I suspect universities are more likely to have a lack of policies in this area. In my experience (been a PhD student twice) it's not normal for PhD students to go away during the summer months, but rather to stay glued to their desk or lab or whatever all-year round :p

But if your supervisor is happy with this _and_ you can work satisfactorily remotely then it should be ok. But you will need to agree this with your supervisor. But, again, it's not normal in my experience.

I used a CD as well because I had built massive databases in my PhD, 2 million characters worth. I explained the format of the databases and how I queried them in a conventional page-by-page Appendix 1. Then Appendix 2 was an electronic Appendix on the enclosed CD. My examiners never looked at the CD as far as I know, but it was there for them if they wanted to. And I was also advised that including the database helped to make my thesis look a bit more substantial.

What would doing a second MA get for you? Is it to retrain in a different area? Otherwise I can't really see the advantage of doing one myself, and surely there is a considerable cost.

I'd recommend applying to more PhD programs. If you are self-funded and meet the minimum requirements it should be easy to get in. If you are applying for funding you may need to apply to more than just two PhD places to be successful.

Though on the counter-side students will try to turn up in my experience. They certainly have been at my uni, and have only been stopped by the uni telling them not to come, and that it's closed.

We've had an awful lot more snow than you as well. Constant since last week. And it's not over yet!

If it's dangerous stay at home.

My uni (in north-east Scotland) has been closed for most of this week, and has told its staff and students not to come in as a result. My husband (Research Fellow there) had already decided he was working from home all week. He's a software engineer, without teaching responsibilities at the moment, so it was an easy decision to make.

He needed to get more food today and really struggled to get the car out of the drive. Our neighbours had to help push at one point. Then hubby spent 2 hours digging out the drive and road ... He's not going out any time again soon.

Well done :)

I'd go to the conference myself. I went to an international conference early on in my PhD, and presented a 20-minute paper there. I didn't get any feedback in advance from my supervisor, and I didn't seek it. I was fine. Sometimes it is ok to trust your own judgement on these things.

But it's up to you. Doesn't condone your supervisor's behaviour, and clearly there are big issues to address (and they will be now you've sent that email!). But it is possible to prepare conference papers on your own. I also practised on my own in advance, recording my practice runs onto my computer, and then playing them back to see where the slip-ups / potential problem areas were.

Well done Wally! My intention to submit form was submitted about a year ago (early January), and I submitted my final thesis in mid February. There was supposed to be a gap of 3 months in between, but it worked out.

After my form was submitted I had a very weird feeling of being on a rollercoaster and not able to get off, i.e. things had been set in motion, and there wasn't anything I could do to stop them. But I also felt I was getting near the end, and it was a really positive - albeit stressful! - time.

3 months should be enough for what you need to do. The final corrections and even bibliography don't take so long, even if you're building the latter manually as I was! So think positive, and well done you on sending in the form.

I don't think it is a reject. If you make the changes, the chances are quite high that you will be accepted. So you should revise & resubmit. At the very least it should make it a better paper. View the feedback you have got as constructive suggestions for improving things.

I got something similar from a journal recently (I've had 2 journal papers published before), one recommending revise & resubmit, the other reviewer thought it should be aimed elsewhere. But I was invited to revise & resubmit, and that's what I intend to do. The worst that can happen is that the editor ultimately says no, and I try another lower-impact journal.

Ooh! I hadn't noticed I'd reached 5 stars. Excellent.

I really should be getting on with revising a journal paper. But I'm in procrastination land too :)

I have a few Iomega eGo drives. They're USB compatible, as well as Firewire for Mac users, and very reliable and easy to use in my experience. I have one for each of my computers at home, and backup using the TimeMachine software on my Macs.

I waited until after graduation, which was relatively soon after my viva and minor corrections.

But the key point is when your corrections are approved, and when the resulting paperwork has gone through uni authorities afterwards (Senate or whatever). That happens before graduation.

I notified my bank of my PhD and new title because it's useful for me for ID purposes. But otherwise I don't use the title outside academia/research. Though I'm working as an independent researcher (albeit one with an honorary university affiliation), so not in a university environment.