Hi Louise, I know exactly what you are saying but I agree with points from both of the other posts so far. You would not be in your final year if there were any real problems.
At this stage how useful would it be to have your supervisors praising the good bits. Yes, it would make you feel better and that you were doing good work. But isn't it more important that they highlight where you need improvements to be made. I'd say there would be less praise as you near the finish as they are trying to get you to have the best piece of work that you can produce. But this can then be counter-productive if it makes you feel despondent.
If you feel really bad about it could you talk to them and say that you are aware that it is important for you to know where you need to improve at this stage but could they indicate which areas are good then you could perhaps use techniques and skills from this to help get the other sections up to that standard.
When I send things to my supervisor she often sends back a really long e-mail with loads of criticism and I feel like I want to cry but then when I re-read it I see how she is trying to help me and I take it all on board and discuss with her at our next meeting how I can go about making the improvements. Then when I do, I can see how the work is better than the first draft. Unless you really think they are being nasty then take it all as constructive criticism and aim to show them that you can act on everything they are saying. Good luck.

This may be of interest to some of you.

Pressures to complete PhDs rapidly are forcing the sector to ask if the process should aim to build generic research skills or expand the frontiers of knowledge.

http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storycode=404540

I agree that if food is not allowed then you should say something.
But I wanted to say that in my uni's library they have recently changed the policy to allow food - in the main library this is! There are still some areas where you can't eat but now people are allowed in most areas to have food. I haven't seen anyone eating any big amounts such as take aways or picnics and I am somewhat surprised that this has been allowed as I know that even if I have a bit of chocolate or some crisps, I do end up as pointed out in one of the posts, getting sticky fingermarks on things. Surely the librarians would be worried about this? The upside is that there are recycling bins all over the place now so people can get rid of their rubbish in an environmentally friendly way.
Does anybody else's library allow food?

I was going to add this to the Kudos thread but thought it would be good to have a separate thread.
I loved this poem by Charlotte Perkins Gilman when I first read it and it seemed relevant to lots of things in life but now I have re-read it I think it is very relevant to PhD life. Hope you like it.

An Obstacle
Charlotte Perkins Gilman
(1860-1935)

I was climbing a mountain path
With many things to do,
Important business of my own,
And other people’s too,
When I ran against a Prejudice,
That quite cut off the view,
My work was such as could not wait,
My path quite clearly showed,
My strength and time were limited,
I carried quite a load,
And there that hulking Prejudice
Sat all across the road.
So I spoke to him politely,
For he was huge and high,
And begged that he would move a bit
And let me travel by.
He smiled, but as for moving! –
He didn’t even try.
And then I reasoned quietly
With that colossal mule:
My time was short—no other path—
The mountain winds were cool.
I argued like a Solomon,
He sat there like a fool.
Then I flew into a passion,
And I danced and howled and swore,
I pelted and belabored him
Till I was stiff and sore,
He got as mad as I did---
But he sat there as before.
And then I begged him on my knees,
I might be kneeling still
If so I hoped to move that mass
Of obdurate ill-will—
As well invite the monument
To vacate Bunker Hill!
So I sat before him helpless,
In an ecstasy of woe—
The mountain mists were rising fast,
The sun was sinking slow—
When a sudden inspiration came,
As sudden winds do blow.
I took my hat, I took my stick,
My load I settled fair,
I approached that awful incubus
Win an absent-minded air—
And I walked directly through him,
As if he wasn’t there!

I was feeling exhausted all the time but still carried on doing everything I had to. Eventually I went to the doc and after blood tests was told that I was seriously anaemic. I was put on iron tablets and my recent blood tests have shown I am now OK. So have no excuse for still being exhausted!! Oh yes, I am doing a PhD. In fact the doc said she was amazed that I was managing to do a PhD considering how anaemic I was. I think we can be too hard on ourselves and it is important to take it easy sometimes and not burn ourselves out. But also we should not feel guilty for taking a break. Sometimes I moan to my family or non PhD friends that I am so tired and I feel guilty for not working and having a lie in or an afternoon nap. Then when I actually look at what I have been doing - driving from Bristol to Manchester twice a week, staying up till 2am marking essays and setting my alarm for 6.30 the next morning, working on my Phd most days and evenings, attending project meetings etc etc, I realise it would be pretty strange if I wasn't tired.
Omen, I'd agree with the suggestion that there is no point in rushing off to the doctor for every sniffle, but I would say it may be worth going once just to get checked out and have some blood tests if necessary, just in case there is something wrong (not to worry you, I mean like anaemia or something that can easily be missed but can easily be treated). If you are OK then just carry on with the healthy things you are doing and know that in six weeks you can rest and relax and stay in bed for a week if you want.

Hi Laura, I'd say it depends on the conference. If it is a postgrad one which ends with a wine reception then dinner, often people just carry on without getting changed so jeans would be OK. If it is a bigger national conference there is usually time to get changed and I've found that people then do make more of an effort but generally not to the extent of black tie or evening dresses (if this is the case it is usually stated somewhere on the programme).

I would say if you have chance to change then jeans may be a little casual. So a knee-length dress as you suggest would be fine. Generally at the conferences I've been to people like to dress up a bit but don't go overboard. I went to one big one this summer and it was the 25th anniversary so it was suggested that it be a black tie dinner but only suggested, so people got confused and all the females were panicking trying to find out what everyone else was wearing. In the end some dressed up and some didn't but it didn't matter as it was a great dinner and after a few drinks no-one cares what people are wearing.

Just make sure you are comfortable in what you do wear.

Just seen this thread and wanted to add my experiences. I am at Manchester but have just moved to Bristol. My partner has children so him moving up to Manchester was not an option. I drive up early Tuesday and come back late on Thursday. I had intended to take the train sometimes but I just have too much to carry that I can't really do this. The thing I find is that I get very tired so spend quite a bit of time when I get up to Manchester (I stay with my Dad) sleeping and the same when I get back to Bristol.
I have chosen to teach otherwise I would only have to travel up every now and then to see my supervisor.
One thing I would say is that get SCONUL access to your nearest library. They will be able to give you details at Nottingham then you can have reciprocal arrangements at Manchester and Manchester Met, which may help if you don't want to go in just to get books or look at journals.
The alternative for me would have been staying in Manchester where I own a house (now rented out) and travelling down to Bristol at weekends but as it would involve so much travelling anyway it made sense to base myself in Bristol with my partner and travel up for work. During the holidays there is less requirement to be on campus so things will probably be easier some of the time.
It is hard work but it can be done so Good Luck!

I just wondered what people were up to as there seem to be very few posts on the forum at the moment. Is it an end of year thing that people are putting extra hours in so they might possibly have time off during the festive season? I finish my second year at the end of january so I see that as an important milestone and am working hard to sort out and analyse my data, which is taking me a lot longer than I expected.

Thanks for the replies, it's good to get other perspectives and I take on board what you are all saying especially about it being their home. It is hard work being a new 'stepmum'. I'm used to having my own space and being very independent and now I am in a busy house and away from all my family and friends. The plan was to wait until I finished my Phd and then move in together but because I didn't have a 9-5 job I would spend all my time travelling to see my partner and he would come up to see me as well. In the end it made sense for us to move in together and get a bigger house between us (rented) and for me to travel up to uni when needed. I know it sounds soppy but we did miss each other so much that we could not cope with fortnightly visits and he is very supportive of my PhD work. When I have finished he will move to where I can get a job. We went out together as teenagers (yes I see the irony) and met up again recently so we want to make the most of our relationship now. I think I need to make the most of time at uni and work in the library then when I am back here I can work on things which are not as taxing. There are issues surrounding the teenagers regarding mess, having boyfriends over, etc etc but they are not related to my PhD work - I think I need to separate general family life from my work and have rules which apply to everybody re tidying up etc etc but I will have to be proactive in making the situation work regarding my PhD, which as people have pointed out I have chosen to do. I will have to fit in with the household rather than the other way round. Thanks again for the replies.

There has been quite a lot of talk in threads about people coping with actually having children then looking after young children. What I wanted to know is does anybody have teenage children and how does this work with your PhD. The reason I ask is that my partner has two teenage girls. I have just moved 150 miles from my uni to live with him as because of the girls he could not move up to me. Normally I spend three days a week up at uni teaching etc and stay with my dad. The rest of the week I am at home, but this week has been reading week so I have been at home all week, and this will be the same during uni holidays. The problem is that one of his girls is at school but comes home about 3.30 and doesn't need to be in every day, and the other is unemployed so is at home all the time. When they are home they switch the telly on and chat and sometimes their boyfriends are round. My partner works from home and seems to have got used to it but I think he has been a bit too easy going with them. I get on well with them generally and knew what I was taking on to some extent but I am getting so annoyed with Jeremy Kyle blaring out every day and not having any peace and quiet to work. I don't want to ban telly but I don't know how to deal with this. I could work upstairs but we do have an office area and all my books etc are here. We've blocked it off with a curtain but it doesn't make much difference. I'm probably moaning more because I have been here all week but it's going to be the same during the hols as the school-age one will be home more often. Anybody got any tips, suggestions, sympathy.....

I know there may not be a result till tomorrow or later but I intend to stay up as long as I can keep awake to see what happens. It is very exciting. It does seem like a historical world-changing event.

Twinkle, I don't how much work you have done in the 'real world' but from my experience HR and admin departments are usually rubbish in most organisations, particularly universities and that is for staff as well. I always have to chase payments, P60s, tax problems etc etc. The worst thing that has happened at my uni recently is that the expense form and original train tickets of a very eminent keynote speaker were lost and she still has not been paid nearly a year after the conference she attended! The problems you talk about are just a fact of life unfortunately and you should try to rise above them and concentrate on your PhD. I know waiting for money when you have a mortgage to pay is difficult and that happened to me as well, but you just have to keep hassling the people to sort it out. I sent loads of urgent e-mails dictating that I had to have my money by a particular day and I kept phoning as well. One tip though is that if you come across someone who is helpful (and they do exist) make sure you get their name, phone number, e-mail etc so you can contact them again when you need help.

Don't panic. This is a common feeling going into your second year. I felt I had wasted the first year and had no idea what I was supposed to be doing. I had a bad first year review and it made me realise I had to focus and take control of my work. Luckily I had a change of supervisor as my main supervisor had been on sabbatical and returned for my second year. She has been fabulous at helping me get back on track again. The turning point was when I decided it was my PhD (even though I am part of a wider project) and I had to decide what I wanted to do rather than doing what other people told me. I felt I had wasted time preparing things for panels for other people which weren't relevant to my research. Now I tell them what I am working on and what I will submit to my supervisor and when. I sat down and really thought about what I was interested in and what I wanted to focus on. I'd suggest to take some thinking time and write down ideas etc - not for anyone else to see - just so you can work out what it is that you are doing and what direction you want to take. Do a bit of brainstorming and take control of your own work. I feel so much more positive now and am really excited about what I am doing. I know it's easy to give advice when you have come through something so I hope I don't sound too glib about this. But rest assured you are not alone in your feelings and I'm sure there will be other advice for you and you can work out the best way to get through this for you.

If students haven't done the reading, and if it is a shortish piece of text, I will make them read it in the seminar. This is annoying for other students who have done the reading, but the advantage of this is that peer pressure might then work on the lazy students and I don't have to admonish them myself. If students give a wrong answer I will try to get them to see why this might be incorrect rather than just saying no. I had them doing small presentations on some work they had researched themselves and one group had chosen an example which was not in the historical period we were looking at so although I told them this was incorrect I praised them for their research and what they had found out. It was an exercise in research skills so they had fulfilled that part of it.

I've just finished for the night. I have been preparing for a 9am seminar I am teaching tomorrow. It's a subject I am interested in so I got a bit carried away putting stuff together. I hope the students appreciate it! I'm doing the same seminar on Thursday but this time my supervisor will be sitting in as the department wants all GTAs peer reviewed. I have to be up before 7 tomorrow so I must go to bed now!