Weights, gym, swimming, I'm exhausted! Watch the shoulder Batfink, it can really drag you down.

Pink, I would be very careful. The whole issue of pro-editing came up in my uni recently with a directive that the practice was to stop immediately. We were all intrigued as to who had gotten their stuff pro-edited - somebody obviously had. I was naive enough to be astonished that some people obviously were getting their stuff professionally edited. A couple of us went online and were amazed at the services that are out there. To us it seemed to emanate mainly from the U.S. Some advertised that you could send them your raw data and they would 'sort' it out statistically for you. Then come your viva you could get them to talk you through why you selected the stat tests you did!!!

I think once you pay for a service your ethics are compromised to a degree. Think how horrible it would be if it came up in your viva. I would be wary and to be honest wouldn't go down that road myself. Def check what the guidelines are where you study.

Hi Ian

I feel bad you haven't had a reply. I did see your original post but found it difficult to formulate a good answer. I'll cobble together something here and hopefully the fact that your post thread will move up the forum might trigger somebody with better ideas to contribute!

My initial reaction was that your friend sounds competent and essentially well able to move fields, take up a new area of study, cope with a PhD etc. PLEASE don't get me wrong but you admit that you're 6/7 years post PhD (you lucky thing!) and also in a different area (science vs your friend's humanities/social sciences) so maybe things are a bit different from when you completed? Yes he might get mid-term blues but might that be you projecting the experiences of others (you?) onto him? Maybe he will be one of those people that whizzes through it with a great sense of purpose and little of the angst that befall many of us? Even if he does start to question his decision, I think it's a decision best left to him, with advice from a friend who has been through it, but yet supportive of whatever he decides.

I'm not in Economics or education but I am in the social sciences and from my perspective 'our' PhDs tend to be broader than a science lab-based one. I envy people doing experiments - that's the extent of my knowledge of what you guys do in the lab!! So you see what I mean? Unless you're in an area there are some things that are hard to advise on

Ian, I question my decision daily to do this PhD and yet there are days when I say 'yes, I know what I'm doing (I think!)'. RE: funding I know nothing except to say that I imagine that Economics would be a tough field to be in at the moment given the worldwide economic climate.

Such are my misc thoughts - back to correcting 80 :-( undergraduate exams

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Hi DanO

Kind of a hard one to advise on. From my experience those in the world of geography pretty much all know each other, or know someone who knows someone in the field so I think I would ask your current supv(s) for advice and ask if they know anyone in your partner's new uni. It's not unreasonable I think, to be honest and say what your 'loose' plans are. Of course that presupposes that they know you're hoping to submit in 8 months! If so, they shouldn't mind putting you in touch with somebody. Networking, I'm brutal at it but it needs to be done!

Good luck(up)

Hi Kiad

I'm not being facetious but 'shortly' could indeed mean anything; as you say a few days, weeks etc. Professors are clever people but can often be slow in moving things along. Having said that, it is positive that you got a reply from both, this is not always the case. There is nothing wrong with casting your net further afield and making tentative inquiries elsewhere but I would be careful that you are not seen as playing one off against the other. I know this is not what you're doing but it could be misconstrued. The world of academia in a particular field can be small and you will find WHEN, not if (!!) you enter that everybody tends to know each in whatever your area is!

If it were me I would try to wait until about two weeks after you sent your original email and then contact them to see if they have thought further. It's hard to know if they will let you know if they are not interested. My guess is probably not, but then again they did reply so possibly they will. It would be the polite thing to do.

Not much help probably!!

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Thanks Dunni, much appreciated. Actually I remember one day a lecturer and I were discussing the PhD process and I muttered something about self-doubt etc. I remember her looking at me quizzically and saying "oh but that never goes away!".

I'm a nincompoop, albeit a nincompoop doing a PhD ;-)

Welcome onboard Star-Shaped, the summer 2011 deadline express:-)

Thanks Pink for words of support. I wish I did knit or crochet as I can see how something physically getting larger each day could help with the visualisation process. My approach is a bit different, I don't set myself word targets rather sub section targets. I am meeting them but can't help feeling that what I am writing is a total load of tosh!!

My escapisms are reading crime (way too much of that but hey, it's me) and (I wish I could reduce the font size for this), ironing! Half of my family wear a uniform so there's always those to iron alongside the regular stuff. Now that is sad :-(

Don't mind me, I'm usally pretty positive and if I do get down, it only lasts for a very short time. It's just that lately all I can think of is what I haven't done, not what I have. That sort of thinking is not going to get this thesis written however. Postive thoughts only allowed for me from now on :p

Thanks again
:-)

Hi Teresa

Just sent it to you, have your email id from before

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Hey All

Just wondering how everybody is getting on? Dunni I know, is motoring and closer everyday:-) Pink you (always) sound so upbeat and seem to writing, writing. Is it just me that gets so paralysed by fear that I 'fear' I'll never do it??:-( For me the productivity is not really an issue as 'fear' drives me to work, work, work. However, I'm terrified I won't be 'able' to do it. Please tell me I'm not unique??

Sounds an interesting viva. Congrats Dr. Rick, good job(up)

Everybody's goals sound like they are being met - brill!
Dunni, you are finger-tip close to submission, keep going(up)

My goal for tonight is catch up on lost work from this afternoon due to, eh hem, eh two and a half hour catch-up lunch with friend :$ Still we 'sorted' everybody in our department out!!!

I presume your next sentence starts with 'However'? Still not convinced that ill-placed is correct word choice in this instance as for me it implies that they are not suitable for this case but could be suitable for another - possibly this is part of your argument though? I am wrestling with reseracher positionality a lot at the moment as a lot of my stuff focusses on people under 18.

Unsuitable, ill-equiped to me would be preferable to ill-placed.

as in the researcher's postionality in the research and how it may influence, or be seen to influence research and its subsequent analysis?
I don't think ill-placed in this context is correct as to be ill-placed (to me) means that you are in the wrong place, or the wrong person (or bear!) to conduct the interview. However you see to be arguing that "while polar bears may seem ill-placed to conduct the research, in fact they were able to because..." Difficult to write without italics!!

I was going to say 'ill-equiped' instead but re-reading your polar bear example that would not be right either, ie polar bears can not be trusted (in their instincts)...as they may eat them'. However if you mean not have the qualifications or is not the most suitable person (or bear as the case may be!) I don't think 'ill-placed' is correct. Interesting...

Just checking in folks to let you know that the 'Fay Weldon' approach to my thesis seems to be working, ie new work in the morning, editing etc in the afternoon. I'll have to credit her in my acknowledgements - if I ever get there!