I seriously believe nobody is helped with unrealistic expectations.

Therefore, I strongly advise you may consider a proper Full-time or Part-time PhD, not some online/distance crap.

If we take a very realistic approach here: a Part-time PhD usually has a duration of minimum 5 but more often up to 7 or 8 years. That is an extremely long time in itself and a very difficult task.

Intending to do a Part-time PhD online or through distance learning makes it even more difficult and just sounds extremely unlikely to lead to completion. Why would anybody want to embark on that???

It all depends on the specific job you want to apply for. Inside academia, age doesn't really matter but outside of academia there are certain "inofficial" age limits in certain areas.

sorry to say this, but it means NOTHING.

As many people have said many times before on this forum, at PhD level, the university is less important than for your Masters or UG degree. Although it is a success to be a PhD student at Oxford, that fact in itself will not give you a ticket to success. There are other factors, for example your age, your previous qualifications, the type of job you intend to work at etc.

And of course your attitude toward christian courtship..

IMHO, it is very important to meet the supervisor more than just a few times a year. Even if you don't have to go to the lab/department every day, the working relationsship between you and your supervisor will ultimately decide upon your PhD progress and success. And that relationsship can only develop if you meet every few weeks the least and if your supervisor is fully aware of your work and problems etc.

Therefore, I'd like to stress that I would not recommend anybody doing an online/distance learning PhD.

Dear Academician,

I highly recommend you do not start an online/distance PhD. Usually they are crap, cost a lot of money and success rates are low, for the obvious reasons.

Kind regards

Otto

Don't give rohitdrl the password. I bet there is not ONE proper university in the world which doesn't provide Athens password.

sorry, the three lit rev chapters may count as one, so a total of 7 chapters.

Hi, also had a 30k chapter but just split them up and made three out of it. Maybe you could do that?

For example (in the Humanities):

Introduction: 10k
Literature Review: 30k in total (three sub-chapters)
Methodology: 10k
Data Analysis: 30k (three chapters)
Conclusions: 5-10k

Total: 85-90k, 10 chapters

Today is Sunday. Universities across the country are closed (except some libraries).

Still my PhD student Outlook inbox received 16 (!) work-related emails today from lecturers, senior lecturers and even a dean. I think this leads to a gradual demise of the weekend as a period of relaxation and I completely reject the idea of replying on a sunday to any emails or to accommodate other people's weird expectations concerning the promt reply to an email.

I have to say, the longer I'm in this game the more I hate it. PhD completion and then hasta la vista.

Insomniac, I remember that we are friends now. I didn't really understand what you were saying though but maybe that's because it's 4am in the morning..

I agree with everything apart from the final suggestions. I still think we should try to reduce or emissions, in particular the US and China. And more importantly prevent further destruction of the rainforest! That's so hypocritical, no newspaper talks about it although a direct connection with our world climate and temperature changes exists. If the rainforest is gone, we will all feel the irreversible consequences.

Anyway, the whole climate change debate in general is completely articical and over-hyped. Like some politicians now discussing rules and regulations for using private cars and stuff. We live in a period of increasing temperature, but this process started 10,000 years ago at the end of the last ice age and is completely NATURAL.

Again, we see how our minds get manipulated - like the whole bird flu exaggeration one year ago. Did we all die because medication ran out. NO

Holiday? I think you must be joking. I've been told that there is no holiday for PhD students, even if "officially" you are entitled to have a certain number of days off. The expectation from my supervisor is to work through, day and night plus weekends. He said that will prepare me for a life as an academic. Don't think that's complementary with my definition of life. Dear workaholics- please remember: PhD or not, publications or not, every human being on this planet has only ONE life, no matter what your supervisor tells you

"Taxes are there for a reason". In the UK, taxation is a different word for exploitation of citizen. So you should not be talking about morale!

And by the way, no EU citizen requires a visa to live in the UK. Is it fair that some PhD students who live alone get a full exemption from council tax but as soon as you live together with your partner you only get a 25% exemption? I don't think so. Apart from the fact that you usually get no value for your money in the UK in comparison with the high prices you have to pay for rent, property and pretty much everything else.

...which would be a foolish thing to do. Don't mention any wife living in the same property and you will get a full exemption rather than 25% only. And save you a heck of a lot of money.

In the Uk, there is no need to register with the police/council (if you are from EU) and therefore no database will indicate people living in a property.