swantje, you're doing your masters in germany, if i recall correctly? i was in switzerland. indeed similar in many ways.

i'll be interested in how you experience the move to london. i found it not always easy. i've actually written an article about the PhD experience in London as compared to Switzerland, which was published here: http://www.frauenstelle.uzh.ch/publikationen/universelle.html (PDF "universelle 8")

for now, good luck in your final race, both swantje and lara! there comes a time when you just need to get it over with. the end is nigh!

Thanks Shani!

you know what, usually i am really bad and i procrastinate but today, i have been good at the concentration, i think it's because of all you guys! and because of the diary i've started, i feel like by midnight or (2am) i need to have done work, so i can say what i've done in my diary lol.

usually around 7pm, i will have my dinner, and then watch a few episodes of greys anatomy as a reward for a days work. but today, i was watching it, but thinking about going back to my computer! that's never happened to me before!!

this forum, is like having a daily monitor lol
i recommend everyone start their diary writing as Jojo suggested, it really does help!

i once read that

"one day plus another has an accumulative effect"

and "whereever you are, it is the place to start. the effort to expend today does make a difference".

well, my 5 minute break is over. signing off, and getting back to work. aiming to work till midnight/2am.
bye

I think everyone is right! A compromise would be to cope and paste every thing from the paper and make some changes/additions so it does not look exactly the same. Perhaps change some wording/rearranging sentences... The figures should be easier to deal with. you may want to separate panels and explain them individually. Slight changes should deal with the plagiarism thing...

Thanks!! I agree!! sounds like a plan, and is making me feel less stressed now

great, that's what i will do and then show my supervisor and ask him what he thinks. i've asked him about it. but in the past my other supervisor has told me i can copy paste it, but just slightly change it.

hi shani,

i'm aware that it's a totally different system in england, a lot more structured and monitored. i'm used to the "laissez faire" attitude in germany which really does not help when studying. i think that studying in england will be a positive experience as i've noticed that i really LIKE deadlines and being monitored!

i agree, i need to be monitored too, otherwise i will run riots like a toddler and not do anything.

----

just found out that my dad has a cyst on his testicle. he had prostate cancer early this year. and had surgery, they said they think they got it all and it's not metastasized.

but now i'm feeling worried. i started to do research on it on the internet, but i think it's best i just wait till we see the consultant next friday. but i just emailed the consultant asking him what he thinks it is. whether its a benign fluid filled cyst or cancerous, or related to the prostate cancer.

i'm hoping its nothing serious.
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okay i better get cracking on my writing now. nothing i can do about it really.

sometimes I feel so helpless, that i can't really help my father.
and it doesn't help that my own phd is on cancer, but on ovarian cancer. sometimes i feel guilty i should have somehow prevented it or been more aware of it. but the doctors said they caught it at the right stage. i guess you can't know about everything.

just got an email from the consultant. he's reassured me that its probably benign.

and that my dads PSA levels are perfect. so looks like they cured the cancer. thats made me feel so much better. but they are concerned about a few other things like scar tissue. but will tell me in more detail next friday.

okay feeling reassured now. back to my writing.

Hi Lara,

I really really feel for you as I am in exactly the same position. I have to hand in my PhD by the 30th September or I will fail. I have so far only written one chapter, and I have six more to write! (God, actually saying that makes me feel sick). Unfortuantely I have to finish as close to the beginning of september as possible as I am starting a new job that will be stressfull in itself so my deadline is really the 7th. To make things worse I have about 3 weeks of other stuff to do before september for my new job (OMG!!!) I am stressing big time, but this does not make me actually do any work as I am so panicked by it.

Reading this thread has inspired me though, and I will also start my own writing diary, in the hope it will also spur me on. I would really appreciate the support of any others who are also writing, and I will try to post encouraging replies to their threads. Good luck Lara, you can do it!
BB
X

Hey BB,

wow ! I am relieved to hear I am not the only one in that position, well kiddo, it's you and me! we can do it!!

i know exactly what you're going through. for a couple of days, i was panicking big time, so much so, i was having panic attacks and hyperventilitating, and running around like a headless chicken. which did not help matters!

but joining this forum and starting a writing diary inspired by Jojo, has calmed me down. and instead of thinking of the BIG deadline. i've settled for mini deadlines. i might not meet the mini deadlines, but it's better i fail meeting those immediate deadlines, then miss the big one!

i remember during my BSc i was late submitting my final thesis, and that for every hour it was late, i would lose points! i keep re-living that nightmare, week.day last few hours. i don't want to do that again!

Thanks BB for your encouragement and positive thinking! Really appreciate it.

yah let's do it together. sounds like we're in exactly the same boat! similar deadline and chapters to write.

it's nice to know i'm not the only one.

I just got an email back from one of my supervisors, and she asked me about if i am REALLY not going to write the chatper on "such and such"

and i explained that no, i'm not , i really don't have the time, to write it. and it doesn't make sense anyways for the rest of my thesis argument.

so this time i am standing my ground!