I'd use Excel in this case myself. Have a row for each student. Put their names in the first column. Then in each subsequent column have each task they need to be doing. And once done put DONE in the relevant box.

That's what I'd do. But then I hand crafted a Prolog (very obscure programming language) project management system to help with my thesis writing!

Hope things work out for you both. I left a full-time PhD in 1996. Technically it was after 2 years, but for the second year I was off ill for much of the time. My supervisor was very understanding, but it was still a very difficult thing for me to do. Right decision though.

You need to ask your university when you call tomorrow. It varies by university, including whether it is allowed at all, and whether they charge interest on top.

I completed my part-time PhD basically from home. I'm severely disabled, and couldn't go into the uni very much at all. I felt incredibly isolated, but focused on what I needed to do, and used this forum for added support. I also had a good fellow PhD student friend at the uni, who'd done a Masters alongside me, and we kept in email contact, and would occasionally meet for lunch and/or coffee. But basically this forum kept me going through the tough times.

Good luck!

Good luck Bonzo. I remember how I felt when I left my full-time science PhD in 1996. It was the hardest decision I had ever made, and I cried an awful lot afterwards. But it was also the best decision, made for the right reasons. Sounds as though you are in a similar place.

Good luck with sorting out the Masters, and I hope your teaching plan works out. That would be a very rewarding career.

Congratulations Chuff :) And thanks for such a detailed post about the viva experience. I'm sure it will help people who still have that to face.

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I waited until graduation before I used the title at all. But, technically, I had the PhD as soon as Senate conferred it on me. They wrote to tell me when that was. It was at their next every-couple-of-months meeting.

I changed my title with the bank, but I've hardly used it in any other context. I did this with the bank partly to get extra ID with the title on it, if I need it. I can't work in academia due to progressive neurological disease. But there are situations - for example when going to a historical archive and getting a reader's ticket - when it would be helpful to have some sort of evidence of my title and therefore professional accreditation as a historical researcher. I sent a copy of my degree certificate to the bank. And they issued lots of new versions of cards, cheque books etc.

But I don't use it otherwise in general day-to-day life. I'm not working in academia, but I am turning my thesis into more journal papers, and doing some independent research. Obviously I use the title in those contexts. And I have some nice business cards for when needed :p

My husband hardly uses his title in day-to-day life either. Though he did get his passport title changed, when he renewed that. I'll do that next time my passport runs out. Could be handy.

Pink_numbers' suggestion is really good. I did that before my submission, though not to the extent of including dates. To be honest most things in that sort of list can be done extremely quickly, even for a very part-time student like myself. But at least by drawing up the list you can work through it, and hopefully will not forget to do something very important as a result.

It's usual at submission for soft bound copies to be accepted. My uni print shop was cheaper than local copy shops (including the Staples price quoted in this thread) so I got them done there.

For final submission after corrections I had to get hard bound copies. We don't have a proper bindery any more at my uni, so I ordered them online/remotely, from somewhere else that would print and nicely hard bind them for me. Then they turned up in the post.

But for the first submission I used the uni print shop. Printing and soft binding was very quick (done within an hour of opening) and very very cheap.

Congratulations 8-)

I don't see your mathematical background as being any type of stumbling block. PhD entrants often have just a first basic BSc degree. The fact that you've gone on to work instead shouldn't be a problem.

What you need to do is explain to potential supervisors why you want to shift to academia, and why the subject area you have chosen. And you will need to be very clear about this in your mind.

It is possible that they will want you to take an MSc course first, particularly to get you back up to speed in your mathematics, partly to prove your ability. Or someone may be willing to take you on in a combined MRes+PhD 1+3 course.

My PhD supervisor worked as a financial analyst for a number of years before going to academia (history lecturer). So it can be done.

Good luck!