Very nice I thought

It's not 1st April, is it??

Re: PhD (submission pending) - surely that is completely false as she wouldn't be allowed to submit it after 20 years??? I doubt the Uni has received 20 years of registration fees!

Aww, cute!! We had a labrador puppy when I was a kid, it ate the back door, the window sill and a Marks & Spencer roast chicken (not an ordinary roast chicken...!).

I'm still moving labs - been lugging boxes of papers and bubble-wrapped HPLCs for 3 weeks now! It's not nice in this heat but at least our stuff isn't getting rain damaged! It was 31oC when I left the lab at 7pm yesterday!!!

Did anyone else do the Sport Relief mile today? I now have a pair of red socks (you get one sock in your entry pack and are given the second sock at the end of the mile) :-)

So DanB, do you know of any suppliers of very cheap string because they're gonna need a fair few balls of the stuff

How about a nice romantic hand written letter?

An average of 1000 words a day is a realistic target. Accept that some days will be more productive than other so if you write 1700 words one day, don't stress if you only manage 300 the next, you'll still be on track!

To clarify (or confuse!) things, I also had 2 male supervisors who were equally supportive. Although I can only comment on my own experience, I think that a good supervisor should remember what it's like to be a research student, have adequate time to supervise, know how to advise constructively and to be encouraging and (last but by no means least!) have a good idea of what is required for a PhD thesis. Gender isn't (or shouldn't be) a factor. However, it obviously helps a great deal if you and your supervisor get along. My comment about the alcohol and chocs was an example of my experience of female supervision. It was great have a mentor who went beyond what was required of a supervisor and who I felt also looked out for me as a friend. However, most people have colleagues and friends of both genders so I don't think this is exclusive to same sex supervision (as I mentioned, my male supervisors were also very supportive).

Your friends who have said that a female supervisor 'will drive you to the edge'? I'm curious as to why they think a female supervisor will be different to a male?

My director of studies (i.e. main supervisor) was female, she was (and still is!) great! She understood the soothing properties of alcohol and chocolate on a stressed-out student, what more can you ask for?!

If it's just writing up then I think it's perfectly possible. If you have other things to do (final data analysis?) then you might be a bit pushed for time depending on how much you need to do. Don't underestimate how long it takes to do the final format and print of your thesis (I know, in theory you should just be able to click print and leave it to it but in practice...!). If you can, print each finished chapter (and do the required number of photocopies) as you go along, it's very motivating to see your thesis grow each week! Good luck!

Mia, I expect DanB has had to go for a cold shower after your last post!

LOL!

I think it depends on the field, people are generally in suits/smart casual attire at medical conferences, especially if presenting.

Yes, this is normal and is why it is often impossible to complete in 3 years i.e. somethings are out of your control. All you can do is try to prepare for your work well in advance (not always possible) and have a plan B in case of delays so that you can use your time productively.