I think it's pretty common so don't worry! I'm guessing you have at least one more experiment planned for another chapter? I didn't have a finished chapter until near the end of my 3rd year as I had huge amounts of samples to process which took two years and then ran experiments too so everything is just getting ready at the same time (not ideal!). Also one of my chapters is a very short one because the experiment I ran didn't have that many results, so even though you may not be able to publish it in a journal because of their bias for positive results, it is still perfectly acceptable to have it as a chapter in your thesis, as long as you can justify it and fit it into the 'story' of your PhD.

Yeah that sounds good to me. Good luck =)

Have you tried looking for their papers in WebofScience. Googlescholar or Pubmed to see if you can get an insight into their work? They wouldn't supply their email if they didn't want to be contacted so of course contact them and ask for more information and you won't look silly. I did that when I applied and it was good as it struck up an email conversation about the project which really broke the ice and made the interview stage much easier!

Yeah I would email to warn them, I think that's what you're meant to do each time you put them down as a reference. For politeness and to remind them who you are etc =)

I think you might be looking too deeply into the situation. It may have been they just wanted your supervisor there to support you or something equally as innocent. Of course I don't know your supervisors or examiners so you may be right, but it's probably best to ignore it all and concentrate on your corrections. Good luck =)

I'd say most potential PhD supervisors would look very favourably at a candidate with industrial experience, even in a slightly different field. I am doing my PhD at a research institute and not a university and at least 80% of my fellow students have worked for a few years after their initial degrees before the PhD and I think it really helps you have the work ethic and experience to make the PhD experience easier. And also shows the potential supervisors that you can put work in. You might forget a little bit of the background knowledge but most people start a PhD knowing very little of their specific topic so that doesn't matter at all.

Like others I would say consider very carefully if academia is for you and whether there are jobs in your field in academia. I know very few people who have actually ended up doing it is not the nice ideal job that you might be imagining, with fewer permanent staff and much higher pressures to publish papers etc it's becoming a harder job all the time.

Personally I'd wait and see how your Viva goes, perhaps your supervisor is just being over-critical and you could get your PhD, even if it was with major corrections or resubmission. Then you can assess your situation and see where you want to go after that.

I don't know exactly how much money a Marie Curie PhD student gets, but I'm lead to believe it's far more than UK research council funded students get so you should be pretty well off compared to the rest of us. As a student you don't need to pay income tax or national insurance, you can make voluntary national insurance payments if you wish but it's not necessary.

Don't judge yourself compared to others, most people start a PhD and feel like they know nothing of their topic, don't be surprised if that feeling lasts for 6 months or so. That's what the first 6 months are for, learning your topic, learning the new techniques and learning all the jargon that people speak in your topic! Your supervisors clearly saw that you were capable or you wouldn't have got the PhD. So just relax and read around the topic and you will soon settle in.

On the other hand if it is that you have found you don't enjoy the new topic at all maybe it's not for you. But again I wouldn't judge this on a few weeks, give it a few months and then decide.

I'd give it at least a week before contacting him, as you say he's busy and also needs time to read and think through your email.

Well done, the hardest part is done now. I can't believe your Mum started screaming...that's quite extreme, I guess some people just don't cope well with change. You did what is best for you and you should feel happy! I'm glad your supervisors were supportive. Good luck with your journey into nursing =)

That is a tough one! Perhaps as she already knows you had been thinking about it you could just say something like 'I've made my decision and I know you weren't sure but it's the right decision for me'? Surely she will see it's what is best for your happiness and will get over any negativity! Good luck!

I think the second link you put up is just a general statement for all students. The first one is specific to your funding. I'm pretty sure if you are research council funded you are allowed your full stipend for that 26 weeks and you have the option of going part time afterwards. I'd call the research council up and check though just to put your mind at ease!

I don't think PhD studentships class as employment and so we are not entitled to redundancy or any other employment benefits unless it's stated in your ESRC contract. Can I ask why you are asking about redundancy?

I also applied for my PhD twice, I was top candidate the first time but didn't get the competitive funding, and the supervisor emailed me to encourage me to apply again the second time round and it was successful. The fact that the supervisor has told you to apply I think is a good sign! Just update the CV and covering letter but they can't expect it to change much in 6 months so don't worry too much! Perhaps work on your interview skills if you get offered an interview as that's one thing where you can always improve and read the relevant literature =) Good luck!