Well if they take you they will want to see the original qualification papers(the degree), so there's no need to prove that with a refree. A refree that you have worked with and who know you are probably better because they can judge your abilities a lot better that someone from the old uni who might not remember you ..

Why are you reading the thesis??? How about reading some review articles instead? They should be shorter and more up to date.

I have been told that having your parents as guarantors is a way of doing it, so I agree with Ann. Also if you try to get a mortgage with your own bank, it might be easier.

My friend bought a flat when her only income was her PhD bursary (this was a few years back when house prices were more reasonable!). She managed to get a mortgage relatively easily but had to have her parents as guarantors for the loan. Could this be an option for you?

Hi I start my PhD next week and I am getting a bit nervous. I'm not sure what preperation I should be doing. Does anyone have any advice? I am currently reading my supervisors thesis but it's taking forever and I feel like I will never finish it!

Can anyone help please. My partner and I want to get onto the property ladder. I have a bursary but none of the lenders regard that as income. Has anyone experienced this problem before and if so could you offer me some advice or does anyone know a lender who would regard a bursary as income?

Thank you for your advice. I am finding my feet now and met some nice people.

hello. does anyone have advice on how i can be well prepared for my first tutorial. its the first time am teaching and i just finished my undergrad. are they going to take me seriously? secondly, an assesor will be in the room during one of my tutorials. what should i do to survive it?

hi...what's everyone doing in their first week. am particularly bored. i don't get to see my supervisor for the first time til the end of today and i've been here for a week. am just watching others going for lectures and thinking what am i gonna do now!!!!!

When am I supposed to start applying for postdoc positions? (officially advertised positions with closing dates etc, not just informal enquiries) For example, I have found one being advertised now, closing date mid October - when would I be expected to start this (they don't say)? I will be submitting my thesis this time NEXT year.

Stuff it Bob

Yeah, I guess that's true. The divisions in science are just a sometimes useful man-made invention hence biological chemistry, physical chemistry (and the journal physical chemistry chemical physics! (PCCP)). I recently heard someone from the Nobel museum lecture on Einstein - he said that Einstein WASN'T a genius and that the climate of the time (sharing everything in journals, presenting PROBLEMS not just solutions in the journals) helped in his success. Also that supervisors are to blame for today's lack of genius - they don't give students 'the good problems'.

Thats the one. I guess theres a big overlap between (physical) chemistry and physics anyway. I bet Einstein would never have cared about being called a physicist or a chemist.

The Einstein article was in Chemistry World, the R(oyal) S(ociety of) Chemistry) magazine. Haven't read it yet, but as a physical chemist I find it a bit hard to believe...maybe reading the article will change my mind. I like physicists much better than chemists...

hi Nicole, you said your frmo nueoroscience, are you in tubingen? i have msc in comp scince and want to pursue phd in comp sc specifically cognitive science or aritifiial intellgence related area in germany, can you tell me a few things about it>