Well I don't know what the rules are about doing another PhD but I don't think you are crazy for thinking about it! I am enjoying mine that much that I have often thought I could happily go on doing PhD projects until I retire (except for the crap pay and lack of progression, which would mean that I could never retire!). I know lots of people in Psychology are doing their PhD to get onto the practitioner doctorate and so will have two doctorates, but that's a slightly different sitation really. Well I agree that it would be much better to get a post-doc really, can you not devise your own project with someone at a suitable uni and apply for funding for it that way? I know the funding thing is really tough at the moment but that's what I'm gonna try to do! Good luck with it all! KB

Awww Satchi, how frustrating! It is so irritating when your work comes back with loads of comments on it, and you make the changes, and then there are more comments, and it just goes on. I suppose it's best just to try to have faith in your sup and think that for every comment they make and you act upon, it will be one less comment from the reviewers when you submit it! I suppose it probably doesn't necessarily work quite like that, but that's how I like to think about it, because my sup is the queen of feedback! I think we exchanged about 20 drafts of my first paper, but got it down to four for the last paper so I guess things are going in the right direction! Keep your chin up, hope you managed to get some sleep in the end! Best, KB

Oh, first and second supervisors are a nightmare- mine seem to have this strange competitive thing going on and it drives me mad! I suppose the main thing to think about is whether it is possible to incorporate your second sup's comments (to a greater or lesser extent!) without changing it so much that your primary sup doesn't like it? Obviously it would be nice to have them both really pleased with it, so I would say that is the best option. I would have a chat with your primary sup about sup 2's comments if you can, although I suppose if those comments are directly opposing sup 1's comments then it could get tricky. In that case I suppose you have to decide whose advice you would rather take. If your work falls very close to that of your primary sup and less close to that of your second sup then I would be tempted to pay more attention to what your primary sup is saying. Having said that, sometimes it is the people who are in a slightly different field who are in the best position to see things more clearly and point out where things don't quite look right, so I certainly wouldn't disregard the comments. Finally- what do you think about the comments? Do you think your second sup has a point?
Annoyingly, when my primary sup makes comments she is ALWAYS right and I can always see where she is coming from! If you can see the reasons that your second sup is unhappy then it might make sense to pay attention. Sorry, that probably hasn't helped at all but that's my thoughts on it anyway! Good luck! KB

Awww, poor you :( Happy birthday though, I hope you did get out to enjoy your lunch! It peed down on my birthday last week too so you are in good company! Best, KB

Yeah, I would say one-way anova with a post-hoc test to check for significant differences between groups if any crop up! Might be worth investing in a stats book or an SPSS guide if you're using SPSS. I have a really basic SPPS Survival Guide book and it's great, even now when I've been studying stats for about 7 years! Enjoy! KB

Hey there! It depends which way you go about it- if you write your own proposal and then look for funding then you will have to do quite a bit of research in order to write the proposal. If your proposal is going to attract funding then it will need to be well-thought out and planned, and of course based on previous research, so would have to do a fairly thorough review of the literature. If you apply for advertised PhDs then less so. I would think that they will expect you to have read around the topic, have a few ideas about how you might proceed with the topic (although some advertised PhDs already have a detailed protocol anyway), and have some of the basic relevant skills in place, but also the potential to learn any necessary new skills. They won't expect you to be an expert already, but will look for enthusiasm and potential to undertake the project to a high standard. Good luck with it! KB

that nobody knew....

Hey! I really feel for you- I think most of us have got ourselves into a hole at some point, and struggled to get out of it. I know I have. First off, you need to stop giving yourself a hard time over it and decide how to move forwards. Giving yourself a hard time and beating yourself up over it won't help things, so try to be nice to yourself. And then you need to be brave! Set yourself targets and start sorting this out as best you can- get in touch with your supervisor and check your email. It'll be tough but as soon as you get going you will feel better for it- at the moment it must be really difficult for you worrying about this every day. When you get over these first couple of hurdles it will get easier! Be honest with your supervisor and let him/her know that you are really keen to get back on track- the fact that you are so keen on your subject is a really good sign that once you get going, you will be successful. Keep your chin up- you will get back on top of things and be successful! Best wishes, hang around on here, it's great for support and encouragement! Best, KB

Hey guys, the mods are aware of the situation and are being very helpful (up)
Have a good week all, KB

Thanks Badhaircut- sorry, I somehow missed your post earlier! I will do just that. To be honest, everyone on the team is aware of his nasty behaviour towards me anyway, and I don't think he will be able to poison them against me because he has at times been quite unpleasant to other members of the team as well, and they are also aware of the earlier complaints against him. They have been very supportive even though they don't know exactly what is behind it all, so I know that they would support me if the need arose. I would actually be surprised if they hadn't worked out what is behind it anyway- two of the people on the team know because they are my best buddies, and the others have probably worked it out by themselves, including our sup....you know what it's like in the office, word gets around pretty quickly even if you try to keep it quiet. I reckon they know what's gone on. Thanks for your advice, KB

Hey there! No you are not evil, I completely get this! It does seem that some people manage to get by putting in fewer hours than others- like you I am here on bank holidays, weekends, and have had no Easter holiday, work my evenings etc, whilst others get by doing 9-5 weekdays and that's it. And also like you, I don't actually mind because work isn't a chore to me. But it is frustrating when people complain about being so busy and you know that you're working a lot harder. I posted a while ago about my flatmate, who sounds very similar to your friend, and who I generally get on with well, but who annoys me sometimes by going on about how hard she's working and insinuating that I don't work as hard as her. I guess some projects are genuinely less time-consuming than others (there is a very definite pattern in our department whereby the clinical psych students seem to have to put in a lot more hours in than in other types of psych- in general, obviously there are exceptions) and there is also the fact that there is a lot of variation in what you can achieve during your PhD. Another girl on the same team as me works probably one third to a half of the hours that do, and that used to annoy me, but now I realise that she is not planning to write and publish papers, get teaching experience, go to conferences etc, and that is where a lot of the difference comes in. So it could well be that you are getting a lot more out of your PhD than your friend. And then of course there are always those lucky few who just work very quickly...and there's not much you can do about those! Just try not to get wound up about it- it's hard, and I often have to bite my tongue when my flatmate makes her comments, but quite frankly it's not worth having an argument about! Best, KB

Hey Eska, no I haven't had one from you today! Got the ones from yesterday though! Thanks! KB

Hmmmm, I thought exactly the same Sneaks, but thought maybe I was just being completely paranoid! It is a rather big coincidence! KB

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Hi Natassia! Well I am probably not the best person to advice on guys given all the hassle over my 'guy problem post' during the last few days, but I will offer you my thoughts anyway! Personally I haven't really been seeing anyone seriously since I started my PhD- I broke up with my last serious boyfriend about 18 months ago. To be honest, I would like to find someone but I am so busy that I often think that I wouldn't have the time at the moment. However, I do think that if the right guy came along, I would find the time because it would be special and it would be worth working out. So I think that you need to be honest with him about how busy things are for you at the moment but also be honest with him about your feelings for him, and see if you can come to some sort of agreement about whether you want to give things a shot and if so, how you will work it, e.g. you'll take it slowly, keep it casual to start with, or whatever suits you both. As long as you start off by being honest about your situation and how you would like to be involved with him then I think you have a good chance of working something out. If he genuinely seems like the right guy for you then I would definitely persevere and get to know each other better. You have nothing to lose by trying! I wouldn't worry about his age or the different background thing- there are more important things in life! And sometimes it is nice to hang out with people who don't have their heads full of research questions and statistics! Good luck with it, let us know what you decide & how you get on! If it is meant to be, it will work out. and there are a lot of people I know doing PhDs who are married/in a serious relationship and they manage to work it. I'm not saying that it isn't stressful now and again but I think it's perfectly doable with the right person! Best, KB