======= Date Modified 09 May 2009 12:10:23 =======
People generally don't write bad references these days (too many possible legal implications). It's part of a supervisor's duty to provide references and help guide you with respect to taking the next step.

For another reference, try your personal tutor from your undergrad days. If your tutors etc. have left, then contact the HoD and request they do it, but provide lots of information to make their job easy. Once again, it's part of their role to write references for students.

Another alternative, is to use contacts from academic conferences you have presented at.

Most people are only too happy to provide a reference as long as you are very detailed about the job particulars.

It's not exactly a miserable situation!

3.7 or above is considered First Class Honours.
Anything from 3.2 up to 3.7 is considered Upper Second Class Honours (depending on your choice of university). Most of the good uni's ask for 3.5.

Cynical me says assuming you're an international student, the vast majority of uni's (including most top ones), will be happy to have you despite the 2.2.

======= Date Modified 06 May 2009 11:51:08 =======
It won't harm to do another taught MA, but I doubt it will help much for improving your chances of getting a PhD programme. Personally, I wouldn't bother, particularly given the cost involved.

Doing an MRes or MA by research will be more useful, and certainly put you ahead of the game for a PhD.

If you're planning to do the MA again this Sept, you might be too late for applications to all the top unis.

I had to do this a few years ago. I wrote: key issues and why this research is important to the field, followed by about 3/5 research questions, a brief line or two on methodology, and then what I hoped to conclude.

It differed from my PhD abstract insofar as I pulled out more of the contentious issues and made it more like a book pitch i.e. mildly interesting.

======= Date Modified 04 May 2009 07:28:36 =======
This type of behaviour is similar'ish to a situation I experienced during my undergrad years with a very, very good friend (at the time). She went off the rails after a number of personal issues, and proceeded to heavily drink, abuse medication, bring guys home and fall asleep smoking etc.

This went on for a whole academic year, it ended in a number of serious incidents, and it had a considerable impact on my studies (I ended up blowing my chance of a first class degree due to many missed lectures). My friend eventually left and didn't say so much as a 'thank you' nor 'goodbye'. I'm still quite bitter about the whole thing, and wish now that I'd dealt with the situation as soon as it arose and put my studies before my friend's wellbeing.

Anyhoo...the lesson learnt is to put No.1 first, and don't be afraid of upsetting or offending your friend, and pointing her in the right direction for some help. These things do tend to escalate.

It was a great fight! Hatton was completely outclassed. I wonder if he will fight again or retire?

Myostatin, do you have a PhD rep that can advocate on your behalf for better opening hours? Are management fully aware of the problems of restricted access hours? Depts will normally work around these matters by putting in place new access systems.

I've read lots of bad press about both Manchester Met and John Moore's University over the past several months...and it all seems to boil down to poor management issues.

======= Date Modified 01 May 2009 19:32:29 =======
@Bug, nope I've never been invited, but we do have a large department so they can probably muster up enough faculty members to attend these things. If they invited all researchers it would potentially be a huge audience. When I did a presentation for a postdoc job, around 12 people turned up to watch, I would assume about 10-20 would be an average audience for these things.

@Sleephead, thanks for the info. I do wonder if half the time these jobs are already ear-marked for certain people and the whole recruitment is mere theatre.

After five years, I'd say plough on and finish what you started (assuming it won't put you in massive debt). Keep impressing on your supervisor that you want to finish as soon as possible, and maybe use any delays to gain experience/publish/teach.

In terms of US PhDs, you're not really running that over time. My cousin took about seven years doing his PhD (US), and from what I gather it's sort of acceptable that PhDs can take ages to complete.

I'm in the UK and I've gone way beyond my four year deadline for a variety of unavoidable reasons, but I'm determined to finish my PhD. There comes a point when there is no turning back and you just have to aim for the finish line.

Hi Olivia, welcome back! I actually thought you had quit your PhD given your absence.
;-)

Thanks Bug!

I'm starting to wonder why I've never been able to sit in on one of these interview presentation processes...

What worries me about this pandemic is the lack of consistency by the British government. We are told don't take antivirals without symptoms, but the local health authorities are giving them to hundreds of school girls who are showing no symptoms after one case of swine flu in the school. Then we have people who have been in Mexico and are displaying flu symptoms, but their doctors cannot get their hands on swab kits nor antivirals in London, and NHS Direct told other people to go to A&E...

Then when this becomes a pandemic, 'Cobra' will allow Tamiflu to be distributed, which will require every flu sufferer to find a 'flu friend' to take a special secret code, to a special secure location, that prevents organised crime from stealing the Tamiflu and selling it on the black market (Gordon's been watching Spooks). Now call me cynical, but as this code is available via a helpline, won't half of Britain suddenly feign the flu to get their supply of Tamiflu??

Thanks! I was thinking a recruitment panel would be bored to tear sitting through hours upon hours of presentations. I already have a good 20 minute presentation prepared, so I will polish that.

Sleepyhead, since you have sat in on some of these recruitment presentations, is there anything that impressed you about the presenters? Anything that made you say 'that's a great candidate'?

I would interpret it as being any time before midnight - although it's probably best to submit before the end of the working day.