 7 with a view for getting in at around 8 this morning.. But it didn't work.. Got up at 8:15 and made it into the lab for 9:45.. d'oh never mind.. there's always tomorrow!

Well I have been told that the lit review should make up part of my first year report which should be around 10 000 words. I think the average for a days solid work is about 1000 words a day.

I know where I am there is a training budget which will pay for some conferences etc.. might be worth investigating if there is something similar at your spot?

I would imagine that the MRes part of the course is compulsory

My office needs a serious make over.. some funky lighting, snazzy art work etc.. ah well a boy can dream.

Why is it that scientists as a rule have no dress sense!

Yeah I read about that.. her husband is a lawyer and tries to defend her but to no avail.. she gets nowhere as people are only pointing out fact.

Its bad enough that you can buy a PhD.. What makes me really angry is when you get a self claimed expert like 'Dr' Gillian McKeith on TV and in the popular press giving ridiculous advice to people and in my opinion conning people that she is a real Dr.

this is apt lol...

http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=808

A bit more info would be good.. Do you mean in general as part of your research or do you mean a PhD student researching the same subject?

Because in general I am a customer in many shops and I only buy things that I perceive are good quality.. When I want something I orientate myself in the direction of the shop in which I feel I will get the best value. Then I co-operate by paying for said item

When I was applying I had a few phone conversations which were almost like interviews where they asked about my interests and experiences, but they were informal and then formal interviews and visits were organised. I wouldn't beat yourself up too much about it, I hadn't done much in the way of lab work and so I didn't always know what they were going on about but I was just honest and they seemed OK with that. So i wouldn't worry too much that you were unsure about things, one supervisor told me that as long as you know the basic theory then any technique can be taught. He was more interested in motivation etc.

Bugger.. where is my receipt? I am going to have to get a refund for my instant PhD degree