Hi Haluong,

Can you complete some research modules or units as well as applied modules and units with your MSc? You might be able to do an independent research project that is the equivalent of an honours dissertation or similar on your course work MSc.

Goldenretrievergirl, firstly with regard to the modules, did you have to officially enrol in each module and were they formally assessed? I'm asking as formal courses (coursework modules) may have a cut off date beyond which you don't get fees back.

If it is difficult to get all or part of your money back, can you perhaps use your work (minus the modules) as credit towards your MA instead?

Tudor's advice about checking with your student union or grad research administration personnel is a really good way to gather more information. Good luck with it all and best wishes for future plans.

Hi, sorry I have no sage advice about anxiety. I do get it and just work through a repertoire of different strategies-wine, herbal tea, running and exercise, relaxation, Netflix binges, chocolate binges, exercise, anything that seems to work at all.

I have finished my draft bar printing it out for a final hard copy proof read tomorrow and then sending it to second supervisor for her approval (and/or suggestions). But really it is done bar second supervisors oversight and potential suggestions. So once she is happy I can submit. Didn't realise how anxious I was as I pretended I was fine but can always tell via fatigue and illness.I think though this part becomes difficult as it is becoming pretty much out of one's control. Hope she reads it quickly but it will be what it will be.

Best wishes to you both and hope that anxiety is not too much...the end is in sight huzzah!

Congratulations and well done! Thanks for the post. Hope you have a fine time celebrating-sounds very well deserved :)

Hi Goldenretrievergirl, there can be a real point in the PhD when things are difficult when the urge to quit is hard to ignore. For me this was around 18 months into my part time PhD and it seriously lasted for two years. It coincided with data collection and the first parts of data processing. Similar sorts of rationales swam around in my mind, as those I have read from other unhappy posters on this forum.

Eg: it was the wrong topic, the wrong discipline, and/or I had chosen the wrong methodologies, and/or I really wanted to be on another pathway (psychology instead of Education, or literature -my first love and undergrad disciplinenof choice). Honestly, the only things that stopped me from quitting at this horrible juncture of my life were the fact I had received a fee scholarship and some limited funding and I ended up having data and I felt obliged to the participants, my supervisor and the government. If I hadn't felt obliged at this point, I think I would have left it. Now at 5.5 years in and only days or a week or so away from submission I am glad I didn't.

I've written this because I think that many (not all but many) people go through similar points and believe that these really difficult thoughts and the low morale that go with them mean that the PhD is not for them, or that they have chosen the wrong subject.
Maybe this is true and then again maybe it is a phenomenon that passes.

I think TreeofLife's point about not having to know everything when you commence a PhD is really accurate-it is a training program, you learn as you do it. I write this not because quitting is the wrong thing to do-you do need to do what is right for you and that might be finishing if things are really difficult. However, many people find parts of the PhD very difficult and want to quit and it is important to be really sure about it before you do and to know that you are not alone in feeling the urge to quit or experiencing the imposter syndrome.

Hi Marinephdd1, sorry to learn of the depression. I think Tree has made a really helpful suggestion, which might give you the time to work through some of the issues you have outlined in your post, without you having to quit your PhD.

Can I ask how long you since you have started treatment? I ask this as one of the key things that I have learned about depression is that it can be very hard to make decisions and also to see a range of perspectives while one is experiencing depression for any period of time. Sometimes the only thoughts that happen in this state are the thoughts that have a negative flavour. So making a decision during a period of depression isn't necessarily the decision we would make when not depressed. Likewise with your thoughts about 'losing sight of why you are collecting data". These might be how you are experiencing things now but with treatment and a little bit of time, you might find that it is not as confusing.

Is your relationship with your supervisors okay? Do you think if you told them about feeling lost and down about what you are doing, that they would be helpful? They may be able to support you through this and offer encouragement. Particularly in relationship to the feeling lost with the qualitative data collection and purpose. Qualitative data (its collection, its processing and its analysis) is messy-which doesn't always help. Wishing you all the best. If these suggestions seem just completely useless to your situation, just ignore them. However, I hope you do feel or are feeling better soon.

Congratulations Umma08! Well done on achieving your PhD and thank you for posting your update. Best wishes for your future plans.

Hi Salma, in Australian Universities (I'm from Australia), having publications before you start your PhD is not a big concern. I did happen to have a conference paper and journal article from my Masters thesis published but there were many other PhD candidates who had not published prior to commencing the PhD. It might be a factor perhaps if there is a lot of competition for funding but the thing is to apply for more than one PhD place if you can and to apply anyway with or without publications behind you and wait for the outcome.

At my university, we had to complete some first year courses (similar to those ToL is referring to) to help us with research skills and academic writing and publishing. Many of the first year PhD candidates on the courses had not published prior to beginning the course or the PhD and they were excellent candidates. The courses provided a great deal of information on research, academic life and early career researcher pathways. (Early career= beginning researchers). Good luck and best wishes.

I think, as you and others have posted, I would raise it with my supervisor as well. In the meantime, can you report the issue anonymously to relevant ethics committee who oversees these projects at your university, or if you know any of the staff, raise it in person (or via phone) as a 'concern'?

The staff member may be able to clarify with you the issue, the level of risk and what actions need to be taken, and do this in a way that does not get people off side but ensures the humane treatment and welfare of the animals are taken care of appropriately.

Thanks PM133, that makes sense, I think I am just becoming overly anxious as I get closer to submission,

Cheers :)

At the very beginning of the thesis in the front matter statements there is one declaration about published work in the thesis and copyright.

My question is do these publications refer only to actual published articles or similar that are incorporated into the thesis or could this also refer to papers given at conferences about your work?

In my case the paper was given in person but was not published as conference proceedings. I will use it to form an article in a month or two-it hasn't been submitted to a journal or formally published as yet.

The declaration or statement says 'where applicable', so this is where I was wondering whether it referred only to published articles that were pretty much included within the thesis as a chapter, rather than the publishing you do from your thesis (if this makes sense).

I'm doing my final days as a distance student and hoped someone here might know this definitively (before I email my supervisors that is). Cheers and thanks, P.

Hi Tudor Queen, I've done this before and it has been fine. If you were worried though, I am sure if you explained about the deadline, everyone would understand. Good luck with it all, very exciting!

Best wishes Smiling Hippo, sorry it didn't work out this time and I hope that you walk away with some positives; perhaps a Masters or some research that you can use for future options. (At the very least, some peace of mind). Thanks for letting us know.

Airporto, what you have described sounds like a very distressing experience and I hope that, in addition to lodging a complaint to the police, you consider perhaps seeking support from your university's counselling service and/or an external service that provides support to victims of sexual assault.

I am in Australia and would not know what actual services are available elsewhere but I am certain that there would be services, helplines, online services and other forms of support available in the majority of universities and communities for this sort of thing.

Services that help victims of sexual assault or harassment would be able to provide you with wellbeing advice but also legal advice I would think. These services would be confidential and staffed by experienced and trained social workers or counsellors or similar. Many of these you can access online if you need to...

I am very sorry that this has happened to you and hope that you are okay.

My advice would be to combine your research with a doctorate. I think to stay in academia a doctorate would be regarded as essential. I've known many teacher educators employed initially at universities based on professional experience and generally a Masters. Those that stay begin a doctorate and while it might take around 6 years to do part-time, again those who stay and progress have a doctorate behind them as they progress up the ranks.

The doctorate will be a major research project, or a combination of two or three so you would be achieving both outcomes with the one, I would think. And will most likely be well supported by your employer. So the place to start might be to think about what you are really passionate about and begin reading around this area to see where there might be a possible project you could initiate or use for a proposal. Congratulations on the new and exciting position. (Got to go and no glasses on so please excuse any typos).