Hi Andrew! For all PhD applications, you will have to provide a proposal. This is standard procedure. As a PhD student myself, I can tell you that your project will veer considerably from your original proposal, so when you're in the swing of the PhD, you won't be held to the the original proposal you provide. I will say this: don't just write something haphazardly. Think hard about it. The most important part of the proposal is trying to show how your work will be an original contribution to the field, so you will need to talk about how your work diverges from work that's already around in your field. Hope that helps!

Hi all! I'm in the sixth month, and am working solely on my PhD, but everyone I speak to is presenting at conferences, writing articles for journals, liaising with academics in their fields from other unis, etc. I feel like I'm behind or something, that I should be doing more than just working on the PhD. Should I be doing all of those things? I just don't feel ready yet, but I also don't want to be left behind. Because of all their involvement, everyone else's PhD experiences sound so much more full and enriching than mine. Any advice?

I'm a smoker and have been considering giving up recently. I can certainly see where you're coming from about the stress when writing up. I tried to give up about a month ago, but found that I was overwhelmed with constant crying fits and extreme mood swings. Having said that, when will the right time come along? Like the rest of us smokers, I could make an endless list of reasons NOT to give up. Xeno have you actually found it difficult to concentrate on your work since giving up?

I live an hour away from my uni and find it very isolating. I also spend alot of money on transport which isn't helping my dire financial situation! I would love to live closer, but the rent is very high on properties in the areas near the uni. I really miss being able to 'pop in' whenever I need to, and I often have to turn down invites because there will be no buses running by the time I come home. I sometimes wonder if my social life would be better if I was nearer--it is certainly non-existent at the moment!

I've been finding that, no matter how much reading I do, it just doesn't sink in! This is probably something to do with the amount that we're trying to take on. I try to cram read, but then if I was asked to give a summary of what I'd read, I would just glaze over. I'm still not sure how much of the success of the PhD is dependent upon how much material has been consulted. Sometimes I wonder if it's actually more of a case of finding the material that is most relevant, which may mean doing less reading, but reading the right stuff. What's your experience been like with the reading mokey?

Hi mokey. From reading your posts, it sounds like you and I are in the same panic! I share your same concerns about the first year. I was talking to a couple of second years yesterday, and asked their advice about this. I told them that I felt I hadn't read nearly enough as I should have done by this point, and they told me not to worry. They both slacked off in a major way in their first years. One of them told me they did absolutely no work for about three months, and everything still managed to work out for their upgrade! I guess if you think about it, how is anyone going to be able to gauge how much we've actually done? In the beginning, I thought it was all a case of crammin in as much reading as possible, but now I'm starting to realise that my best work has been time off from reading and just sitting around thinking, not necessarily about the PhD.

Wow eddi, I am so gobsmacked to hear about what happened to you. I had a nervous breakdown a couple of years ago when my best friend passed away. Leading up to it, I was feeling unreal, walking around completely detached from reality, lethargic, moody, tense, anxious, couldn't sleep. Then one day I passed out as I was walking on the street. You need a huge break, no doubt about it. There's nothing else for it eddi, and if you try to push yourself the minute you're feeling remotely better, it will come back again. Please please keep us posted about how you're feeling. I would worry if we didn't hear from you for a while.

I can definitely relate to what you're saying about swinging between extremes. I move between intensity and lethargy and I've always been like that. I'm going through a similiar thing to you xeno, feeling apathetic and disinterested. I don't know which is worse! I went through a phase of really worrying about what my supervisor thought of me as a person, my work, etc. In the past few months I've not cared one bit if I was meeting his expectations and stopped caring what he thought, even though I respect him immensely. In a way, it's nice to let go, but then again it's my anxieties that have always driven my work and pushed me on. I think my major worry is that I don't have what it takes to be an academic, and I'm so concerned that the minute I realise this, my whole world is going to crumble because I've put all my attention and focus into academia and I have nothing else!

Xeno, I'm so sorry that I wasn't around on Monday to offer you support, but it looks like Olivia & Co. were there to provide a shoulder to lean on. How are you feeling now? Was it a bad day or is this something that's been going on for a while? Sometimes reading other people's posts sends a shiver through me, because it's so close to what you're experiencing yourself. I've actually started going to a therapist. I'm talking to her about the PhD mainly, not my work but the toll the whole process is taking on me. I think alot of PhD students go through counselling. I went into the office and it was absolutely packed. Have you maybe thought of taking this route, seeing as the isolation is a major part of the depression?

My heart goes out to you mokey. I've also been having these thoughts. I would suggest making an appointment with the internal counselling service, as rcd suggested, so you can feel safe in expressing how you're feeling. In most cases, student counselling services are very helpful, and will be very familiar with what you're going through, as they're trained to deal with any issues/problems that students face. I was talking to a friend who works in a postgrad support role at the uni, and he told me that it's quite common for PhD students to get these thoughts about quitting, and at several stages during the PhD. It's not surprising really, we're juggling alot of issues with the PhD, one of which is the feeling of being in solitary confinement for three years!

Hey Olivia, do you miss Taco Bell? I've gotta say, our Chinese food is nowhere near as tasty as American Chinese food. I can't believe how gorgeous the chinese food is over there! I lived in the states for a while, and I really miss Taco Bell, Wendy's, Arby's, the biscuits, mashed potato and gravy from KFC, proper Mexican food, and American birthday cakes--they're so gorgeous! Great, I've just replied to the diet thread and here I am going on about food again!

Hello all! I'm afraid to say I've stayed the same weight wise--though I suppose that's good in the sense that I haven't gained! How often do you guys tend to exercise? I'd like to start working it into my routine, just to clear my head and make me feel refreshed. I think it's a great way to get out tension we're feeling with the PhD. I tried cutting my food down, but I found I was getting lethargic and couldn't concentrate.

My friend had a go at me last night for being so wrapped up in the PhD, reminding me that people all over the world were dealing with much bigger problems. I felt embarrassed because I knew he was right. I didn't realise just how ridiculous my 'problems' were until I spoke with a woman this morning who is fighting a long-term illness, amongst other issues in her life. I felt so stupid. If I had to explain to her what was getting me down, I just couldn't. It would sound absolutely ridiculous. I wish I could get a better perspective on life. Sometimes I get so wrapped up in my own problems that I forget that there's a world out there where people are really fighting to survive. I guess we all get consumed in our own little worries, but it's funny how silly they sound when you think of explaining them to someone who's really battling through life. I just thought I'd share that. Hope I haven't gotten anyone down!

I can't concentrate at uni, too many distractions. Having said that, there's just as many distractions at home, but they're much better distractions When I was in the library the other day, there were two girls chatting and giggling away. For some reason, I love having music on at home, but hearing people nattering away in the library drives me mad!

I think something that is often overlooked in the 'cheating game' is the risk to the other person's health. I used to work in a sexual health clinic, and once I had to ring a man's wife and ask her to come in for an HIV test because her husband was diagnosed with it. She came in, got tested, and it was found she had the disease which her husband contracted through an affair. Can you imagine how this poor woman felt?! This is an issue that is too often ignored in cases of infidelity.