Hi Tudor...glad to have helped!!. I notice you always give really helpful answers to people on the forum.

In relation to my problem. Yes I have a second supervisor...but my primary won't allow me to send things to her untill he says so....so cue months of unhelpful feedback..like 'you need to incorporate literature from engineering field"...I'm not in engineering. ...but that was literally a comment (but about my field)

Anyway I will work on getting around that. For now my focus is on getting as much as can done.

Best,

Newlease

A large part of doing phd, involes learning new skills.
There are entire books devoted to the art of qualitative interviewing : and many qualititative research books have chapters devoted to it....i.e. should the interview be structured or semi structured ect. (Depends a lot on you theoretical framework).

Also , I have never been in scouts but I have done focus group work and I imagine they are two very different things. Focus groups can be useful, but a problem is group conformity (so a ring leader can set the tone for entire group...this can happen very naturally in groups. And then a second issue is that without anonimity people can shy away from saying thier true feelings. I would imagine that this could be an issue for juvenile offenders talking about family.

There are other pros of course. But I would ask your supervisor why she wants interviews and not focus groups...she may well have good reasons.

I actually think in your situation interviews might be easier to manage.

If you do the reading and even use one or two of your sample as practise you should be fine. There is an art to it, when to probe, when to let participant go off on a tangent ect....but it's a learn able skill....probably one you need to develop going further as a qualitative researcher.

Okay, so read the replies..(will I ever stop procrastinating! !)

Anyway I wouldn't worry too much about your supervisor bad mouthing you. There's nothing to stop them doing that even if you are still thier student.

Your approach seems very professional to me. If you side step any gossip about it...it takes you out of the equation. Other people might gossip for a while but if they have no amunition from you..it can't hurt you much. They will move on fairly quickly to the next drama.

I think if I were you I would a prepared response for when people ask you questions and try and draw you into gossip....something like "my research moved in different direction and we both thought x was a better fit as a result". Or you could even simply say....I don't want to discuss it.

You know thinking about it I would bet my supervisor undermines me behind my back....so I am behind and had to get an extension....he probably tells people I'm a weak student ect.

I won't waste my time thinking about it.

I might start my own thread just to vent about him

Anyway you are definitely doing the right thing...in my opinion. I hope it works out with your new supervisor.

I haven't read all the replies so I am not beingvrepitive.

Anyway I was in exactly your situation. Bullying and underming...some subtle and not so subtle. I didn't know how to handle it. Like you I didn't have much 'proof' and I feared I would somehow come out looking the worst if I were to report it.

So I ended doing nothing. It's been very detrimental to my progress and I am now quite behind (not all due my supervisors behavior, to be sure...a lot if procrastination on my own part).

It's got to point the point where unless I chase him I don't get meetings and even then he stands me up, more often tthan not. He gives vague unhelpful feedback on my drafts...like 'your just bad at writing' or 'your just bad in ways that can't be thought'.

anyway I could on..I won't.

But I wish I had done what your doing. Trust me in final year you will want some support. My supervisor won't even confirm if he thinks I have enough data. I'm left in position where I just have to get on with on it and do it myself. I know it's supposed to be independent work...I'm fine with that. I designed most of the programme if research myself.

But prior to submitting it would be nice to have an expert opinoon on the quality....I'm left in the position that I may fail because I have zero guidance.

I'm just trying to focus on what I can do and not let worry hinder my progress and hope for the best.

So I'm just telling you to this to let you know in my opinion you are doing the right thing...for sure.

Hi Bignige,

I certainly wouldn't see your age as any kind of factor to worry about. Lots of people in my Uni do PhD's in 40's and 50's and do very well.
Your work experience likely means you have great time management/productivity skills and also a wealth of knowledge that will be invaluable to you.

However, most I know who were coming back to education after a long break, did a masters first. One of these people was in 50's and also changing fields entirely from her previous employment. So obviously she had to do a masters. She did very well, completed on time and got some publications. Another older student I knew, also did very well, again finishing on time and getting publications. her situation was different in that she came back to education as a mature student and did both undergrad and PhD in her late 40's. I'm not sure if she did a masters but she went straight from undergrad to PhD.

I am in my 30's and did both undergrad and PhD in 30's. I didn't do a masters and found I was lacking in research skills at the start. I was very good on theory, just lacked some essential research training. I caught up on it - but it took time and I often regretted not doing research orientated masters first.

A good masters will get you back in study mode, provide you invaluable research skills and even can assist with making contacts and coming up with feasible research plans. You could make you masters research project as a start to your PhD project.

You will probably also be a lot more likely to get funding for your PhD if you have a masters with research project and decent GPA from it.

I'm not saying its essential to do the masters, but I feel my PhD would have been shorter if I had done a masters. So I didn't actually gain any time from not doing one. that was just my experience,.

continued from above

I think the brain not switching off automatically from stress mode is probably fairly normal. It sounds like something that could easily happen to me and in fact anyone. But I feel if you can't relax , even now, you will never be able to relax or 'take in the good'. I fear (like I used to be, so I speak from personal experience and not judgement here).. that you will always be stressed and now matter what the circumstances in your life , you always be stressed and feel like you have crisis.

I cant wait to submit. I fantasise about it all the time. I have already labelled the time between submission and viva as 'the fallow' and have great plans for this period.. mainly involving relaxing and just doing whatever the hell I feel like it. Just to wake up in the morning and not have thesis having over me. I am struggling a bit with the write up, so I would love to be in your shoes. I guess its all about perspective. there are probably some undergrads out there who would love to me in my shoes.

I hope you find my reply helpful . I fear it sounds judgemental. But I actually speak from experience of being a major stress-head. meditation and mindfulness really helped me with that.

HI alexander,

I'm not sure you will like my reply... but from the perspective of someone struggling to finish up, your 'problem' sounds like a non-problem. Can you not just enjoy some down time. You have just written a thesis.. an enormous achievement. Can you not just be happy about that, at least for a little while. I can understand the fear of the viva. But there is not a lot you can do about that.

In my experience with friends and family it took a while for them to find jobs when they completed their degrees. One of my sisters, it took six months, but she hasn't been unemployed since (nearly 20 years) and has a great job.

Sure I know some people land a job before they have even finished. But I think its fairly normal for it to take a while.

You will get a job and then it will be back to having hardly any time for hobbies, personal development, sport or family and friends.
Seems like you could just use this time to spend time with family and friends. Maybe take up a new hobby (it can be done cheaply) or do other hobbies you didn't have time for during PhD.

As for living with your parents (who are happy to have you) and working a cashier job. I have two things to say; 1) Congrats a finding a temporary means to support yourself , even in a small way

2) I'm old; my parents are even older and now they are getting sick. I actually haven't always the best relationship with them, but I'm really sad at the realisation they won't be around forever.
so my advice is to just enjoy this time spending time with your parents.

I wonder if maybe, with stress of final year, you so used to worrying and be stressed, your brain hasn't caught up with the fact, that it can take a break from being worried and stressed , if even for a little while.

continued below

Hi again

I think Piju's advice is great. If you have support of medical dr and counselling service that should help your appeal.

I just chimed in to say, be cautious re medication... there are other ways to get back on track and there are risks with meds. I'm not saying don't take them.. It's your choice. I'm just consider your options carefully.

didnt have enough space, so continuing here

Having read your post again, it does seem like you really need to talk to someone, the counselling service in Uni is usually free. I think it would help you if you had someone to talk to and offer you some support through this period, even knowing you have someone to vent all you worries to once a week is something i think you would helpful.

Hi , sorry to hear about your situation.

I think pm 133 advice is really good.

everytime distracting thoughts come into your mind about your life situation or negative thoughts about your phd/finishing, just tell your self ' I ll think about this in X time' and back to the study. You do need to get a bit pumped tho... I find exercise and positive self-talk can help with this.

It's not easy what you have to do, and to be brutally honest, I'm 100% sure I could do it. But you have nothing to lose and everything to gain, by giving it your very best shot.

Is there any way you could appeal the decision not to offer you an extension? Seems like being homeless and having mental health difficulties are good enough reasons. I mean if you just got a month or two.
I would try that (but not spend too much time on it, in case it doesn't work out for you.)

You also said you have until October.. is it beginning or end of October. because 2 months makes it all seem a lot more doable.- especially when you have half of it written.

My supervisor told me one of his former students wrote her entire thesis in about 3 weeks!! don't even know if this is true. but she did pass, albeit with some fairly substantial corrections. I do remember she finished really quickly in the end. I was like, where is she gone.?. poof... so she definitely did do it in a fairly short time, whether it was 3 weeks or not, I don't know. I have also come across a few blogs from people who have written up really quickly that I found motivating and helpful.

come back and let us know how you are getting on
this forum can be supportive at times.

I'm not in your field, so it 's hard to say. there are skills specific to each field, some you can brush up on at home ( ie stats or qualitative methodologies), some you need a lab and /or supervisor... so for that reason its hard to say exactly what you should be doing.

developing writing skills and improving your writing style are germane to everyone writing a thesis. writing regularly and reading other good writers are the best ways of improving in this area. As others have said, read some foundational literature and be very familiar with your area, theories and methodologies.

I would definitely do above, but i would if I were in your position.I would go travelling somewhere nice and relaxing for at least 2 months before you start. I know you said you didn't want to hear this. but as someone in their final year, I can't tell you how tired I feel at times, and how completely sick of my field and area I feel at times.

Start refreshed... 4/5 years is a long stretch and it will can be hard to maintain enthusiasm at times.

Another thing , if you have the means, would be be save some money, as funding is only barely enough, you will appreciate being able to treat your self to nice weekend away or a facial or whatever. I know it would probably be hard to take to take 2 months off and also save, but if you could, that's what I would do. maybe go stay with friends and family and do it cheaply or something.

I think a year is enough time to do all of the above.

Another thing I would do, if I could back in time, is simple things ... like having a good sleep routine and good exercise routine established..... little things like sleep/ being used to being in a routine/ not being too broke/ having a writing routine/ having exercise routine......these little things make doing a PhD so much easier or harder

i could have wrote this post. Good to think about though, employing strategies from my undergrad maybe.

I feel like I don't remember what I read, there is too much information out there and I could spend forever making notes

Hi Ecclestoned,

So it seems to me like you have some practical problems that needs solutions and also a type of attitude problem (don't know how else to phrase it)

So in relation the 'attitude problem' I have had the same issue. Firstly it is good in way way to know what your peers are up to and use it as a bench mark of what you should aiming for. But comparing yourself to others and making your self feel inadequate is just depressing and demotivating and ruins your confidence

You also say you had mental health problems, but you are pretty much back on track now. Give yourself some credit for this. You have dealt with some challenges and pushed on through so that's great..

In relation to your attitude, stop looking back (regret/should have done more/ect) and stop comparing yourself to others so much. It is hard to stay confident and motivated doing a Phd and doing both those things will sap your confidence and demotivate you (I'm speaking from experience here)

You need to be able to draw a line in the sand and move forward. Take what you have learned from past mistakes for sure, that is useful. But move on with knowledge about the project and yourself, and think about the future, not the past.

In relation to the practical issues, i.e you studies barely get past initial data collection phase, this seems like something you need to discuss with your supervisor. This is exactly what they are there for. So why don't the studies work out? I don't have enough information and I don't know your field. but maybe your being too ambitious with your projects, or maybe there are flaws in your design ect. You do need to figure this out. And your supervisor is best one to help you figure this out. Don't feel bad about it - this is why a Phd takes so long; You are learning, and part of that learning is making mistakes and then building on what you learned. you are not supposed to be perfect researcher; the phd is to train you to be good researcher and part of that is making mistakes and learning from them.

It is completely understandable that you having trouble sleeping. This is a horrible and stressful situation.

If you can write your thesis, without any of the faked data and have a good explanation for why you your papers have additional analyses not in your thesis, this may be a good option (as others have said)

Other people suggested you say the papers were joint work ( you and your supervisor contributed) and you didn't include your supervisors contributions in your thesis because they weren't your own work.

maybe even put in a footnote at the end of those chapters saying something to the effect of ' a version of this chapter was published in X journal, with additional analyses conducted by by supervisor and co-author Dr.Y''

This seems like a good way of publicly distancing yourself from these results.... but maybe it is making to big a point about it... I would be interested in hearing what other people on the forum think about this idea.

I think you should also seek some counselling, just to deal with the stress...there a lot of psychologists , who have also done phd's as part of their training (not all have, in my country phd and clin psyc are different training, but in other countries you do a research phd first), so they may be able to understand what your going through and maybe even offer some advice.

continued from abve

How many years have you spent at this phd,now?

If it's two or less, personally I would walk away for sure. I know even two years, they have been blood, sweat and tears years, but in grand scheme of things I would chalk it down to bad luck and walk away.

If its more than two years the choice becomes difficult and you have a lot of soul searching to do.
everyone is different and everyone has different motivations and reasons for wanting an academic career.
personally I don't think any career is worth the kind of drama and turmoil this may bring.
If it were me and I'm in year 5, I would still walk and just go do a practical masters and move on with my life .
but factored into my decision is the fact that I don't love academia anymore, and wouldn't like all that stress of waiting to be found out, It would suck, but hopefully i could get a job to fund masters and maybe even talk to the university about allowing fee waiver for practical masters, given the circumstances.