======= Date Modified 11 Jan 2011 10:33:41 =======

sorry just see your reply to your first reply now, you must have been posting when I was typing up mine!

to be honest I had thought that too.

From my own knowledge in a previous existence (!!) pilots go through pretty rigorous psych type testing during the course of their training. They are often asked intrusive questions to see how they get on, eg I know one guy who was asked how the recent death of his mother affected him and he was given quite a grilling. Unless you can give a cast iron guarantee of anonymity you might find it hard to get participants. Will your results be given to aviation authorities or the airlines of participating pilots. Ethically, if you do find pilots are affected, are you be obliged to contact the airlines for health and safety purposes?? I would imagine pilots would be very wary of being identified in this way.

It's a tough one in my opinion

A

Hi AJ

Sorry, I'm not quite sure if you got offered a studentship following your telephone interview or not?? When I got offered mine I got a telephone call, no email, no letter, nothing. Others who followed me a few months later did, I believe, get an email but again I don't think they ever got a letter.

You could try phoning but I think I would try to hold off until tomorrow afternoon if at all possible. I think you said that it would be mid week when they said they would let you know. It's hard to wait, I know but fingers (and toes crossed) for you.

A

Chuff and Joyce give excellent advice. You do sound like you are being very hard on yourself although I know that when you feel down it is very difficult to look objectively at yourself. You have made it to the third year of your PhD so that is an achievment in itself. I definetly struggle with the originality side of things and am terrified that come my viva the external will refuse to assess such a boring PhD! However originality comes in many forms, it could be your theoretical framework, your methodology, your analysis, how you selected your cases etc. I was told that as long as at least one area of your PhD demonstrates originality well that is its contrubution to knowledge. I keep telling myself that my supervisor won't let me go into my viva unless I have a fighting chance of passing - he won't won't he?!? I look at people in science based doctorates and marvel and wonder what they think of those of us in the social sciences.

Although a PhD is hard in many ways for someone feeling the way you do, it does allow you time to think things through as opposed to if you were in a job where you would probably have to take time off.

I would definetely try to get objective, outside help. Somebody who will understand your dilemmas and yet help you come to the best decision for yourself. At the very least search back through the forum here and you will see that most of us suffer from self-doubt which can be really debilitating at times. However strength in numbers...

Thinking of you

A

I certainly wouldn't leave out work experience. I think the key phrase here is 'transferable skills' which most employers want their employees to have, and in essence if you get funding for a PhD you are an employee of that funding organisation. Google or research best practice re: CVs. You say that you painted houses - fair enough maybe not directly applicable to a PhD in pharmacology (!!) but did you have to give quotes, prepare invoices etc? Also in painting these houses no doubt you had to stick to a timeframe which is a transferable skill to any other field. I would go through whatever work experience you have and tease out the skills that went with each job. What you want your CV to demonstrate is that you have the academic credentials to study further, you have transferable skills, you are flexible, a good time keeper, are able to project manage etc. Finally you can put in a personal statement at the beginning of the CV, ie before the reader sees your work experience where you can lay out how your flexibility, motivation etc.

Good luck

I think it's bad form not to contact the organisers and tell them you won't be there. You may well be submitting to them in the future and people have long memories... It also ensures that your paper is not called once the conference is on and somebody annouces to all present that "so and so was due to present now but doesn't seem to be here, so we'll move on". Keep the excuse simple and vague but I would let them know if it were me.

From all the PhDs I've looked at and from my, half-written one that I am formatting as I go, the main chapter titles are centered and all the sub-ones are on the left, flush with the left margin. I think the main thing is to be consistent whatever style you choose. My uni does have a formattting guide and there it says to center the main title and all others to be on the left.

Best of luck submitting, you lucky thing :-)

Good for you Star-shaped and Button (hope you are recovered). I too finished my article and emailed to my supervisor.

I don't really mind working at the weekend having worked shift work for many years. What I mind is the 7-day week which I feel I have been doing for ages now. Can't see it likely to change until after I submit. Am feeling sorry for myself today. Still, think positive so it's great to have that article sent off as it was starting to invade my dreams!

so will I :-)

I clean and then I clean some more. Interspersed with all this cleaning I check my email. These things always seem to happen at weekends and bank holidays etc. My sympathies, I hate waiting for things like that too. I'm waiting on an email as well since Tuesday but nothing so far...

I did check but my uni too only has them from 2008 onwards - sorry about that

Academia, and in particular admin academia, works in an alternate universe, one that moves at a very slow pace. If you haven't heard yet, I wouldn't worry too much.

goal for today is get article I have been working on since November finished...hang a minute, was that not yesterday's goal, and the day before's?? :(

Hi there

Oh Dear, I guess it's the nature of people that means we tend to 'forget' about good experiences and zoom in on the bad. I get solice from reading various posts here about people in similar situations to my own and am relieved that I am not the only one going through the agony and [very] occasional ectassy of the PhD process. All of the posts are not bad, some are funny, many very helpful. I am only a recent member though a long time lurker!

In brief it is of course possible to project manage your PhD efficiently as long as you retain perspective and realise that things don't always go to plan. That said, in general, your hours are your own and so if you work better at 3a.m., go for it! While I work away at all sorts of hours due to family committments, I know plenty of people who treat it very strictly as a job and only work from 9-5.

It is different from undergrad and Masters in that at the end of the day it is really up to you. Top marks at undergraduate and masters level do not necessarily a top PhD fellow make:( My advice is this: ease into it gradually but yet don't let that first year slip away - contradictary I know but many people feel if they are not writing, writing, writing, or experimenting (think this is what science-type people do!!!) they are doing nothing. Reading into your subject is as important as anything else.

Good luck with your decision

A