longbaygirl, why not do it part-time and keep the £60k job? I know quite a few people in their 40s/in established careers who opt for the p/t route. You can do a part-time PhD virtually anywhere (with the exception of Oxford and Cambridge, and maybe one or two others).

Nottingham is a great university. From the three uni's you mention, Nottingham definitely comes top.

Of course, I'm only talking generally here. Obviously the specialisation of your dept/quality of supervisor should be the deciding factor for which uni you choose (before looking more generally at the reputation of the university).

However, that said, I would be reluctant to opt for somewhere like Surrey (a non-red brick and non-RG university) when Sheffield and Notts are on the table.

longbaygirl, it depends on your specific industry and which country you work in. For instance, governments or NGOs/other international organisations positions will often seek out PhDs with specific specialist knowledge and the ability to write research papers to a high level. Also many sectors of the science, eg. the pharma industry, employ loads of PhDs (and they tend to get better pay...I know someone who works in HR in that field).

I'm in the law field, and although a PhD isn't necessary to practice law, I know that many who have attained a PhD have acquired very good jobs, and seemed to have shot up the ladder in their niche areas. It's also give them the flexibility to do other things.

As H says, do people higher up the ladder in your field have PhDs?

My advice on making notes is ...don't!

I spent an awful lot of time making very detailed notes, but now find I refer to the original article rather than the notes as either they don't make full sense in the context of the point I'm making, or I'm afraid of mis-quoting. So I have stacks of notes from year's ago that I just don't bother referring to - it's a massive waste of time.

I now read an article or skim it (usually the latter) and put what I need directly into my draft.

Don't swap chapters. Finish one completely, then move on to the next. Otherwise you'll completely fry your brain.

Is this for submission to your supervisors? Are they wanting an entire draft?

I feel very guilty reading this thread and seeing how much work you have got through (the past 3 wks I've hardly done anything). Although you have much work to do over the next few days, you should feel very good about your work to date.

Jojo, thanks for letting me know about your doctors advice. I hope your symptoms improve soon. It was only after reading a newspaper article some months back that I became aware just how important fresh air and sunlight is for one's health (which sounds dumb as it's common sense). I'm basically doing exactly what you're doing i.e., poor diet and no sunlight, and I'm feeling the effects.

Try not to be too concerned about your apparent lack of progress, as you near the end of writing-up, supervisors seem to raise the bar considerably with respect to standards.

hairui - that sounds like a very good idea!

Hattie, possibly you will need to adopt a new research area altogether - and put yourself in a position were there is less competition.

Jojo what was your GP's advice re. leghargy etc? (if you don't mind me asking).

At the moment, I get up the morning and feel like I'm ready to go back to bed for the day! I guess a good brisk walk in the morning is the solution (I keep saying I'll do it - but never put it into practice).

Hmmm...that's a tough call. I'd think both have exactly the same job prospects afterwards. Both Warwick and UoL colleges have good international and national reputations. Pick the one with the best supervisor.

Personally, I'd be wary of any course that is billed as 'distance learning'. First, I'd want to know if my PhD cert. would have such wording on it, as this would possibly reduce it's worthiness.
Second, as lots of people are doing PhDs away from their university campuses anyway, and are registered on normal PhD programmes, I can't really understand the point of a 'distance learning' programme.

I'm not sure what 'bad memories' have to do with this question (maybe it relates to another thread)...

...but Hattie, if you've been applying for a PhD place for one and one half years without success may be you should come to the conclusion that either your research proposal is inadequate, or your general credentials are not good enough for a PhD place. So my advice would be to stop looking for a PhD and do something else.

It's also comforting to know that after 5 minutes the vast majority of the audience will have lost interest. :)

Another good point to remember is that while you're very nervous on the inside, your outer appearance will normally only reflect about 1% of the nerves you are feeling.

Shani, I agree with you about powerpoint. I use powerpoint as a 'crutch' to keep the audience's attention away from me, and on the screen. The best presenters never use it (unless they need it to show technical material). Also, never rely on notes/prompters on your powerpoint - what happens if it fails? This happened to me once - the organisers lost my powerpoint presentation, and I had to wing it.

Definitely don't just read from your paper - it's lazy and will look really unprofessional.

As for the practicalities, you can either use a script or small cards with key notes. Most professional presentators/trainers will advise against a script, but I find if the presenation is very technical, a script is the best way to go. Of course, you have to know the script inside out - you can't just resort to reading off it.

A good presentator will never improvise - every point that is said will be known in advance. Check out some presentations by Steve Jobs. He looks like he's improvising, but he isn't.

To sound boring and obvious: the key is to practice, practice and practice. Practice to the point where you're absolutely bored to tears with it. Some people will give one hour of practice per one minute of a presentation (lots of presentation websites suggest this). This reflects a massive amount of preparation that goes into giving a great presentation. Also practice to friends and family if you can, or at the very least to a mirror. When you know the presentation, lots of the nerves will disappear. Try to eradicate all 'erms' or other filler words from your presentation.

You need to bear in mind, you're going to give the presentation no matter what happens, so it's just up to you whether you punish yourself with nerves or just muster up the confidence - I know that's easier said than done, but you'll kick yourself after the presentation for allowing your nerves to get the better of you during the preparation stage.