i'd say - not to worry - whenever i write my chapters i think they are really bad, and when i pick them up later, say three months later having discarded them, i realise how good they were... if only i had submitted them.. Go for it.... best,

Jojo.

do you feel that age affects the ease with which you do / get through your PhD. am amongst the youngest in my department at 23 and i sometimes feel that i should have got more experience before enrolling on the PhD. The reality tho is that even though i had gone for work experience first, it would not be an area related to my thesis.

your views?

oops... marking

makring away.. hating every moment of it. i do paid teaching, i like it, hate the preparation though, can take a whole lot of my time... wish i could do it in a day like sylvester.

i repeat 'personal views'.. an emotional outburst from people won't change them be they whatever they prefer to call themselves.

i saw my supervisor yesterday and she threatened to resign if i didn't follow the approach she was interested in. the threat was totally unprovoked because i had totally agreed to all she said. any one ever experienced this?

3) the issue of 'Black' people - a term i prefer not to use - coz i do not consider anyone to be black - like coal or white - like snow.. African students do very well in uni. the ones to don't make it are an exception. the issue seems to be the afro-carribbean students. they underperform. am compelled to think it is because they have a 'victim mentality..' which they shouldn't be blamed for. it comes from living in a society where being a minority, equal opportunity only exists in theory, to get that in practice is very hard. it takes an exceptional person to believe they can be a great achiever in anything when almost everyone they know isn't an achiever and is a victim of the society we live in.

these are my personal views.

Jojo.

Jenny, sorry you went thro hell trying to make a point here. am an international student on here if you want a mature view on this issue.. jojospost @ hotmail.co.uk.

a few of my thoughts:

1) as much as people want to deny that being a minority makes a difference, it does. i see it everyday with professors in my department, my students (i do part time teaching .. etc). needless to say, we have to prove ourselves harder than the rest to get anywhere.

2)Being a minority doesn't in any way reflect on anyone's academic ability or how they are treated in academia - save for the usual, shock horror.. she is a minority. i think when it comes to quality of work etc, there is fairplay.

not a problem at all Sara..

thanks.. i'll take that on board.

Jojo here. I just noticed from previous threads that you've done your PhD in two years excluding the first year - the research year. You're a social scientist as well.

How did you manage your time, work, life? and esp... writing up?

How did you structure your thesis - chapters and length?

J.

me too.. just getting over it now. yesterday i was just numb.. today am ok.. getting over it.
well, in a way, am glad this happened, coz that means that for the remaining one and 3/4 year, i will be very serious about my work. i see it as a wake up call.
and like you, i will start to seriously take on board my supervisor's opinion. it is true that if your supervisor thinks your work is ok, then you'll get thro the viva. last year, my supervisors never had a clue about my area of research..and whilst i partly blame them for the situation i find myself in, i've decided to pick up my pieces and try to make things work with this new supervisor - she at least knows something about my research.. and she seems helpful.

congratulations! so happy for you.

best of luck!

thanks for your thoughts guys.

bazzab - i also have to start again. times like this i wonder why i enrolled in a PhD in the first place. had i known.......