======= Date Modified 24 Jun 2011 08:46:46 =======
======= Date Modified 23 Jun 2011 17:06:35 =======
Come on Pink, you can do it :-)

How do you mean your conclusion was ripped apart? Did you get anything to focus on, were there specific issues to work on to boost the chapter? A postdoc advised a group of us recently that what he did for his Chapter conclusion was copy 'n paste his individual chapter conclusions together into a document, read them through and then structured his conclusion chapter from those. Would it help linking back to your introduction chapter? One thing I have done is re-visit my aims and objectives and then state 'objective 1' was met in Chapter Five..., objective 3 was met in Chapter Five...and gave a few examples where I had done what I said I was going to do!

Anyhow, stick with it, you CAN do it but maybe apply for extension just in case - would be good to have in your back pocket.

You've a lot to deal with but you will get there.

Edit: sorry have just re-read your post and you are talking about chapter before your conclusion - sorry

Wow, pink numbers, that is alot to deal with!  Ok I think some priority is needed for you to feel back in control again. Firstly, an extension can be applied for even if you don't use it.  I found the paperwork to be easy to complete and my extension was granted although I have actually submitted before my May deadline. If you over-run, you may be left with nothing so better to extend just in case.

Your divorce could be put on hold until you have submitted, you don't really need the added stress now when a couple of months is nothing in the grand scheme of 11 years.  I would suggest this waits.

Your home is very important! Are there any chances of accommodation via the uni rather than a hotel to give you some space/time to sort things out?  Alternatively, I think finding somewhere to rent has to be high on your list. Do you have any family/friends you could stay with short-term?

Maybe allocate some time each day to flat hunting and some time to review your thesis.  The chapter that has been criticised, does this include suggestions for remedy? Can you go back to your ?sup and find out what they mean?  I think when you have had a heavily criticised chapter it may be wise to take a few days break from it and then go back to re-read the comments as often the comments make more sense. I find that initially I don't take in the criticism well and need time to reflect on it.  This may be the time you need to find a flat.

You are so close to submitting but I think there are some other issues that need you immediate attention. It is hard to work under such pressure so alleviating the other pressures may help you write your thesis.

Pink numbers,

That is so terrible you are having to deal with all of this right now. Tell your ex husband to sod off until you have submitted. He can wait. Also echo what others have said about finding out whether there might be some uni accommodation available short term that is a bit cheaper.

I'm not sure what the feedback said obviously but everything else on top of that may be making it seem worse than it is. You have worked so hard and you are very much almost there now. You can do this!

I hope you get things sorted out. I would say somewhere to live at least in the short term = 1st priority and then thesis and then silly selfish ex-partner.

Take care and remember to come here to vent. Thinking of you.

Aw Pink numbers you are dealing with a lot. Like others have said, ask the ex to wait and apply for that extension anyway even if you don't use it.

You are so close now, you can do it!

hey ladies, thank you so so much for taking your time out to reply, you guys are just so fantastic.

I think my thesis is the only thing that's keeping me going, and I'd like to see it get done.

I have now fixed 70% of what was required from sup's feedback, and have decided that the other 30% is not important. I think I just need to get this thesis handed in, rather than trying to aim for a perfect thesis. It's passable as it is, so a few more weeks tidying things up and it should be ok.

I've extended my stay at the hotel for 2 weeks, just to give me breathing space.

I'm hell bent on getting through this, and it's so much easier with you guys' support, so thank you.

======= Date Modified 25 Jun 2011 14:56:39 =======
Hi Pink

I'm of a similar mindset! I too have 'fixed' about 70% of what my supv advised; the other 30% I tried but I just didn't feel it was working the way he wants it to. I have skimmed numerous theses on a myriad of topics and my approach to finding and discussion presentation seems okay to me in relation to how other works have approached things. I am aiming to policy relevant and that's how I want my discussion to read.

I am tidying it up properly now to return to my supvervisor on/before next Friday with a view to it being 'it'. Yes I will have to tweak here and there but I have reached the conlcusion that as it is now is the way it's going to be submitted.

Glad to hear that you are still on target to submit - good for you. Hotel living can't be easy but perhaps in relation to the final days of your thesis it's not such a bad space to be in?

Willing you lots of positive thoughts - we'll get there:-)

Hey guys! I have been avoiding this thread a bit because with my new deadline I'm panicking enough as it is, and sometimes it's easier to avoid thinking about it, but it's good to hear how well everyone is doing. I hope to have a final draft of my thesis ready in 2-3 weeks time, with two weeks left to put it all together and sort out the formating and cross-referencing between chapters etc. I think I can do it, but my fellowship application is barely off the starting blocks and that deadline is earlier than my thesis one!

Pink_Numbers, hope you're doing okay. Sounds like you're having a really horrible time, but I agree with your decision to go ahead and try to submit on time. Whilst extensions can be a godsend in times of need sometimes I think they just extend the problem rather than getting rid of it, and if you think you can get it sorted then go for it! And to be honest, at least it will go some way to taking your mind off the other issues in your life- well, maybe, that's how things tend to go with me anyway!

Right, I'm off to make progress on my application. I have to put forward my own project proposal but my brain is so focused on my PhD that it's really hard to think about anything else at all right now! Enjoy the rest of the weekend everybody!

Best, KB

Hi everyone,

I'm new here, I just decided to join as I'm at that really scary last few months stage - I have until the end of July to hand in a complete first draft and then my final submission date is end of September, with viva shortly afterwards. It sounds like this forum is really great for support and advice and I think this thread is a great way to share our worries while helping to spur each other on. I'm struggling at the moment with motivation due to anxiety about my impending deadlines - you know that feeling where you can't get into it because if you do you'll realise just how much work you have? Somehow the whole day seems to disappear before i've even got started. I also work 3 days a week so feel quite stressed that I'm not getting enough time to do what I need to, plus not sleeping too well due to the general anxiety - which I'm sure some of you are familiar with! It sounds like some of you are having an even tougher time with family and other concerns too, so I know I have to not dwell when it gets tough. So how's everyone doing now?

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======= Date Modified 28 Jun 2011 14:13:03 =======
Hi Determined Daisy

Welcome to the thread, good to have you :-).

Many of us are working towards a similar deadline to you and it's good to know that we all seem to have similar fears. I have a deadline of this Friday; self-imposed as it was me who suggested that I would return work to my supv. So far this morning I've worked very hard - eh, stripped a few beds, done five loads of washing and watched a lot of tennis:$. It's kinda bitty work thesis-wise I have as in insert a couple of lines here and there to beef up some paragraphs. I also have a table to do as I don't think the external will be impressed, or indeed taken in by my note to self to insert table 2.1 about here! However, I just can't get into it.

I'll watch 'til the end of the first set and then get on with what I'm supposed to be doing!

======= Date Modified 29 Jun 2011 04:42:37 =======
Hi everyone, and welcome Determined Daisy :-)

I am also having a lot of anxiety and sleep problems at the moment. I am submitting in two weeks and I know it should feel amazing but really it just feels quite terrifying. I have got to the stage where I actually can't go to bed until i have totally exhausted myself and then i sleep on and off waking up in a panic every couple of hours. The other night I actually dreamt that I was watching a particular chapter being marked and whoever was marking it was not impressed. In the dream I was shouting excuses at the marker but they couldn't hear me. I swear this thesis has hijacked my entire brain!

I am also a bit delusional in that I have basically decided that my supervisors are just letting me submit because they are so thoroughly sick of me. Deep down I know that is irrational but at the same time I can't stop thinking it! Yesterday I met with my supervisor and she laughed and said "you are not going to fail, there is no way you are going to fail" but I still keep freaking out. I keep telling myself that they wouldn't let me submit if it was an embarrassment of a thesis because that would make them look really bad too (and really they are lovely people so it would also be rather out of character!) It's kind of just like I don't quite feel ready to let go of it yet. It's scary!

Anyway - sorry for the negativity. I just had to get that out of my head. I hope everyone has a good week and gets lots done.

Morning ladies :)

I hear you both on the anxiety front. I think it is entirely natural. We're about to finish something that we worked so hard on, for so long, and be judged for what we did in the last x years of our lives. Of course we'd feel anxious!

It's best to keep reminding yourself that you have done your absolute best, and trust in yourself as a researcher. I understand that the whole point of a PhD is to make you into a researcher, and think that believing in your own researching abilities is one of the qualities you are suppose to gain from the process.

either that or take my approach and make everything else in your life so chaotic that your thesis looks like the dictionary definition of calmness in comparison!!
:-)

Hi Slowmo, Ady and Pink_Numbers, thanks for the welcome and good advice! :) I too seem to find loads of other  jobs to do like applying for work (my contract runs out soon and need to keep paying the bills - great timing!! If only the rest of life could go on hold while we're slogging it studying), and likewise my house is looking particularly tidy these days! I even mended some clothes the other day - I never get round to that stuff usually!

I'm totally with you on the weird sleep patterns thing, I keep waking up drenched in sweat (sorry, gross) and having worried dreams which wake me up - if I can get to sleep at all. It's so reassuring (not that I'd wish this stress on anyone else but you know what I mean) to know that this is normal for the stage we're at.

I'm currently trying to give myself a little breathing space by applying for a 6-week extension but since I haven't been off ill it's not looking like I'll get one. I suppose you always work up to your time limit anyway and perhaps I'd just be stringing out the torture!!

Would anyone find it helpful to have an 'accountability partner' on here, i.e. set a target in the morning/night before of what you each want to get done that day and check back later to see how you've done and to give 'kicks up the bum' if it's slow progress? Might it help us to motivate each other do you think?

Have a nice evening everyone- -go have a break from work, it's getting into relaxing time now! :)

Hi Daisy

Speaking only for myself I work somewhat erratically due to family committments so I wouldn't be a good accountability partner. Florence on another thread mentioned the idea of partnering up with somebody very recently - have a look, it might suit you.

http://www.postgraduateforum.com/threadViewer.aspx?TID=18686

Hi everyone!

I am in the same soon to submit boat, and just wanted to share that I read somewhere that the anxiety is a very good sign, sign that unknown territory is being explored. Research is about discovering, therefore, entering the unknown, and that may come with some nervousness. Only good theses leave in the writter that feeling!

Going back to work now! ;-)

See you all in the other side, post passed VIVA!

======= Date Modified 30 Jun 2011 11:58:50 =======
======= Date Modified 30 Jun 2011 11:58:00 =======
Thanks for that Ady I'll have a look. And that's pretty reassuring advice EMA, thanks! Hope everyone's morning has gone ok. I'm just starting to get down to it :)