I've had Wimbledon on the background all week... I get a little jealous that I'm not there though!!

It's a great thing to have on when working, and it's only completely distracted me during the Murray match the other night, when I had to down tools (well my pen) and watch the match.

======= Date Modified 29 Jun 2009 15:43:39 =======
Speak to your supervisor - he/she should be able to advocate on your behalf, and you should be able to arrange an extension to your submission date unless you are up against max. number of years your university will allow for submission. Assuming you cannot extend, work on you thesis 24/7, and submit it glossing over gaps etc.

If your thesis is good quality (as you say) and your supervisor thinks it will pass, let it be submitted - otherwise we'd continue improving our theses ad infinitum.

You must have a pretty good idea of which areas may lead to a referral/resubmission at the viva, in which case, once you've submitted, work on these weak areas and then you'll be able to resubmit almost immediately.

remiss/inattentive/lackadaisical

:p

This recent thread may help some:

http://www.postgraduateforum.com/threadViewer.aspx?TID=12047

I agree about the third-person 'this researcher'/'this author' sounding a little contrived.

1. Two months is a good amount of time to finish a dissertation, but will you not have to submit a draft at some point to your tutor/supervisor?

2. It depends what country you're in! If you're in the UK, it's not customary to give a gift, and it probably embarrass your supervisor. Just thank them.

It's very sad.

I was watching the news coverage on CNN last night - it was so intrusive (footage of the ambulance etc).

It's not 'taxable income', so isn't included in any tax calculation. :-)

Ah okay, you didn't mention anything about knowing the formal process in your OP.

I would suggest you phone admissions, only they can really answer these specific questions. Applications/deadlines will vary by university. You normally need the 'support' of a US professor in the application (ie. they have agreed to host you).

But as Ruby says, you should also get the permission/sign-off from your supervisor before you pursue a formal application.

Hi, yes it is possible to spend time at a US uni, but normally you have to formally apply as a 'visiting scholar' or 'visiting researcher'. Uni's that offer these programmes will advertise them along their postgrad courses - so check out their admission sites. I'm sure there are informal ways of spending some time at a university (the best bet would be to get your supervisor to drop a line to someone).

I was looking at spending some time at a US university, but eventually didn't go ahead - I had to apply a year in advance (submitting a full application akin to a PhD), and had to pay tuition fees (which is the norm for visitors in US uni's). The whole thing is a lot more formal than visiting a uni in the UK or other places in Europe. US uni's tend to have strict rules about visiting scholars, and most places are assigned to visiting profs (or people much higher up the food chain than PhD students).

Hi Niall,

PhD studentships vary from about £10k to 15k now, but you may get 18k (probably via industry sponsorship), which is the equivalent of earning around £20k gross. This amount is non-taxable, and you don't pay NI nor student loans, but there is nothing stopping you from doing so. If you're out of work upon completing a PhD, you can claim benefits.

Putting aside the financial issues, if you're not interested in academia and you only think having a PhD will leave you competing with recent graduates...the question arises as to why you want to pursue one? It maybe more prudent to pursue a PhD on a part-time basis.

I should add it's unlikely you'll just have a three year break from industry, the time you complete, submit, find a job etc, you'll most likely be looking closer at four years.

======= Date Modified 24 Jun 2009 15:43:01 =======
Since you're being paid in local currency, the exchange rates shouldn't really matter if you plan to use the money. If you're planning to save the money, then it's best to keep it in a German account until you can capitalise on a better exchange rate (should that ever happen!). I got a stipend in Euros put in my British account only because I couldn't be bothered setting up a new account, but since you're there for six months, it's probably best to open an account as you then won't be subject to a conversion fee (which if I recall was £20 a month with my bank). You'll also avoid conversion fees/exchange charges from using your British cards in Germany.

Depending on the bank, it may also cost the university to send the money - best to check if they'll allow it.

HSBC have a service for setting up a new bank account abroad (since they have branches virtually everywhere).

The general rule, as already mentioned, is don't cite work you haven't read. But, if the work cited within the article is something quite general eg. a oft-quoted textbook or article confirming a principle/concept, I really don't think it's necessary to go away and read that book/article before you can cite in its own capacity. If the reference is more specialist, I always reference the work I found it in.

If the article/books cites a number of relevant references, I often just reference the article and then put 'and references therein'.

======= Date Modified 21 Jun 2009 12:23:44 =======
Having a UK PhD and/or a scholarship from a UK university does not alter the ability to reside in the UK once you have finished - I don't even think it puts you in any fast-track immigration system (like the US visa system for science PhDs).

If you're a European citizen (as Rick says), you have a right to live and work in the UK. If you're an international student, then once your student visa finishes, then legally you must leave the UK unless you have a work visa (i.e. have job), or your student visa is extended.

I'm not sure about the rules for Commonwealth countries, but Germaine Greer has just been on the TV this morning saying she still has problems getting back into the UK despite the fact she's lived her for decades.

Well done! That will be lots of fun.

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