A 3 year PhD goes as follows:

Yr1: review all the literature in your field. identify something that is novel, learn the equipment, carry out some initial experiments, write a conference paper, write your transfer report.

Yr2: if you pass transfer, carry out all your experiments, start data analysis, and write 2 conference papers.

Yr3: thorough data analysis and write a journal paper, and write thesis. Then pass viva at the end of year 3.

Simple!! (Warning: it doesnt always go that straightforwardly)

You can spend Yr 1 learning the equipment, and catching up with things you're rusty on.

I'm sure there is a wide variation in standards between old/new/poly universities/departments, as well as between new/new universities, not to mention international differences.

The PhD system is a great leveller though. To write and have accepted a paper in a good international journal means you are good at the international level.

The real proof on the old/new/poly debate is the amount of PhD students passing, the amount of funding, the number of journal publications and the RAE rating. Just have a look on the EPSRC website for example and you'll see who the big players are in the UK in science.

However if you are at an ex-poly and have 2 international journals published during your PhD, you are probably as good as a new/old uni PhD student with 2 international journals published.

However students in the US often get 5+ journals during their PhDs, so maybe we're not that bright in the UK afterall?

I agree the situation isnt good. We should have stuck with 20% going to Uni and keeping the standards high, with a high success rate of gaining professional jobs upon graduation.

However, having 50% in Uni keeps the yobs off the streets, and the top 20% still have the opportunity to excell by getting MSc distinctions and PhDs.

The wider problem is the dumming down of job requirements and the general lack of positions where you need a PhD. This UK government does not value brilliance at all, unlike China where their government and the whole culture really looks highly on doctorates.

The culture in the UK is more about being famous and rocket science is generally looked down on. In the 60/70s the answer was to go to the US, but maybe now it is to go to China?

I had the option of this, but decided to choose a local examiner and stick with the traditional viva process, as I was more familiar with this, having seen others and knowing what to expect.

If you do decide to opt for the video conference route, make sure you are fully aware of how everything works and leave nothing to chance, like finding out the firewall has not been opened, etc.

I would do everything possible to make things go to plan on your big day.

A PhD enables you to get a job where you are paid to think. This does not mean you will earn more, in fact you may earn less; however it increases chances of getting more interesting work, and being respected more for what you do.

If you want big money, there's no need to go beyond MSc or MBA level.

I reckon a good PhD submission takes 9000 hours of productive work. How you split in is up to you (within Uni regs)

i was the same in the last 6 months before the viva. couldnt sleep, stressed to the eyeballs, depressed, tired all the time.

however i finished 2 months ago and now have a credit card with Dr Joe Bloggs on it. it feels wonderful now and i am busy getting my life back in order.

my advice is that everyone goes through hell in their 3rd year, but time passes and you will finish and pass, and then life will be wonderful. stick with it, work hard and keep a social life going with people in the same situation - you can sob together !

do the following count?

ToC, Bibliography, Appendices?

I had 10 if you include the above, or 7 if you dont.

PS. the above 2 posts should be reversed

if you work hard leading up to your viva, (a) you wont have time to worry and (b) you will be doing your best. if you really cant sleep or are having panic attacks, etc., i would see your doctor for some valium, melatonin, sleeping pills, etc. two weeks before the day, try to get your sleeping synchronized with waking up at the right time of the viva.

the night before, dont read anything. go for a walk, chat with friends who are also having their viva. support from others going through the same process i found was immensely helpful. weeks before, practice practice practice answering questions with your friends, and practice you presentation at least 5 times.

the actual day will be fine. but the build-up to it is very stressful. i was the same as you and tried all the things above. afterwards i slept for 48 hours !!

i defended successfully 2 months ago, and actually the day was a lot easier than the build-up.

i found a lot of info out there on the web about the actual viva process and what the examiners will want to ask. its certainly worth searching the web and reading everything so you know what to expect.

try to think of what positive things you have done in your research. just think how little you knew before you started and what you know now. youre not going to be the same level as a professor after your phd, but you should know your little area of research very well.

make sure you know your thesis fully in every detail. they could ask you anything. however in my viva they didnt ask many questions to trick me or delve into areas of weakness. you need to go through every page of you thesis and write down a couple of questions on each page and have an answer ready. preparation is everything and will help you relax.

try http://rswww.com/ and search for lab coats.

so you'll be getting a virtual girlfriend next, then a virtual wife, having virtual sex, and virtual babies.

haven't computers made the world a wonderful place

smart casual or formal professional.

if you're presenting definitely formal.

if you wear jeans + T-shirt people may mistake you for the cleaner.

evenings are more casual - jeans ok here, unless you go to formal gala dinner and then it's formal again.

have fun