Thanks for starting this thread, Liminalplace! I'm in my third year too and utterly sick of the whole damn thing. Confidence, morale, motivation and general feelings of ability at an all time low. BUT, I've got my trusty month-by-month plan and I'm going to stick at it. I love reading this forum and seeing that everyone goes through the same ups and downs and (usually) pulls through.

Hello!

I'm a fellow third year person, and my funding finishes in Sept 09, so I'm kind of in the same boat! I've been worried about the lack of time and simply feeling like screaming! The prospect of 9 months to go is a very scary thought indeed! Personally, I really did not think I would get this far at all (what with upgrade nightmares!).

My supervisors have given me strict deadlines to be able to collect everything by- so I'm feeling the pressure in getting things into them. I have till March to carry out a few more focus groups (eeeek!) then from March onwards basically write the thesis. I guess these deadlines are good in a way as it enables me to focus on small tasks rather than getting all stressed and worried about everything!

I too have the same thoughts about wanting to produce a good thesis, not something that is a half arsed attempt- but knowing my picky supervisors, there's no way they would let me submit something that wasn't going to pass. On my white board, I have a numbered list of the months left to go as well as a cut off point where everything has to be completed (ie end of March). This seems to be keeping me motivated. I've haven't as of yet, but I've been advised to look at compeleted theses just to get an idea of what the overall picture will look like. Right now, I'm struggling to see what my remaining chapters will look like!

So far, I've written 5 chapters and completed 95% of fieldwork and am about to start my qualitiative analysis and begin eyeballing some the first few parts of my quantitative data (remaining data sets I'll be receiving in early March). I've written over 90,000 in total so I already know that I'll have to cut these chapters down massively to include my results and discussions chapters.

What's a little annoying is that my supervisors seem to have this negative view of what I can do which isn't nice at all. They don't think I'll be ready to submit by September with a strong likelihood of extension year, but I'll try my best to do as much as I can by then. Little bit of motivation and general belief from them that I can do it isn't much to ask I guess!

I'm going to keep plodding on, it's all I can do I guess! Hopefully we will all get there in the end!

xx

Hi Pineapple,

Sounds like you've done loads of work, but I know the scary feeling of a final deadline - it's so final!! Why don't you ask your supervisors why they think you'll need an extension? Then you'd know where they're coming from with all this, it might do your confidence a bit of good too. It might not be that they doubt your abilities at all, it may be related to their past experience of other students and from that, they're assuming that there might be loads of rewriting and analysis needed after you've completed your data collection?

When are you aiming for a chunky almost-complete draft of your whole thesis? The reason I'm wondering is because my own thesis only took its final shape when I'd done the big draft, and even after that I had to swop 2 chapters around (and am still rearranging the content within those 2). Before that I knew I'd been cutting it a bit fine with my submission date, and before my draft before xmas was submitted I got the impression that my sups were worried I'd manage it on time. Maybe they still are, but all you can do is try to prove them wrong, which fingers crossed (and all the other cliches) will be possible in my case!

The question of extension (if there's money available) is a good one, and your supervisors have more experience of seeing the final rush of a PhD! While it might be entirely possible to write in 6 months, it takes an amazing amount of time for supervisors to return drafts and discuss them with you, locating references you need to check, fitting it all on the page correctly, proof reading, getting it all looking good then realising the University regulations mean you have to change all the fonts and referencing style, oh and job hunting, applicatio writing, applying for funding, having students banging on your door asking questions, and having to deal with the things that real people also have to do.

I'm going through this at the moment (into my 4th year), and I set myself tight deadlines that I kept to, but the end of a PhD is really messy. Your supervisors are probably suggesting an extension for these reasons, not because they think you're working too slow. Also if you don't have an extension then you might have to find employment, and trying to finish a PhD under those conditions is very difficult, according to the friend of mine who 'almost finished' his PhD and joined the Civil Service whilst finishing up. He hasn't had the time to open his final drafts in 2 years.

Interestingly, most Research Councils have now moved to 3.5 or 4 year funding.

My (3 year) funding runs out in Sept too and like the other posters have said, the final few months of the PhD are a mess! I can't believe how much time job applications and funding requests take (I've applied for 5 jobs in the past two weeks, don't actually think I have a chance at any, but you have to apply).
I know that I'll have to go into my fourth year, although I've never heard it called an extension year before, I thought it was normal for people to at least use a few months of their fourth year?! I have a million excuses as to why my PhD is delayed (First year: mum had breast cancer; Second year: brother became deaf, grandmother died, major international conference, dad made redundant - still unemployed a year later, change of supervisor; Third year: cancer scare - I have to have a biopsy next week) but the fact is that I just haven't put the effort in. Is it me or does everyone feel that they could have done more, however tired they have been?

My funding ran out last Sep and I'm now in my fourth year. I think it's pretty normal to write into your 4th year - the problem of course is funding loss. I really hoped to get done by Xmas but there was no hope of that. Now I'm aiming for March - but it will be very tight. I got very demotivated in the last year - 18 months. Just really jaded and fed up with the whole process. I'm feeling more emthusiastic now - partly because I'm just writing and organising my final thoughts (and consequently rediscovering what interested me about all this in the first place which I'd really lost sight of) and I'm glad to be done with the analysis which was largely very, very repetitive and got very tedious - and partly because I think I can see this thing finally coming to an END yay! No way I could also do job/grant applications or teaching as well so I will just have to be more frugal this year (and very nice to my long suffering husband).

I could have worked harder - but I might have gone really (even more?) bonkers. We all have our limits. You can only push yourself so hard.

Hello all, very glad to see this one has really taken off!

Im just finishing up my massive to do list on a white board and its appalling. I haven't even got a first draft done yet! My thesis has changed so much over the 2 and a bit years that methodologically its changed and writing has just been far from my mind. Ive only written so far a very embarrassing 25,000 words. I know I can work quickly and also with certain elements of my thesis being practical I have a smaller word count but honestly Im still freaking out.

My other half keeps telling me to see the smaller picture and work to small goals, he also tells me 9 months is plenty of time, which I suppose considering I wrote my 25,000 word masters thesis in a week and a half by that measure its plenty of time but I just cant get rid of this panic. My supervisor doesn't seem unduly worried and has no doubt in my passing, but also says things like 'writing isnt your strong point' and 'youre a much better talker' I dont know I think maybe I just feel Im rubbish at writing and its really putting me off.

Im sorry guys I dont think I really had a point here I havent applied for any jobs as yet, and I havent worked out yet when my last paycheck is meant to come in from the funding bodies. Is it in June or is it in September. I dunno.

Gosh what an articulate post from me...not lol!

25000 words is pretty good for this stage, stop worrying! You should start worrying in your 5th year...;-)

Thanks for your message Ruby!

I know I tend to view things rather negatively- but this whole PhD process has really knocked my confidence! Hopefully I can start thinking my positively soon! lol. I think your right, it might be to do with previous students of theirs (and their very experienced!) could also be to do with the fact that the project is quite complex with many hundreds of variables!

Well I've got to get all of my data collection by March. I would like to to get everything analysed by the end of May at the latest (if not April). Four months to write up a thesis doesn't seem long at all! I'm currently juggling about 5 things at once at the moment, but I would like to start revisiting my chapters asap (cutting them down massively) and start writing up the results/discussions chapters as I conduct analysis etc (not sure whether that will be do-able but I'll see!). Maybe get to first draft by end of July?? or am I being stupidly optimistic!! lol My supervisors are quite good in getting things back to me and are quick to point out problems etc so that I can work on them- I'm hoping that will be a good thing. My supervisors are setting me tight deadlines to get information to them in order to meet the September deadline which seems to be keeping me motivated.

I'm just going to see how it goes. I don't think I'm going to kill myself trying to get it all done by September- although it would be nice! I'm taking next year off I think to do as much relaxation as I can before thinking about applying for the clinical doctorate (that's another story!) :)

A complete full draft at the moment does seem to be such a distant occurance! but no doubt, the next few months are simply going to fly by :( I never thought I would be here working towards the final stretch!

Or your 7th.... :$ ....I am part time, in my defence, but it really feels like a lifetime.

Pineapple, that all sounds a really good plan actually - tight deadlines are painful, but they've really worked for me in the past year. I am such a dreaful procrastinator that I doubt I'd have got my last draft done otherwise. I think viewing PhD-related things negatively sometimes is normal, it seems to play havoc with your confidence levels, or has for me anyway over the years and I know others at my uni say the same. Excellent idea not to kill yourself over it either - health is far more important! I've been thinking more and more recently that assuming I finish this thing ok with my mental and physical health intact, I'll be more impressed with my stamina and determination than any academic achievement related to the content. It feels more like an endurance test than anything intellectual at the moment. Weird eh. Or maybe not!!

Lol coastman I would try not to worry but I only have nine months left! lol no 5th year here!

5th year? 7th year? You are mere amateurs - try 10 years! It's actually 8 years on paper (1 yr sabatical and 1 year re-submit). It's either dedication or madness but I'm leaning towards the latter ;-) And it doesn't matter how hard you work, you always think you could work harder. I nearly killed myself over the last year but I still look back and think how much time I wasted doing this and that.

Good luck with the biopsy Sleepyhead - fingers crossed for you (up)

Yeah a Phd does that to you even the most optimistic of people! It just drains it out of you almost like the dementors! No happy thoughts are allowed!!!! Sometimes panic is good as it makes you more productive when you realise that you have a mountain to climb so you had better get on with it! But then too much and then it's a slippery slope if it happens too often! So the insanity begins ... or maybe it has started already ... afterall you agreed to sign away your life and take the dreaded position!! Mwwwwwwwah ha ha (evil laugh!)

Technology is evil ... just sent to try us and take up our time instead of saving it! What am I doing here?

On that note I think I'd better be going .....

Hi all

Am in the final month of my 3rd year - soon entering -the 4th for writing up. My greatest fear is not being able to finish on time.... clearing out things from my mind and warning friends i will be missing in action for the whole year. (up)

I have not posted very much on the forum but it has been a life saver - its good to know that there are others actually admitting that they are scared/stressed/panicing/etc.  Am sorry for maybe pointing this out but i cant get over the fact that there are only 9 pays to go and thats it no money - i will definitely be writing my thesis after September.  i am hoping to be finished my experimental work in July however the cog that i have is industrial sponsors so even if i think i have finished experimental they will probably give me something to do or try.   (the industrial sponsors are high maintenance and we have a meeting to discuss my progress every 3 months)

I have however been putting all of my results into one document (not anywhere near thesis quality but has a million graphs) and it has made things so much easier - i just add my new experiment to the document and send it to my supervisors.  They have a copy of all of my data so it keeps them happy and it has nearly 9000 words (i still have to describe whats happened during experiment and why have done it) its 75 pages and thats not really trying. Also as all my results are in one doc its easy to see if there are any holes which i need to patch. 

I highly recommend it especially for science phd's are there were a lots of things i realised i still needed to do and i have time to do it at the moment

I also took a course at my uni and now know how to use word properly so i can add figures and the numbers will all automatically update, use headings and generate tables of contents (my undergrad thesis was a nightmare as no idea how to do them) so im now hoping all my formatting nightmares are history

There is still loads to time left (i hope)