Hi there, can I just ask-would quitting the part time phd at this very moment have any impact really on your quest for employment?

If you quit your PhD right now, you would still be looking for work right? Would another option be to continue on your part time PhD, while still looking for work and then when you have found employment, make a reassessment of your options? You might still quit the PhD once you have found employment you like, or you may still defer, or you may continue (very slowly), but right now if you quit the PhD, you still need to keep looking for suitable employment.

From an employer's perspective, someone studying part time while they look for work may be more appealing from an employment prospect or on the 'cv'. Just an alternative perspective-which may not be appropriate for your circumstances-ignore if so.

Good luck Carley. Would have been a such disheartening experience to go through. Hope the appeal goes well.

Well done, Starsgoblue and Teegs!-wishing you all the best in the next few weeks and months. And Starsgoblue- hope the nerves don't get too much-I'm sure that your writing will be fine.

I am having around a 4-5 week holiday from my chapter edits, as I have taken a new job which entails an interstate move, selling up and organising house, pets and other matters. Currently I am typing this in the only room in the house that has furniture. This has delayed my submission date by a couple of months at least-so while I was hoping to go for end of Jan-Feb-the new job, life and place means it will be more likely to be ready to submit around May. Hugh and Zutterfly, I can't stand my research at the moment but am hoping that once I have settled in can muster up enough discipline and motivation to forge through the edits and submit. I think Chapters 1-3 are pretty much right-now just need to keep working through 4-8. But moving house is pretty draining. Anyway, all's well and wishing everyone else much encouragement. Keep up the incremental work and it will eventually be complete! Cheers all and best wishes for 2017.

I am happy that you have nice new hair Pjlu ;) I really nee mine sorting but I think that will be my 'reward' when I had it to my sup. I can at least not think about my thesis for a short while then :)[/quote]

Thanks Zutterfly :). I think the hair was the only thing that really worked well yesterday. Today the cider has worn off and I am looking realistically at my work plan and changes and accepting that again (sigh) as with the Masters thesis-"it is going to take as long as it takes". I'm well within my part time time frame so I can hardly complain.Good luck with your plans and hope the cold doesn't hang around too long.

Neither, but I thought I would present a perspective that might be useful-not right now-you are probably righteously angry-but perhaps later on "down the track" *(* Local colloquialism from obscure outback region in Australia ).

If you do go down the R & R pathway with the same examiners, I'm betting that they will pass you in a year's time. They will just want to see you take their criticism seriously and make a few adjustments and then you will be awarded your PhD. So while this seems incredibly unfair and doubtful now-I'm punting that they just want to see these changes acknowledged and some adjustments made.

I'm not suggesting for a moment that this is because they are right, just that this is a likely outcome. So probably this message isn't going to bring much joy right at the moment but it might help with decision making a bit later on. Ignore it though if you need to. Ive just anaethestised myself with a couple of ciders so understand if the desperation and associated feelings don't buy this message in any shape or form.

Well I have just had a 100 minute meeting where we went through Chapters 1-6 in depth but still have 7 & 8 to go through. Lots of editing required. Lit review chapter is the one that needs the least-barely any so that's good. Other chapters need reorganisation and I now need to probably structure my thesis in three sections on top of the chapters:

Section 1-Cp 1-3 Intro, Lit Rev, Methods
Section 2 -Data Chapters 4,5 & 6
Section 3- Overall Discussion and Conclusion

Some other stuff as well -no mention of submission in 3 months (sigh).

Good news today, I went to the hairdressers and have absolutely fantastic hair at the moment, much good may it do me.

I think sometimes it is the lack of control over the final outcome and the long spaces of time to wait, that really get under the skins of PhD candidates. You do just have to wait long periods of time throughout the PhD and it is hard, no matter how disciplined you are or how well you structure your time during the wait.

Infinity cat, you mentioned starting an academic position which requires your completion next year-chances are you will meet the deadline. However, even if the dates are a little extended, if your current employer likes your work, I would imagine that they will be supportive and understanding about minor extensions.It will have happened to others before and, based on what you have written, it seems very unlikely that you would not be awarded a PhD. The worst outcome would be, as Mattfab noted earlier, is that you might have the R & R with a probable and expected pass awarded at the end of the process.

Yes, I think it is fairly common for universities to vary in this ruling. One person I knew of (at a different university) had to give several weeks, whereas at mine, it is a straight 3 months. We also have to give a paper to the department at around the same time as giving our notice to submit, but I will just revamp my recent paper I think rather than creating a new one. I think this replaces the viva voce (which is not common in Australian universities). So this provides the academics and other Post grads an opportunity to really question you on the whole thing.

Good luck to everyone. Zutterfly, I agree with the sinking feeling regarding appendices, I feel the same way but not sure why. It will probably be fine...and Intothespiral- good luck and well done.

My worry is that I'm pretty sure my supervisors have only read selected chapters and some from a while ago so I don't quite know what it will be like when they read the full thing. It reads coherently to me but that's because I know (or think I know) what I am on about. So my real hope is that they agree that I am where I think I am...

Worse case scenario they want some major rewrites and a bit of an extension. I so desperately want to have it over with by mid January and to do some other things with my weekends and holidays.

Thinking of you all on this thread and wishing the best :)

I don't think yelling is the appropriate response and understand this person's actions can be intimidating. Having said that, you find that academia is like the world of work everywhere, you have to work with people whose behaviour can be difficult at times.

I would approach this person directly, (when they are not busy or distracted) and just apologise for not cleaning up the glass immediately and clarify that you intended to but were distracted by the phone call. Then just finish with saying that it won't happen like this again.

Don't try to be friends or look for any specific behaviour or response from this person afterwards, just move on.

And my other thoughts would be not too worry too much about their thoughts about you or their behaviour in general. Your own supervisor will be supportive of you and that's the main thing.

Just acknowledge that this particular response of yours was probably not the best at this time, you won't do it again and then focus on your own plans and tasks.

Congratulations Eska! Good luck with the applications as well :)

Hi Mara,

very sorry to hear about the divorce. Hoping though the loss of your relationship doesn't have too much of a negative impact on how you feel about your recent achievements and life work. I just thought though to comment on your words 'I have learnt my lesson'. Relationships end often through no fault of our own or of the other-they sometimes just end because circumstances change or people change-sometimes nothing that we do or might have done will make them last. Wishing for you that you find someone who celebrates your passion and intellectual rigour and cherishes you for it-with or without a PhD.

And Ganesha and Eska-nice comments :) :)

I don't wait for motivation any more but force myself. But when I am trying to push through a lack of energy or enthusiasm, I do think closely about what daily or weekly target I am setting myself and try to make it realistic. (I work part time on the PhD so sometimes work goes very slowly as I am already tired from work). An example is I have this paper to write for a conference. I should be excited about it and being accepted but I'm a bit fed up with work and the phd, and am a bit 'meh' about the conference (which I shouldn't be but am!).

I have just set a certain time I have to have this thing written by and sit down and make myself write it in stages, even though I am literally telling myself, 'no you cannot get up from this chair until you have completed this small section'. I think it is the only way I have got through the PhD...there are times when I have motivation but I can't rely on these times to get me through as they are not often enough nowadays. My main motivation is the finish date-which needs to be in exactly 5 and one half of a month.

I do reward myself if I finish whatever target I have set with something very small-like a cup of tea or coffee, reading or doing something I like or going out, even if it is just to the shops, a phone call to a friend or similar.

Hi there, Ephiny said that it is a process, and I agree 100 percent. I would also agree that many of us feel that we are behind or somehow haven't done enough...very common feelings. Especially if you do the doctorate over a few years while working full time. You never feel as if you are able to give it your undivided attention. However, it is a process and there are no perfect ways of completing a PhD. Every PhD is an individual journey-it seems to be the nature of the PhD. The insights and knowledge will be developing and as you write up you will really consolidate and refine what you know. It doesn't appear to happen in an even way but in spikes. However, you will find as you are rewriting and shaping final drafts that you do know and understand your material. The other thing that helps me is to remember that the PhD is not the end product. While you will have a thesis that is an 'end product', the PhD just takes you to a different place and space as an entry level researcher, thinker and professional writer. So there is that notion of process again...

Sorry to hear this, it's tough when this happens isn't it? Try to be kind to yourself this week and do something that you enjoy or value.

My process for rejection with papers or journals is the same as unsuccessful job applications or notices. Keep the paper work and article or application, learn from the experience, give myself 24 hours (and no more) to feel a bit down and to regroup. Then look for new opportunities elsewhere, or work on a different paper or application, and plan to go back to the unsuccessful one a bit later.

It's a pretty tough thing to go through the rejection process but what I have learned is that often time, place and luck figure in these things as well. While I learn from feedback and try to take it on board, I try to be discriminating about this and don't necessarily accept every piece of feedback offered without really processing it and seeing whether it feels like it might be 'true' and if it is helpful.