Yes, it can be depressing following submission. I felt elated to start with but came down from that quite quickly. I took a break away with family to take my mind off the thesis. I found i was in a limbo state, needing to prep for my viva but not having the motivation or enthusiasm to do so without a date to aim for. The examiners hold all the cards at this point and they will pretty much decide our outcome prior to viva. I am still waiting for a viva date two months after submitting. So I would recommend a break and then you can re-read your thesis with fresh eyes. Well done for submitting, it is a major milestone!

I think the original reasons for not offering a job were probably valid especially as they had gone to the trouble of checking references.  What stands out from your post is that the second interview was for one position on a number of 'different' job sites. Essentially this is a different job specific that has to be readvertised.  I suspect from the response you received that there was some internal politics going on and to be honest, they probably had an internal candidate that was potentially going to take up the job. Also is it possible that the different sites may indicate another financial backer who may have different views on likely candidates, or have specified a different interview panel to the original panel.

I can imagine your disappointment at not being successful.  I think you need to take on-board the original feedback as representative on how you did, extremely well! Next time, I would put in your application for a second time thus making sure your interest is noted with the right people for that job advert.  Keep looking as you never know they may have more vacancies once funding is realised.

I am at a distance from the uni now, but could provide a link to the PDF version for them to either use on screen or print at the uni printing department. Obviously, yes this may help proceed with a viva date. I am not wanting to pay for another bound copy as I have not lost this one lol. Technically I have not spoken to either examiner and cannot do so, this info about my thesis is what I have heard from the uni. I am not sure if I am supposed to know this level of detail........but seriously, this needs moving along abit now.

I am in yet another limbo phase of waiting for a viva date still. So submitted the correct number of theses on 1st April and am not going to get a viva within 90 days. It seems that my internal examiner has not yet received my thesis although my sup got theirs within a few days of submission. Not sure where my thesis has gone currently, but clearly a viva date cannot be set until the examiners have seen the beastie! I hope the external has received his......?? My motivation has reached rock bottom and I haven't really done any work on it in over a week now I need to keep refreshing myself in the subject area for the viva but it is hard to do so. I am moving house (and relocating to south UK) in August so really don't want a viva then. I will try to call the admin office this week if they are not on hols. I mean, do I have to supply another copy of the thesis, and seriously, where has mine gone to? It is bad enough waiting around for an exam but this has just depressed me even more.

Anyone else had this problem or am I just the lucky one!?

Hi summer submitters, it is so good to see some completed drafts in this thread.  Well done to you all, you should see this as a major achievement. Waiting for sups comments is so disheartening as it is easy to imagine the worst, ie rewrites, more research etc.  In most cases a few alterations are likely at this stage, especially if each chapter has been seen by your sups already. I found the wait just awful, the light at the tunnel is a flicker but will it go out just as you start moving towards it?  In the meantime, I sorted out my filing (electronic and paper), checked around for any new refs, did some reviewing of my thesis for errors, got the submission paperwork done, checked out where to get it printed and bound (costs, timings etc), read a couple of viva books and made notes for my thesis and subsequent viva prep. So I tried to keep busy but also had a breather for my poor grey matter!  I was lucky that one sup read it over 3 days so I had some very small comments to address. My uni sup took 4-5 weeks to read and very constructively comment.  My 3rd external sup has never come back to me with any comments despite a few prompting emails to which I got the 'I have just started reading' answer! So hang on in there, it is a very difficult limbo phase.

I am in yet another limbo phase of waiting for a viva date still.  So submitted 1st April and am not going to get it in within 90 days. It seems that my internal examiner has not yet received my thesis although my sup got his within a few days of submission.  Not sure where it has gone currently, but clearly a viva date cannot be set until the examiners have seen the beastie! I hope the external has received his......??  My motivation has reached rock bottom and I haven't really done any work on it in over a week now   :-( I need to keep refreshing myself in the subject area for the viva but it is hard to do so.  I am moving house (and relocating to south UK) in August so really don't want a viva then. Will try to call the admin office this week if they are not on hols.  I mean, do I have to supply another copy of the thesis, and seriously, where has mine gone to?

Hi Pineapple, I completely agree that you should focus on the content of your thesis for your viva prep. However, I think it wise to make notes on how you could change the thesis so that if this comes up you can discuss this option. I am so glad to read such a positive post which i hope will help you to succeed in your viva (up)

I took some time out myself after the babies were born and yes it is very hard to get back into the subject. I felt very detached from the work and wondered if I could get the same interest/motivation in the subject again. By taking small steps I managed to get back into analysing the data, setting my thesis framework and writing up. In my experience I found lists of what needed to be done invaluable. This gave me the direction I had to take. I prioritised the work and then broke it down into little chunks which were easier to acheive. As i very slowly started to tick off jobs from my list my enthusiasm built again. The data analysis aspect is a very tedious and non-inspiring activity so if this is where you are it is going to be harder to feel inspired! You may need to do some analysis but then change to something more fun, like thesis structuring, reading literature etc. Also, it is very easy when working from home to get embroiled in the internet (like now lol) but to be honest you need to work for say 30 mins and then take a mini break. Then get back to the next 30 minute working time. The alternative is to switch off the internet to allow you to focus until a set time. Don't worry, it will come back to you.

My thesis was submitted 1st April and straight away I went on holiday for 2 1/2 weeks. I have still not been given a viva date after 8 weeks of waiting. To be honest a longer holiday will take your mind off the wait and as long as you are available for contact via email or mobile I cannot see a problem. It is difficult to motivate yourself for viva prep when there is no date to aim for. If they email you of provisional dates you can then decide to cut your trip short if necessary.

To be honest, I have done my PhD out of self satisfaction of achieving the highest academic qualification that I am capable of (didn't aim at a PhD when I started lol).  It is not necessarily a qualification that automatically opens career doors but may be useful in some applications. I will be looking for work again at the end of this year/next year (once we have moved and viva is done) and will be open minded about what possibilities are out there.  I have done some lecturing at BSc level as a specialist in my field and organised/presented at one-two day specialised conferences but have no formal teaching quals. As a part-time student working full time it is difficult to fit in extra teaching which would be necessary on your CV for lecturing posts.  I managed mine as part of my clinical career so did this while working. I would like to be able to use my PhD for a researchers/academic post but may have to fall back on my clinical career instead where a PhD is a luxury not a necessity.

I was offered a full-time funded PhD in my 20s and had to turn it down due to health reasons at that time. I changed my career path after that and became successful but always wondered 'what if'. Six years ago (in my 30s), a couple of consultants I worked with asked if I would conduct some research with them and in return they would supervise me for a PhD. Well, what could I say but YES!!! So I was working full-time with a fairly loaded oncall commitment and embarking on a part-time PhD. Along the journey I have had one baby followed closely by twins and so I have switched work to full-time childcare with part-time studying. I found it easier to study in the evenings but my husband had to be resigned to the sofa alone while I worked in the office. Weekends always seemed an ideal time for study but impractical with toddlers and babies around. I have now submitted and am awaiting my viva, so cannot say I have completed yet via this mode of study. My advice would be to work out what time you can set aside to study, taking into account work, family and partner. I think the key thing is to have support from your family as it can take over your personal time, infringing on their time with you. Your motivation will be an asset as a mature student! Sounds like this is your chance to fulfil your dream.

Well done Globe Trotter for finishing your last chapter.  Once it is written there is the usual tweaking, editing and defining to do but not long to submission. I think we all have worries over whether it will be good enough for our sups and our viva but it is what it is!  I was petrified about the sups feedback on my final draft even though they had all read the ongoing chapters. The sups that commented were really complimentary and constructive in the minor comments made so I was really chuffed!  One sup has not even given me any feedback at all so I had to submit with feedback from just the other two. I think the worries we all have over being good enough is typical of a PhD journey.  The whole journey is about answering questions that ultimately lead to more questions being formulated and so there is never a finished product. This therefore fuels concerns over adequacy of the thesis.  I have had to accept that my questions have been answered but there is another big can of worms opened for the next student to fulfil. My journey has ended with the start of a new PhD journey!

I hope you get some constructive feedback soon as I have to admit feeling a bit 'lost' while waiting!

I generally wear skirt/trousers with blouse or dress and jacket. I tend to dress smart rather than formal ie suit. That said the dress code at these things seems to range from very casual (jeans/chinos) to formal (suits). I would wear what is comfortable but smart. Enjoy the conference (up)

Hi Pineapple, I too am doing some viva prep although very slowly!  I am reading through my thesis, highlighting any errors, adding post-its of extra info for me to remember and formulating potential questions. I have read the lit review chapter and checked the databases for anything new aswell.  My errors page is just half a page of minor things (page number errors etc) which i have put in tabular form. For ease of locating areas in my thesis, I have added 'tags' or post-its locating chapters, subsections etc.  Next I will start to formulate answers to potential questions.

I had a tutorial recently with my sup and what was apparent was my lack of fluency to convey my research in technical terminology, just because I do not socialise in that environment now.  It is something I need to talk about more rather than just thinking about it! Sorry bambinos but our conversations are about to get educative!!!  You may need to arrange a few 'chats' with friends, colleagues, pets etc if the same is for you.

I am glad you have a viva date to aim for, this should help your productivity. I am still waiting for mine after 8 weeks still no date.  It seems that one examiner hasn't got the thesis yet...........perhaps lost in the uni post? Hopefully, this matter will be rectified and a date set for late June/July...........maybe.

Good luck with your prep and I will probably join in to compare notes.(up)

Get organised right from the start. Starting with a filing system for all of your refs (using ref software too). Work out all of the paperwork needed for each stage of your PhD progress, when it needs to be handed in by and set up a calender of such events.