I havent as yet, and you will have to check your university handbook guide for that information, as lots of them specify that no contact must be had with the examiners whatsoever. and you dont want to jepordise your viva!

dont give up now! You have come so very far and i am sure you would always regret not having seen it through until the end. While your examiner may be your supervisors best friend, in your Viva, a chairperson will be there to make sure everything goes fairly, and of course you will have another examiner who also will assure this.
Also, our supervisor wont want you to submit and have a viva if he really did think you would fail, as it affects his RAE rating so perhaps he is one of these mad people who think that if they are really mean to you, it inspires you to work harder.
Either way, you can't give up now because
a) you will always wonder whether you would have passed
b) they cant fail you for no reason
c) you have worked for years to get to this point
d) dont give your examiner the satisfaction, if they really are that awful.
Good luck - do the viva - you have nothing to lose, but lots to gain.
Let us know the outcome, we will all keep our fingers crossed for you.

Hi,
I had the exact same debate as I am also doing a social science phd and I decided to use the 1st person. It is great for reflecting on how far you as a researcher and student have come over your PhD journey. I am sure the examiners would rather read a well written document and so if you are comfortable writing in the 1st person - go for it. Also your examiners will be familar with social science and humanity writing styles so wont object to this style.

lol seabird - out of the quinoa, mackrel and chocolate i know which i would take!
may well try the jaffa cake/ baileys combo later tonight!

wow that is a lot of money - i hope you managed to get some of it back verdy seeing as your proof reader clearly didnt do a good job!

english is my mother tongue but i still make mistakes! for instance things like spelling 'from' as 'form' arent picked up as spelling errors but are still wrong and i think we often get too close to the thesis to read it properly.
any ideas how much it costs?

just wondering what peoples thoughts/ experiences are of having your thesis proof-read. i am contemplating it but have a sneaky suspicion it may be rather expensive....

PhDee - well done, you arent lucky, you will have worked bloody hard and deserved it. congratulations. i love the baby analogy - i can totally relate to that
seabird - i am scared to go near the whisky in case it turns me into some raving alcoholic! i will stick to the chocolate. Have you tried a liquer filled chocolate? it could be like a double whammy for you? xx

thanks for all the great posts - its so good to know that I'm not alone. My dept has no student spirit at all so i often feel very alone going through this journey.
BB - i am going to hold you to that: both of us should definately post here when we have submitted and have a virtual drink!
Pea - thanks for the hug
Sue and Belsarius - i love that you cry too! and i say better in the library than in supervision!
While i know theoretically going to the gym should help, i did used to go everyday but was finding it just too draining, it made me very tired and i couldnt concentrate on work which made me do even less which then made me more stressed! argh!
i did take the weekend off from working which helped enormously as i had a massage, got my hair done, went on a few walks and generally ate more very naughty food. and i havent cried since, although there is always this afternoon......!:P

Thanks for the replies. I think it may be from working too hard. I am concerned that if i take a break away from my work that i will find it difficult to get back in to.
I did used to go to the gym but found it made me too sleepy (and i already sleep loads!) but maybe getting back into the gym to get out some of the emotional bits may be just what i need?!

i am nearly finished my phd (in about 10 weeks - still so much work yo do) but i keep lacking in motivation and cry - a lot! (and eat lots of chocolate)
anybody else having similar problems?!
anybody got any solutions to help me get through the next few weeks?