I spent six-months at a Max Planck Institute and found many of the scholars there really motivating and inspiring. I found the young scholars to be really motivating as role-models. Some of the PhD students had amazing projects and the seminars were interesting and supportive/encouraging. I was inspired by some of them who were my age but had gone through different European education systems and spoke three or four languages fluently. Writing up large sections of my thesis there really benefited from talking to my German peers and made me want to try harder with my language skills.

Thanks for you post kirsty2010 - lots of good advice.

For the first time in months I feel happy tonight. All this is almost over! :) (providing I do a good job next week)

Fantastic news! :)

Thanks. This time next week I could be a doctor.

I wasn't great at answering the questions but at least I did - and was given lots of help with changing the way I answer them (from unstructured rambles to structured responses). I'm also encouraged that they don't see any major issues with the thesis per-se but rather I should focus instead on presenting myself as best as possible and talking about the contribution and boundaries of my project (decision making etc)

:) (still scared though as the external is an unknown quantity)

Thanks - 30 mins to go until the mock viva. Feel a bit dizzy and faint with a upset stomach (same as with every supervision or panel) :(

The mock vivia is tmrw. Don't feel prepared at all. :(

Have brought my train tickets for my viva all the way "down South" and currently preparing for the mock viva later this week. The Jackson and Tinkler book that was suggested is very good :)

Good luck Wally!

I was in Germany for six months and broke up less than 4 months after return - distance wasn't a factor per-se but rather exacerbated existing issues of depression, career paths diverging, etc.

Anyway, what helped was to buy plane tickets in advance (cheaper) so as to have definate dates for seeing each other and something to look forward to. Absolutely see each other at Christmas and birthdays (I paid £300 to arrive on sat night for his birthday and fly back out on the sunday morning) because those are the times distance will pinch even more.

When you do see each other watched out for small intimacy things slipping away and talk about it so that you can nip it in the bud as a couple. If you start visiting each other and spending that time as best friends without sex rather than as a romantic couple you need to do something about it asap because the distance will crow-bar open anything like that.

You've been together for 5 years so seem to have a strong basis. Try and get your boyfriend to agree to a date for coming over to join you asap so you both have a future to work towards. Otherwise, if it became a white elephant in the room, or a date that is always in the future, it will start to eat away at the relationship if an end to the distance apart is not in sight. Sorry if this sounds bleak or blunt, but without him coming over frequently and later staying for long chunks of time, it would be very hard to sustain a long distance relationship for the entire 3-4 years of a PhD - esp. since you will be moving away for postdocs afterwards. If you are to be together you need to learn as a couple to accomodate this. In the years of the PhD you will want someone there to support and hug you - and he will want to be with his girlfriend soyou should def. talk upfront about how lonely it will be at points.

Probably best to be honest now about how much moving around their will be in the future...

Small things that ease the distance are postcards, photo albums on facebook of your new life, and text messages.

I found moving abroad so amazing and tried to share it with the boyfriend as much as possible. For me it marked a high point in my academic life (competitive prestigious German institute funding) but for him it went alongside the collapse of his PhD. So enjoy the experience, keep talking about your relationship, and try and make sure you are on the same page. If that stops, then you might have to accept that perhaps the relationship will not run the full-course. Eitherway, enjoy the experience. Good luck :)

Congratulations!:-)

I'm totally at a loss as to where to begin dating again having too been single recently from a LTR - good luck Maria1!

Thanks Walminski and Bilbo! The mock was a "suggestion" - something I would rather do without but they were keen for it...

The mock vivia is a week off. I'm so freaked out that I have my thesis and need to defend it in front of my sups role-playing as examiners. I'm so worried that will be sorely dissapointed/angry that I didn't have the energy/motivation/ability to put all their suggestions to play in the final writing-up month/week. :(

I was expecting late August!!! I can't tell anybody - the shame of failing is to much.

So many typos. Must get some valium!