i really like my supervisor, and he is good,top of the tree really, but getting hold of him is like juggling jelly! I'm part time, so not on campus and can't just drop in. I don't really need to see him until I've got a bit further into things, but here we are supposed to meet up every 6 weeks or so, and this is supposed to be minuted. I'm not sure how I will get round the fact we have missed two such meetings, partly because supervisor has not been well, and is also involved with undergrads obviously and it is marking time, but I think i will use my e-mails to him as evidence of contact.

So, you liked it a lot then . I've bought that one too, and several others - its amazing how indespensible they seem when you see them in the uni bookshop or online isn't it?

i do know what you mean. I wouldn't say I've ever been put upon without doing something about it. I'm quite slow to get really cross with anyone, but if I do they might as well just go and live in a corner somewhere, they just end up dead in the water! . The thing is, you lot are on the whole much younger than I am, and therefore may need to be on at least speaking terms with these people that are annoying you in the future, you never know, so to burn your boats may not be the most sensible option in the long run, so smile sweetly and kick the wall you can kick them later when you may not need them any more!

Be careful about being too obviously rude, these peole know each other, and will probably also be working together when you have got your qualification and are off to pastures new, your new sup probably knows her quite well, and may have a different impression, that is just the way it goes. Are the refs very obscure? Have you asked the librarian? They may know, or know how to find out without asking this other person, tell them your problem and they might even enjoy the challenge, it would make a change from the usual stuff they have to deal with.

professional qualifications are taken into account, for example I have a fellowship in cell pathology, which you can only do if you already have a degree plus one year working in the area,(or the associateship if you took the exams before the degree course was invented). Also I think you can produce an essay on the subject to show you have the ability to work at that level. So you can get in without, although it might be quite difficult to keep up if you have to learn everything about assignment writing etc. from scratch

If she is still going to be involved in your progress, get it sorted out. Ask your now cuddly supervisor if he/she has any idea about the sources hinted at by this other person, as you feel you would like to look them up but your ex sup seems too busy to help you (add bits about realising that she has loads of work, you would like to look up the stuff yourself to aid your research skills, are in awe of this person- even if you ain't etc.) cuddly will then say it isn't necessary, or give you a hint in the right direction or, unfortunately might direct you back to this person, and if it is the last option, go back to the the ex sup and tell her your new sup has asked you to ask her for the refs. she will then have to give them to you - perhaps

well, in the UK I would suggest going for the MSc option, its do-able in one year, even if you are working full time - I would have done mine in this time, except I had to wait for the last module to be offered. In other countries I'm not so sure, but there must be something similar.

Here we are all electronic at this level, so submission is in that form, and when everything is done and dusted, you get a copy for the uni library- and maybe one for yourself as well. But there is also an in-house service for binding etc. for other degrees have you checked to see if there is one you can use?

Is that the price for doing it all, that is getting it printed as well, and if so, can you get it printed up and just give it to them for binding? I'm not sure how much you will save by that though.

Bellaz, Look into your own work a little more deeply, as others on here have said in the past, the other work is unlikely to be exactly the same, so you should be able to carve out a little niche for your work,and if not, start from the point they appear to have reached and develop it further, never, ever consider the work you have done is wasted, it isn't treat the other stuff as a springboard to something even more cutting edge

then tell the board how this will fit in with your new direction. They should be impressed that you can move the work on despite a setback. Above all think positive and go for it, you have nothing to lose - and if they do have a little snigger, you won't be able to hear it my bet is they will view it in the same way as they view any change, as something I expect they deal with all the time. good luck

I don't know what your field is, so this may all be rubbish but firstly don't give up yet. (that isn't a rubbish bit by the way)If your results are not what you expected, that is also progress in your field, and can be just as valuable as a positive result, think laterally and see what you can come up with, there may be a way to use your non-results to further research in the same area. It is odd that your supervisors can come up with nothing, they must have some ideas or are they skipping off to something new and can't be bothered with this any more. If you had funding then there must have been some possibility of something emerging. Have a good read around related areas to see if you can see where your work might fit in and try to relate your work to that,this will give you a new direction, but relate to the work you have already done if you have not had the results you wanted,

I have heard you get hot, but not boiling water, so your tea might not be very good. I can wait for a kettle to boil properly, it gets me away from the books for a little while. Now maid service would be another thing entirely that would be ueful, tea, and a slice of cake... er it is nearly lunchtime isn't it?

Make sure you use the master slide set up. sometimes you get to a place and find that the background colour you have chosen doesn't show up well on their system, master slides mean you can change the whole lot in one go. With pics make sure they are visible too the same happens to them sometimes. check that the program you used is compatable with the one they have on offer,it should be, but you never know. I always take stuff on a memory stick, and on a CD/DVD I've never had to use the latter, but I know some people who have. I also tend to just have things appear, not zipping in from the side or the top or any of the other fancy methods available as they just tend to distract fromt he content, well they distract me anyway!

people who don't know, don't know, and they probably think it is easy peasy and a bit of a holiday - but we know otherwise don't we

What I would do is buy the person a book token to the value of the book, and give the book back with humble apologies and the book token. That way they might say you can keep the tokens if the damage is a superficial as you suggest, or they can replace the book themselves. This will ensure that they will lend others books in the future, and give you brownie points for owning up and doing your best to minimise the upset. The first is the most important though as sometimes your tutors/ supervisors are the only source of hard to find material.