if i pass im going to sleep for 3 months.

Should you stay or should you go now
If you go there will be trouble
An' if you stay it will be double
So come on and let us know
Will you stay or will you go

dear doc2008,

how many journal papers does a phd student typically achieve in the US before their defense. In the UK we usually try for one or two.

so you have 3 years taught coursework and then 4 years independent research? what GPA do you need to get accepted onto a phd programme?

i have heard that the US phd system is more advanced than the UK system which is best: US or UK phd?

Questions for the psychologists:
1. How does depression correlate with intelligence?
2. Maybe depression and being a 2nd/3rd year PhD student is +1 correlated?!!

I find music helps when I'm depressed. Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon usually picks me up.

Anyway, it's quite normal to be clinically depressed when you look at the state of the world, and more people have it than is thought.

Being suicidal is when it's a big problem, and I've heard the Samaritans can help.

Matt82,

i think anyone who goes through this phd thingy-whatsit is either mad at the start, but definitely mad at the end of it. (this includes me). i have no admiration for phd students at all - worst people on the planet if you ask me.

i would get a job, as long as you're not expecting major re-writes after your sup reviews what you've done.

It typically takes 1-3 months between submission and viva, but I have heard of as much as 12 months occasionally.

I think it's perfectly natural to say to your dept that you have not decided what to do after the PhD. It shouldn't make a difference.

I would have a polite chat with your dept's head, if your supervisor cannot help.

The timing usually depends on having all examiners, chair and sup available at the same time, which is quite difficult !

is anyone else going to the conference who can present it?

alternatively, simply neither you nor supervisor goes, and the session chair will just say "no show" and move on. this is quite common when venue is miles away.

the above should be acceptible to any "reasonable" supervisor. maybe there's some hidden agenda with forcing you to go?

hello,

i was hoping to hear more about what actually is said during the viva and the form of the viva. For example, who does most of the talking and is the thesis scrutinized sequentially of randomly. how many questions are there and how long should you take to answer them. how do you avoid getting trapped by the examiner. i'm not so interested in the outcome - that's more personal.

i guess most people here still have their viva to go, but it would be good to hear from those who have gone through it.

although i have found a lot of info on the web, it would be interesting to compare people's experiences of what actually goes on behind doors during a viva. i guess it's very different between countries and subjects.

What did you Supervisor say?

No award with major corrections is common although not as common as pass with minor corrections. It does happen though - a recent viva here had to do major corrections.

It does not mean you are not clever enough for a PhD - it just means you either have to do more work or restructure the thesis.

You will do fine - don't worry - just fulfil the examiner's requests within the deadlines set.

Good luck!

my university guidelines suggest a 8x6 working week.

however many people do 12x6 to make progress.

however if you're unwell, back-off. a phd can take more than 3 years.

I found it very useful to look through previous theses in my dept. You should be able to obtain these from your head's secretary or via your library.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I will buy a boring book - any examples?

And maybe all the single gals and guys on this forum could experiment with shani's last suggestion?