I attended a course from the (similar) masters during my PhD - and the university did not charge me for it. It helped me - A LOT! Don't miss the opportunity to attend these lectures, they will definitely assist your research.

I try not to look back. Meanwhile, I am still waiting to hear my results.

Mara Sp.

If your examiner is a VIP academic, expect delays.

It really depends on how well you know your thesis inside out. A friend had to have an emergency viva - she didn't expect to have it that early and later she was told that she would have it in 5 days time as they were racing time for her to graduate in December. So she only revised her thesis for 4 days. Eventually she passed with minor corrections.

Hi there. It really varies. At my university (UK), the norm is 2.5 months, but when I first submitted, I had to wait for 3 months or so, as my external was unavailable. Good luck with your viva!

It depends on how long and complicated your thesis is. I would say 10 days - but do a little bit of work every day if you progress fast. Don't leave it too late, otherwise you may get stressed thinking that you haven't got much time to revise.

Well, you must receive a letter from your university inviting you to attend the viva. It's not usually short notice. I would say 10 days are more than enough. After all you have written the thesis - you know it inside out anyway.

There is an online program called my tomatoes. Time it so that you work at least 8 hours a day - 4 good hours in the morning and 4 in the afternoon. Otherwise you may see this period as your opportunity to procrastinate, thinking that you have way too much childfree time in your hands (in fact, it's only a couple of weeks and you need to make the most of them).

Alternatively, you work in your local library instead. You can even alternate working from home and working in the library. The library will put you in the mood to do more work, especially if you see people reading and studying around you.

Mara Sp.

I don't think it matters. All your qualifications are taken into account when you apply - not just your MSc grade. Yes, you stand a chance to get a scholarship, for the same reason.

If I were you I would take any job, simply not to be out of work. I had to work in a fast food restaurant after I handed in my revised thesis. Then, all of a sudden I was hired to do some undergrad academic teaching. Don't give up! There are some jobs out there but sometimes we need to take any job while we keep applying.

I had the second class yesterday and it went well! I had students coming to me and say how much they enjoyed my presentation at the end of the class, and anonymous feedback is very positive indeed. It looks like it requires some time for the teacher to get to know the 'personality' of the class and arrange the course accordingly. I think that I got there in the end. All I needed to do in order to spark their enthusiasm was to

a) add more interesting pictures on the powerpoint
b) give them the opportunity to express their views just before the break, and then again, at the end of the class.
c) speak slower and making an effort to improve my accent.

It is interesting, because I am learning through the process of teaching , and I love it!

Congrats on taking this decision responsibly and pursuing your dream career! You are very brave! You certainly deserve to be happy, and happiness is very personal. People will judge you no matter what, and you should always be yourself. Never ever do what other people think is right, if it's not right for you. Now that the PhD is out of the way, the best is yet to come for you.

I would like to add the story of my best friend here. He was born in an Eastern European Country - his father wanted him to become a civil engineer and sent him to England to study civil engineering at the University. My friend hated it. He always wanted to become a fashion designer.

So, guess what he did. He stopped studying civic engineering and started studying fashion design - a course that took him 5 years to complete, but he made it! He is now a fashion buyer and makes loads of money!

His mother only found out that he studied fashion 3 years ago, when he also told her that he is gay. She loves him to bits and she accepted him and his career. His father died last year. He never got to know the truth, and he died without even knowing that S is gay. My friend said to me that not telling his father about these two issues was the best thing he has ever done.

Tuanito, well done for keeping such a positive attitude. I can personally reassure you that it may all sound terrible now, but your resubmitted thesis will be much better than your current thesis. It's pretty straight forward: Just do the corrections they ask for - if you do them to the letter, then you will get your PhD. Also, why not take this extra time to improve your academic CV? Go to more conferences, publish more work, etc? It's not the end of the world... and you can do this!

Congratulations! Major corrections means that you need to sit down and do the changes - 6 months is nothing and it can go pretty fast. As someone who had to R&R and resubmitted her thesis almost 2 years after the viva, I can reassure you that even if you were to wait for much longer, it is doable. You can certainly survive this. So, instead of panicking, getting sick of it all, and trying to avoid opening the file, be realistic. There is no way back now - you have to persevere. You are so close to getting your PhD that it would be silly to quit. Don't give up. You are almost there.

They cover all your fees and research costs if you are a home student. Research costs: i.e. for research trips, to attend conferences, to access research material (books, equipment), etc. It's a pretty good deal in my opinion.