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The One Goal Thread
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Quote From sneaks:
oh I've been given a child to babysit, I think she's downstairs, possibly playing with knives. really wish people understood that working at home meant WORKING at home and not dossing about being able to babysit :-s


Sneaks I really, really do feel for you but you need to learn to say no. YOU are up to your eyes, YOU are under pressure, YOU have deadlines to meet and this is NOT YOUR child. I'm saying this in support of you - say NO! It can be hard to say but very quick to say... I have done it because I've been within my rights to say it, as you are now.

Please help
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I decided not to put in a formal complaint about her, mainly because I'm too worried about needing references etc in the future, but also because I know it wouldn't get me anywhere anyway. Perhaps that's a wimps way out.


KB, You took the best path, trust me on that. Had you tried to do otherwise it would have harmed you more, would not have helped others and things would have carried on. You were not a wimp but realistically assesssed the situation, knew the most likely outcome and did the only thing you could do.

sup re-writes my words
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I think that's important Sneaks. Your supervisor is just one person but if more than person is telling you otherwise then you should take take heed and gain confidence from that.

Mac, you worked really hard on your PhD, seriously put the hours in close to submission, and so it was a PhD very well earned, in my opinion. It's always good to get the input of others who have went through the process and emerged on the other side.

sup re-writes my words
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Ross, please do not be hard on yourself. You've made your feelings clear to your supervisor and if they haven't taken that on board there's little you can do and besides you're not alone. I think you've shown integrity which is great but it's beyond your control and so try not to feel bad about it.

sup re-writes my words
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Mackem_Beefy, I get what you're saying but ideally supervisors should be guiding rather than doing.

sup re-writes my words
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None of my work has been heavily edited or edited come to that. It's just if I indicate I don't understand something (it was a pre-designed project) which thankfully is very rare, it's basically done for me. I think from their point it saves time but for me it's frustrating and not what 'learning' should be about. I do like to think I wouldn't do that if I was a supervisor but if I had their heavy workload who knows. Their lack of interest in developing me as a researcher and lack of interest in my future does make me feel like part of a sausage factory though!

sup re-writes my words
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No problem Ross. I suspect this may be relatively common and so while it is by no means ideal, and it's not how I'd have liked it, I can't force my supervisor to work in a way that I like / want. As long as you've tried your best, as I have, there's little else you can do. I feel a bit like part of a sausage factory, just going through the process so my supervisor can get credit for producing another PhD. I would like to have felt inspired by them, have learned from them etc but it wasn't to be... They haven't even expressed any interest in my future which I think is very sad...

All the best!

sup re-writes my words
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======= Date Modified 28 Aug 2011 13:35:40 =======

Quote From sneaks:

I can directly relate to this - THe most annoying factor is she has never sat me down (even though I've asked) and explained WHY she makes the changes, so I don't feel I can ever learn from her changes.


I can directly relate to this. I don't feel I ever learn from my supervisor as if it's clear I'm struggling with something they just do it. It's actually really sad in a way as I don't learn from them, even though I've indicated I want to. For me, the PhD hasn't been a learning experience which kind of defeats the point, in my opinion.


Viva date before submission or after submission
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Thanks. I wasn't sure how it worked and so it can be either way!

Viva date before submission or after submission
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How many people on here have managed to get a viva date before they've actually submitted or did you have to wait until after you had submitted?

Faking my way through...
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Quote From ady:

In my uni heretofore there has been very little ongoing checking to ensure students are progressing properly. Oh, there are progress reports but up until about two years ago these were 'tick-box' exercises and quite honestly a bunch of us doubted they were even read! I can completely understand how you have got to where you're at feeling that you really don't have a handle on what you're doing.


Same here, except I'm convinced they're not read! Fail to see the point of them to be honest.

Job vs Phd
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In this climate, if the job was a full-time permanent position that would get priority for me but only if the job was permanent and it was something I enjoyed.

Should I quit - how do I tell multiple supervisors? Please help
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Quote From screamingaddabs:
Before doing any of this - find another job! Seriously, being unemployed is not much fun and won't look at all good on your CV.


Very good advice indeed!

I wish you all the best whatever your decision.

contribution of the research bit.
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I didn't go with bullet points but did but highlight the contribution to the field in the introduction and my supervisor thought this was great. Bilbo does make a good point though about why should the examiner read the rest of the thesis. However, for me, it should be a bit like the news, tell them what you intend to tell them, tell them it and then tell them what you have told them. Sneaks, you have to defend your thesis and live with it and so do what feels comfortable for you.

The One Goal Thread
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I hope you're OK Sneaks. Could you not find someone to do the teaching for you? If not, just try to remember that all this stuff will look good on your CV in the future while your PhD will be a thing of the past...

Chin up.