Thanks Cornflower, that is really interesting, and postgrad as well as undergrad is certainly important in this topic. The unis seems to be turning more and more to expansion of postgrad as that does not ( as far as I know!) carry any placement caps since the government does not fund home student places in the same way as undergrad. In a way that system seems to unfairly advantage students with cash over students with ability, as getting the funds to study could be hard, I imagine, and funded places at universities are very limited. Someone with a great deal of ability but lack of cash could be deprived a study opportunity but someone with less ability and more access to cash carry on....that does not seem to be very fair, nor, in the bigger picture, a way to advance the most able getting to carry on with cutting edge research. If anything it seems to perpetuate a system of haves and have nots.

( whilst wondering if it is some kind of oxymoron to have a thread called PhD "life"...:p)

I am wondering what people think about the future of UK universities. As an international ( American) student, there were many things about the UK system I liked, and many I found mysterious. With the recent scramble for university places over, and reports of international students being let on to courses whilst UK home students were told the same course was full, it causes me to pause and think about what a system is like, what it should be and etc....

The obvious advantages of the UK system for home undergrad students is that if they get a place it seems like they are able to financially manage it to attend. UK tuition is much less on the whole than US undergrad tuition. But does the cappin gof places for UK home undergrads make sense? Does it somehow start to turn the unis into degree mills for international students, when the unis are cash strapped and looking for ways to increase revenues? Where is the quality assurance about the qualifications of the fee paying foreign students--do they need to be more qualified than to have money in hand? What ensures that the unis do not collapse into degree mills at least as far as international students go?

Are private unis the wave of the future? Certainly in the US there are priviate unis, and yes, the costs can be high, but this is set off by generous financial aid packages and government loan schemes. One nice advantage of the government loan scheme is that it is available for postgraduate work, and not just limited to the US. You can attend approved non US universities and be eligible to get the student loans--which is a nice way to get wide opportunities to study overseas.

Both systems have their advantages and disadvantages. The UK system seems to be on the cusp of change and I am curious what people think about the current system and the options for change in the future.

Sounds like there is life at the end of the PhD for all--interesting to hear the different career choices that get made, and the views on academia....I know, yikes is about the best description for what I am thinking about. :D But then again I have thought this over for weeks and months, and know its not just some weird post PhD whim made by faltering and traumatised braincells. ( or at least I don't think so...)

So anyway I am going to check this out.....and will keep people posted ( literally!) about what happens next!

Call me crazy....but I am putting together an application to do a higher doctorate! Madness or what? I have been thinking about this option since about a month past the award of the PhD, and am still keen on it, have had some contact with relevant members of staff at the uni, and honestly, I am going to put in the application and see what happens. Its not that the PhD experience was so wonderful I want to repeat it all again, or that I have forgotten the stress and strain, but this higher doctorate would give the ability to work with some of the best of the best in the areas I am interested in, and sounds structured so that there is also an eye on your marketability in the academic world when you finish--helping you get papers together for conferences, feedback on papers to submit for publication, teaching experience, networking, etc.

I know this doesn't probably belong in the current PhD thread--but was not sure where else to put it. So what does life look after a PhD? Well, for me, pretty darn good on the whole. The stress of the PhD did not go away all at once as I had envisioned--just sort of drained away little by little. I am doing some publication and on going research, but have such an allergy to my thesis and its work that I can barely stand to go near it--so sensible or not, my research is NEW--building on some theoretical interests in the PhD, but not the PhD itself. Should I mine it for publications? Yes. Will I? Hmmm...unlikely...in some sense....I am doing related and new work, to be honest, the topic of my thesis is of such little interest to me now I am not sure I could face mining the thing....I was told that this happens after a thesis and PhD, that you are so sick of the research you move onto other things. I could not imagine that happening, but indeed, it has.

The stress is gone, the job market...well....bleak...but I am in a better position than some! I am trying to put my head down and publish, publish, publish, and so in some sense, life feels not so unlike the PhD, since I am still churning out research as fast and hard as I can....

How has life been for others, post PhD?

On the whole, I feel more healthy, more rested, less stressed...to me the fact that I can literally hardly bear to touch my bound thesis copy speaks to the extreme stress and agony of the entire process...

Passed my viva in December, final (minor) corrections signed off in February, went to the graduation ceremony which was totally worth it--it somehow gives some closure to the whole PhD saga and lets you move onto the next phase of life, whatever that is.

:$:$

It is somewhat hmmm cannot think of the word to see that after my long silence and absence from the forum that I am still number six in the number of posts...yakety yak! That comes from a Gemini Rising, Gemini in Mercury I guess!

First of all, best of luck with your viva.
I am answering this from the backside of a successful viva and completed PhD, yes, Dr Olivia, finally! I understand what you mean about "The Fear." Somehow you have to find the means to put it out of your head, as its not going to be any help to you.

I found the read your thesis advice helpful only to a point. The thesis seemed somewhat branded into my brain, so reading it again and again did not seem to be very helpful. I did try to skim chapters, keeping in mind key arguments or points. I tried to skim through any new literature that had come out since I had submitted just in case.

People will point you to the likely questions...and you can certainly have practiced answers for those. In the case of my viva, I did not get any of the anticipated questions, and certainly plenty of unanticipated ones. That was not a problem for me, though. By the time of the viva, I was happy to be in a room with examiners, and to actually have some conversation about the research. I think that the overall knowledge you have of your work will carry you through any unanticipated questions--whether it feels like it or not the entire thesis is in your brain, still, and no doubt you will have no problems recalling it when the time comes.

Can you practice with some friends--not on the substance of questions, but on your delivery? For instance, make eye contact, practice taking notes as you are asked questions ( if you need this to recall questions), that sort of thing? I do think it makes some difference as to how confidently the examiners percieve you answering--and your nonverbal language is key. Again, eye contact, smile, relax...those sorts of things convey confidence to observers.

I read my thesis, scribbled notes to myself, went for long walks, wanted to crawl under the desk in the fetal position and hope that it would all go away, moaned to friends, etc....and in the end it was fine. I cannot even say the thesis was traumatic--I enjoyed it on a certain level, having a captive audience who actually wanted to hear about the thesis and my research!

I had minor corrections on the thesis, which is the outcome I was hoping for. The viva is a scary time as it feels like everything rides on it. But in a sense, that is not true, as the viva is sort of a situation where its "all over but the shouting"--i.e. the examiners are going to have formed an opinion of your work from the thesis itself, and the viva is not going to be what forms the bulk of their opinion on your outcome. At least I don't think so....

Relax, (ok, useless advise, who can relax before a viva?!) try to spend some time going for walks, or whatever helps relax your mind, as you want it as fresh and agile as it can be for the viva, and hang in there--I am sure you will do just fine!

Sorry to hear all of those problems, they sound crazy making. I found the writing up phase the worst part of the PhD ( am now on the backend of a successful viva, with only minor corrections, so I lived to tell the tale). Many were the nights and days I wanted to throw the entire thesis out the window, followed by the computer and printer. The night I was trying to print out a final copy to get bound, I thought my printer was going to set itself on fire from overheating. Hours later I had one copy --and took it to be professionally photocopied as I did not think I could cope with the printer to get any more copies out of it. The ( expensive) photocopiers gave me back a big pile of junk, with pages out of order, miscopied, missing....so when I returned to address this with them, had a strop at ME over their bad copying ( I was offering to repay entirely if they would only do it right...) At this point, I just felt like giving up. ( in the end they made me new correct copies but for a fee!)

And so it went. It was a nightmare. I felt like the Betty Grable "What fresh hell is this?" phrase everytime I opened an email, tried to do something on the thesis, answered the phone. Or the night I discovered foot note 137 repeating itself down the page, but with different references each time in it....how that happened...I never will know...I blamed the ghost that haunts my university building for trying to ghostwrite :P

Perhaps not for everyone but for some the writing up is just a fresh hell period...every day has its own version..and its all made worse because you can nearly glimpse the end...it just seems so far away...

I sympathise with that losing your mind feeling. I felt like I was going to. I had days when someone would say "How are you?" and it made me burst into tears!!!! You really aren't losing your mind, you are just finishing a thesis.

Hang in there. Keep going. I sympathise with your experience...but you can get through it and you will get through it, and I can say from this side of it, that it was all worth it...( glares at printer...stupid hunk of plastic junk....lots of help you were!)

Thanks everyone for the congrats and the well wishes! And congrats to all other viva passers, as well!

Yes Tsipat, I got a chuckle out of you remembering that--looking now at that duvet--remembering moving into my accomodation that felt like an igloo. How time flies! 8-)

Must find trout recipe for viva passing....:p:p

Congrats to everyone else with great news!! hooray!!!

(gift)(up)

I am the Olivia of the infamous trout recipes if you mean that one! :$:$

The morning after,I feel a bit head achey and worn out and happy and very relieved. :D a nice nice nice feeling all in all! 8-)

Party party!

Having managed to sleep very soundly the night before my viva, and coming home and crashing after a few celebratory pints this afternoon, now I am too excited to sleep!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAAAYYY!!! I PASSED!!!!!!!!!!! the feeling slowly sinks in, right afterwards, I felt almost numb and calm, now its like HOOORAYYY!!!!!!

I took a few naps yesterday ( Thursday) and went to bed early Thursday night, and slept very well until about 7 this morning, and woke up fighting fit for viva !!!!!!!! Wore comfy but smart navy blue suit and fav shoes!

Pass, minor corrections!!!!!! (up)(up)(up)(up) and the viva wasn't even horrible. In fact, it was almost enjoyable!!! :)))))

Best wishes for anyone else with a viva today!

Yes, I second all the suggestions of some time out! Burn out is a horrible thing, avoid it as best you can by taking some time out, destressing, etc. Besides, (grabs onto crown and title) being the posterchild of PhD Burnout is MY title and I ain't giving it up so easy. :D

So go rest and relax! Have fun!