Hi all shani, hazy smilodon,

this sounds very very helpful. yes smile, a bedsit is what I would love, Shani i know your suggestion of moving out of London is fab, but that isnt an option for me..Hazy I looked at pmu at univ of London they ll take applications in June

Now, my real priority is a bedsit, without a guarantor. and real cheap :-)

Thanks a HUGE bunch Betty, I was JUST looking at gumtree right now! But they are all up for the next month or so, and so was wondering if it is a bit too early...I dont mind fixing a deal right now...but then also the guarantor issue...let me speak to UL property guys tomorrow, as Mousse suggested and will get back on this thread...


awww you guys, so many replies in under half hour, thank you, I realise I am getting so attached to this forum and all those I interact with regularly!

love to all and good night :-)

I wish I had a to-do list for this....I am getting scared now. All I want is one room, low rents, safety and security. That's it. Ruby I currently live in one of South-east London's nastiest areas (well am being a bit dramatic but still people get stabbed around my place)...

Sneaks's solution sounds lovely but it really wont be possible to shift out...

Maybe a hall is best...oh, but i want a place of my own...

There is a *ton* of things people on here could say on the intentions and practice of 'interdisciplinarity', its close cousins like multi-disciplinarity, trans-disciplinarity and so on, but for the moment, let us not get into semantic debates (and what they may indicate).

1. We all have our feet in some discipline/s or the other, this does not mean we are bounded by them. yes, departmental funding, faculty recruitment does go by these things, but for your own intellectual practice you are free perhaps to interface with as many fields as you may care for (as long as it makes sense)

2. Social sciences overlap and cut onto on another and it is often at the boundaries of fields that the most exciting research happens, if you can bring opposing bodies of theory in conversation, that's great, but that is something which is done all the time by interesting researchers who sit in the department of X Y or Z, and travel across boundaries. Sometimes, it is easier said than done, but you'll find out.

3. You will also find out soon that being 'interdisciplinary' is not as easy as it sounds, disciplines are often locked in fierce paradigmatic clashes, so forth, some seek convergence, others oppose convergence, multiple issues abound and such issues range from allocation of funds to the sociology of citation circles: you will discover that in your own time.

4. Finally, I work with a scholar whose home discipline and faculty apointment was and is in Subject X and who is the leading voice in the field of Y, in the interim having synthesized insights and collaborated within fields of A B G T R and D. You get my drift. Your appointment, or the office in which you sit being in a particular dept does influence certain things, but not everything.

5. On other issues, the problems (epistemological, methodological, mundane-financial), politics and fallouts of 'interdisciplinarity'....there are fantastic PhD-ers on here working on interdisciplinary issues, and they will doubtless come up with great insights.

All best, and goodnight!

======= Date Modified 19 Feb 2009 21:56:53 =======
I am almost decided to stick to a hall (and am praying fervently that I get one!)

PS: Sneaks, my uni is in the heart of central london and I go very regularly, and I work there as well, so, no, outisde London not an option...

I wish I had more money, and didnt have to pay international tuition, scraping pounds from diverse sources...

wail wail

I've been using buses all this while...and hmm the guarantor thing is now worrying me :-(

Looking up the link you said..

Hello fellow warriors!

This is for some advice on housing:

1. I am looking for a studio in London, not willing to spend more than very basic minimum, let's say 150 a week, or less hopefully, for moving in June this yr.

2. I wouldn' be able to provide a guarantor, cos I know no such people here.

3. ANy ideas on WHEN i should start looking? And WHERE? (I hope this wont count as advertising if and when people respond)

4. I know asking freinds is common place, but that's more for flatshares and I need a studio, really, with good security, near a tube, that's about all, not fussy about being in central London, and not a very going-out kinda girl so wouldn't be too picky about a great happening area etc...though would want an area that's secure and safe. Any suggestions for this?

5. If not, will stay put in the Halls if I get in!

ALl help much appreciated,

thanks,

Bug

My suggestion would be to ignore it. Honestly, it all depends on A) how truthful and serious your informer is being B) whether at all she has has heard and interpreted it correctly. And C) if this is really the case, and all of this is 100 per cent true, there isn't anything as pertinent in this situation as to pass your first year with flying colours and prove them wrong,

But do remember Steps A and B. Often we take these for granted and so many thousands of misunderstandings in the world happen that way. Also, pl do remember that most gossip is like chinese whispers. With every ear the version changes. Also, that interpretation is a huge factor.

Otherwise, please focus on tasks at hand (which includes having a productive and constructive supervision tomorrow) and just do your level best to pass this year with great honours, which I'm sure you will :-)

All best,

Bug

In the light of all below, I must say, there is absolutely nothing wrong in using examples (good and bad) to illustrate a point. It should not be taken to be comparison, it should not be interpreted in that light unless it is intended that way. For me it is an instance of a prof advising masters students on the dos and donts of PhD life, using two examples: one in front of them for being organized etc, and another not in front of them for showing accomplishments while handling difficulties. This does not go to say that the first person is not accomplished and the second person disorganized. The other day when I couldnt search for something online, another studetn found the stuff (not my sup's stuent) my sup sent me an email with the link and I replied saying something like yes, my searching skills will improve with time, sorry. she immediately replied saying "remember, X (the student who found it) has been honing his for years!" (so that I dont worry). Often sups also speak of ex students and how they worked things out. This is a completely different situation than one in which there is 'comparison' between cases. I think we must learn to distinguish between the two.

======= Date Modified 16 Feb 2009 20:31:45 =======
I work with a supervisor who is what you would call the star academic. 300 (yes, actually 300) publications, 15 books, and the head of huge pan continent projects, ending one and starting another, ten times huger. Has many students, plus teaches masters.

Yet, we are in constant touch, she meets me every fortnight for an hour, reads 3000 word essays evry fortnight (yes, which means I write 3000 words every other week), gives me all kinds of opportunities, from conferenc papers, to writing, to speaking to RA-ing. She knows exactly what I am doing, which scholar interests me, what I am working on that month. And she is equally regular with every othr student of hers. An email usually takes about 2 hrs at the most before getting a response.

Yes, I myself am surprised at this level of involvement with students despite a phenomenally high research buy out and a starry list of publications, that's well into 300 plus already,and she is middle aged.

I would say, it is also a question of luck, usually it's difficult to lay down rules.

Badhaircut, I agree with you...

a little story. The other day, a certain student expressed to a supervisor that they are feeling 'intimidated' by another student in the department (both have the same supervisor)...not b'cos of any praise etc, but just by seeing a huge amount of productivity...The productive student was informed of this by the supervisor in a way that was very harmless, but this student ended up feeling "what am I supposed to do? I didn't *do* anything, can I help it if others feel 'intimidated'..."

This above is similar to the first case you provide Bardhaircut, of how, a little extra praise, a little acknowledgement for 10 hrs of extra work every day, is perhaps not asking for a lot...in the case above, in trying to prevent anyone from feeling bad, somebody did end up feeling bad, through no fault of their own..

i guess, either way, actually innocuous actions would mean some gloom for some side or the other..

======= Date Modified 16 Feb 2009 09:50:25 =======
Tydra, I am guessing you need to ignore this person below...they have a history of doing similar things on this forum...

Just a note on the question of Halls below, I'm a PhD student, admittedly stragiht out of Masters which was straigjt after Bsc which was straight out of high school. I am in a Hall, and will be in a Hall for the next 2 yrs. It's a simple thing for me:

1. I am overseas, have no money, exorbitant tuitions.
2. Halls include everything for bills (total 450 a month), a single room, space, a fridge, a toilet all of my own
3. It's definitely not the best way to live at 24.
4. I am here to do a fast PhD, get a great CV, work my behind off and leave in 2011 October.

I considered if it was worth it to get a studio or flat etc. Then i realised, I dont have the money to pay for it. And second, even if I get money this yr, from schols or RA ships, I'm going to save it.

It's a mindset issue, do what makes you comfortable.

Well Pineapple, my story is better. I was sitting making a table of things to do, done, done well, done not so well, problems and solutions. So u know now that V days can be bad!

I started watching Fools Rush In late at night, slept all evening, had a 2 hr 46 minute phone call with an ex BF, till 2 in the morning, realised maybe it's Ok to not be in a relationship at 24, maybe a couple of yrs later is fine as well, then disagreed with myself, and in all, V Day has been spectacular!