yep, back-up, back-up, back-up - I have gotten paranoid about that lately and have my stuff backup up on two USBs, my laptop desktop, my documents which I can access off any college computer and keep emailing myself docs as well.

Good luck with your methods section, Star shaped - my favourite section :-)

While it is not unreasonable to request a different viva date due to your unavailability, your internal and external may themselves be unavailable at another date. It could be that by requesting a date change the viva may be moved from March to another month altogether. I would seek advice from your university's academic advisory board (or equivalent) and lay out your situation to them. Having said that, if at all possible I would try to stick with the original date. Not that much help I know - it does seem unfair that you yourself have not been officially told the viva date.

Best of luck, I hope it works out for you

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same for me too, I thought I was in but then couldn't get past the abstract- sorry Emmaki

I understand now why you wanted to access your external examiner's report. I'm not sure of the legalities of submitting without supervision but it seems risky. Could you ask your Head of Department to read your thesis with a view to seeing if he/she thinks it's ready to re-submit? As far as I remember you passed your viva, albeit with major corrections. If you do these major corrections, who is going to sign off on them, or do you have to do another viva? I can't see it just being up to the student to re-submit. I think you need to get good, sound advice from your university, either from your Head/Chair of Deparment or else from the Head or Dean of Postgraduates at your university.

Think things through before making any hasty decisions.

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Two years is tight, probably too tight a timeframe. I'm desperately hoping to get mine submitted this summer which would be making it in three years. A lot would depend on your fieldwork I think. If it is spread out over a long period I can't see it being possible. Possibly if you get going and complete it in a concentrated period of time, you could start writing. However a lot of the PhD process is about reflection and reflection so the actual time is part of that process. One of the lecturers in my deparment, according to department lore, did his [a hundred years ago!!] in two years but it was science-based, not humanities. Mine is in the social sciences, I did all my fieldwork during second year and have had the head down towards completion all through third year. I'm not sure if I'll make though.

When you're doing a PhD it's not totally under your control compared to undergrad or even Master's level. You have to submit drafts and get them approved. There is also an onus of responsibility on your supervisor to sign off on it so it's not totally up to you to submit. Even if you think it's good to go in two years, your supervisor and associated committee may not.

Don't get hung up on a two year submission. It sounds like you're fast so why not secretly harbour that two year goal but see how the process unfolds.

A(up)

I agree with Dunni and Fm, you're tantalisingly close. To get through your viva with minor, and it sounds like, clearly directed corrections is fantastic. When you find the motivation waning, just keep reminding yourself how great it will be come early Feb to have it done and to be able to look forward to your baby without PhD corrections hanging over you. Small workable goals written down so you can keep ticking them off would be my advice.

You can do it :-)

My friend's [literally] one minor correction is to insert one paragraph stating her ontology/epistemology explicitly. They said it was there but needed to be stated more strongly. She is very strong on theory with the result that her viva, apparently, was very methodology focussed!!

Hope your baby is okay after operation Dunni :-), puts things in perspective which I am sorely lacking just at the moment.

Goals should be in manageable chunks I know but all of a sudden the heat has been turned up and those chunks will have to get bigger. Of the group who started at the same time as me (all sorts of different topics) three of us are expecting[ed] to submit this summer. My target had been August but now it seems a first (full) draft is expected March/April for a July submission. Therefore I just have the one goal, ie to write up my PhD!

A friend of mine successfully passed her viva a week ago (only one minor correction, should take about an hour). Her advice to me, on sensing my total panic (and I pass it on to anyone who is interested), is not to be tentative in the analysis section and to have faith and be, and sound strong. Easy, right??

I can do it :-), no I don't think I can :-(, I can do it:-)

Am totally panicking

I can see where you're coming from in many ways. I struggle with the issue of relevance a lot and I'm in the social sciences, not Arts. Even though my study is funded as well, there are often times that I wonder if it really matters, I'm mean I'm not exactly spilting the atom here, am I?!? We can't all find cures for major diseases and research in whatever field is relative. Your project must have shown potential to be worthy of funding in your field. I a full time PhD student having worked for many years in a really busy, 'do it right now' environment and the pace of academia drives me bonkers at times.

The economy, pretty much everywhere, is in dire straits right now so why not stick with something you enjoy, and obviously must be good at? The research skills you pick up will be invaluable even if you eventually do go back into business, in an area unrelated to your PhD. Being a part time PhD student is not an easy option and motivation to work in the evenings and at weekends might be harder to muster after a long day working at your own business.

Re: funding - every jurisdiction and funding organisation probably have their own rules. I toyed with the idea of going part time and asked my 'boss' how it would affect my funding and he said that it would have to be re-negotiated but that more than likely I wouldn't lose it, or be asked to pay it back.

That my tuppence worth anyhow ;-)

I should add that Tinkler and Jackson are writing based on research carried out across British universities.

Not sure if you can actually make contact with him, maybe an informal contact using your supervisor as honest broker might be more effective???

According to Tinkler and Jackson (2004: 213) "The Data Protection Act [1998] has changed the situation somewhat ... institutions seem to accept that candidates can have access to their examiners' reports uner the terms of the Act. There may, however, be time restrictions, and in some cases a fee to pay ... In general, it seems that whereas candidates can request access to their examiners' reports under the Data Protection Act, many universities are not keen for candidates to see them, and will not allow access without a formal request."

Tread carefully it seems

Good luck with it

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Watch Alibi without feeling guilty, buy gzillion more crime books from Amazon, tour Italy by train, drive Route 66 in a Winnebago (cliched I know but I still want to do it) but mainly what I don't want to do is have to transcribe interviews EVER AGAIN!!

Cool thread:-)

Sorry to hear that, I had a bad feeling when you got the brush off from the office. I also was rejected a few times which makes an offer, when it comes, all the sweeter.

Good luck with your other interviews

A

======= Date Modified 11 Jan 2011 20:47:17 =======
Congrats from me too Keenbean, lovely news :-) Must be really tough keeping that news to yourself. When he does propose you'll have to remember to act really surprised!

I also chose my ring with my now hubby all those years ago; I think we paid for it with a bit of cash, three credits cards...! We were stony broke at the time. Just had to get it re-sized up which is bit depressing though.

Stuff angry women supervisors.

======= Date Modified 11 Jan 2011 20:48:29 =======
Thanks for that Cate, some other interesting links off that one as well. I think your links thread is a great idea.

I got the Tinkler and Jackson book today after seeing you mention it here. I know others mentioned it before but your post reminded me to get it out of the library. I hope to submit at the end of the summer. How sad is this - am planning an early night tonight especially to read chapter 10!!

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