Thanks Pjlu, that's some really good advice. I can definitely relate to those thoughts of it all being a bit pointless at this point in time. I guess I feel a bit disappointed that after all the years of work, the actual research itself doesn't feel very much more significant than any other research project I've worked on. And I've kind of lost faith in my supervisors a bit and feel they've pushed me in a direction that I found less interesting. But they, I think, have their eyes on submission and 'good enough not to fail' and right now that's where I need to be too. Also, I don't think I'm going to pursue an academic career, so my main motivation right now is just to get the d*** thing finished and be done with it!

Hi SU3AD. Afraid I don't know what a DBA thesis is? Is it dissertation by articles?

Chickpea sounds like you are very, very close indeed - exciting! My writing schedule has me writing the conclusion two weeks before I have to submit! Eeeek!

Keep going! Don't lose your momentum! I always do this after a supervision, or after I submit some writing, and then it takes ages to get back into it again. But maybe rather than sitting down all day every day (are you full time??) Give yourself intensive 2-3 hour sessions a day then the rest of the day off if you get some good stuff done. Feels a bit less daunting and most of us only have a few hours of really productive work in us a day (until you get close to submission when there is no alternative...)

More thoughts ...Go and talk to the potential supervisor at Edge Hill (or arrange a phone call). If you really hit it off, that's worth a lot. You'll spend a lot of your life and energy on your PhD, if it's really exciting you and you think you click with the supervisor, that will make your life a lot happier!

On the other hand, what are your alternative options? A funded project can hamper as much as help. If you get an 'Open' scholarship elsewhere you can build your project around your own ideas anyway and it might actually allow you to pursue your ideas more fully than going for this project. But can you wait for an Open scholarship and are you prepared to risk the more competitive nature of them?

I think it depends what kind of an academic you want to be and what kind of an academic career you want to have (if that's your aim).

My husband did his undergrad and masters at Oxbridge, then his PhD at another uni (also quite laa di dah but not Oxbridge). He feels very strongly that this put him out the running for applying for JRFs at Oxford and Cambridge (well trodden route to permanent jobs at those institutions), and hampered his applications for permanent jobs at Russell Group Unis, which can be very snobbish and traditional, more so in certain fields. It sounds like your field is education/sociology/psychology - these fields can be slightly less snobbish and a bit more critical, but only slightly. If you want to prioritise being an engaged academic,working for the love of it on projects you care about, but in a more precarious situation, Edge Hill be fine. But if you care about getting to be a Prof at a long standing traditional Uni such as Russell Group or Oxbridge, the fact is, it could make a difference. If your supervisor is a really big shot (and you want to stay in that field) than that will alleviate the issue somewhat.

I don't think this is how it *should* be, but it's surprised me quite how reactionary universities can be, even in fields where you expect more questioning of the status quo.

Hi,
I'm new to this forum, and have just come across you! I'd love to join in the support thread. I'm submitting in September (hard, hard, hard deadline after 7 years on and off, including a year of maternity leave ...) and have a LOT of work to do before then. Also feeling really unsupported by my supervisors. I'm a social science phd in the UK, doing a qualitative study, and freaking out that I still haven't got all my analysis nailed down, and need to go back and re-jig literature, methods, theory, etc in the light of how my study evolved along the way, which my supervisors seem to think are just minor issues.

Congratulations to those who have recently submitted and those who are very very close! Sorry I can't help with the quant discussions.