You will definitely be able to get past this little setback - I bet the better journal will accept the paper as you will have had more time to think about it and will have had pointers from the previous journal's comments, and in the end you'll feel great!

I don't think the uni and age will stop you getting an academic job. It seems very tough out there at the moment though and I am feeling like the career might not be for me as I don't have the strong drive like so many here on the forum! I feel it's a pretty bad sign that I'm getting my "i want to give up point" so soon! xx

I am so confused - I recently started a science PhD but am already starting to feel like it's the wrong career path for me. I'm not sure I fancy being a postdoc on short contracts moving around the world/country, or the constant cycle of applying for grants and writing papers, and I can't imagine myself as a PI.

I think I would prefer to have contact with people and help them directly in some way related to science/medicine as at the moment I am in a lab alone all day, then have a meeting with my sup who is really full-on and demanding, then feel totally dumb!

To add to my confusion, I just got engaged to my partner of 6 years who I lived with previously, but I had to move away to start my PhD, and although we have managed one of those years long distance it's so much harder now! Don't think I can stand 3 more years like this! :-(
It makes me wonder if the title of PhD is really worth feeling so low.

I know it sounds like I have made my decision but I'm still worried that I am just clouded by the engagement, or that I would regret leaving, not find another job, or that I might have to pay my stipend back - I would be totally bankrupt! Also has anyone actually been through the process of leaving? I dread having a meeting with the postgrad tutor - think I would just cry!!

Any advice or comments on why doing a PhD is worth the hassle would be really really appreciated! x

I can't believe you're really doubting the fact you could easily get onto a PhD course! It sounds like you could walk onto one with all those things on your CV :)
Plenty of people I have met doing neuroscience PhDs had a 2:1, no publications, little previous research experience, no conference presentations, no masters etc. and still got to do a fell funded PhD so the 2:1 shouldn't be a hindrance, unless perhaps if you're looking at the very top unis. I agree you should apply for more than one however as other candidates might impress the panel more at the interview or have other factors leading to them being chosen. Don't be scared!

Hi!
I started my 4 year PhD course officially in Sept but was just doing training courses and rotations. I am due to start my real project next week, *eek!*
Seriously, everyone I have spoken to says they have the same worries about motivation, it's natural. I had a panic over Christmas, wondering if I was good enough or whether I should just get a boring job and forget about an academic career, but now I'm back surrounded by papers and thinking about the wonders of the brain I realise that it suits me, hehe.

Hey,

I met my partner while I was in college and managed to stay with him during 4 years of undergraduate studies in a rigorous degree which included a placement year in a different area of the country, and I also worked part time and had to do the normal daily stuff humans do like cleaning and socialising, hehe. I've just started my PhD and we are hoping to stay together as it can't be tooo much different to the last few years, fingers crossed! I know that soon I will become very busy and not be able to travel back to visit so much and this may be a strain, but we have hopes and dreams for when I finally finish and are planning holidays, and at the moment get to speak online most nights. I think it is do-able as long as both parties are committed and trust each other. I am also obsessed with planning and organising so find it easy to juggle things, although I probably let some things slack occasionally!

You definitely shouldn't let preconceptions put you off having a partner if having one would make you happier. To me, work life balance is extremely important and if work is getting too much that I am not enjoying life and having no fun then I would expect that I'd decide that was the wrong thing to be doing in life and change my situation. Luckily this hasn't happened yet but I am anticipating things getting difficult soon and happy to see how it goes!

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You're certainly not too late to apply for positions that start in September 2010, and some PhDs do start at different times during the year. It would probably be a good idea to look for cancer positions if that is where your passion lies.

I'm not really sure what you mean about 'quality of life' in the UK..life is what you make of it and you can choose to live in a nice area. There are plenty of affordable places you could rent in a city with a university, especially as a funded postgrad. I think there are plenty of green spaces and sporting opportunities to enjoy in the UK. Crime problems differ according to where you decide to go and may be similar (perhaps less than) in American cities. However don't decide where to go based on what your parents prefer you to do - a PhD is a great time for you to develop as an individual and be your own person :-)

I think everyone goes through a stage of self doubt about whether we are good enough to do a PhD - I'm certainly having that problem! Have you looked on the postgraduate opportunities section of your university's website, and findaphd.com to see what projects are being offered for next year? You don't necessarily have to think up your own project entirely and there are plenty of interesting projects available which are guaranteed funding, so saves the stress of you inventing your own then looking for funding yourself.
If you really want to use the ideas you had, you could look for a supervisor who specialises in that area and email them with an enquiry into whether they are taking any PhD students next year. Most are pretty friendly!
Between now and Jan is definitely the time to be applying - maybe wait a month or so and gauge your MSc supervisor's reaction to saying you want to do a PhD, and also you can use them as a reference if they think highly of you :-)

Hi, I'm in the same position and have been researching laptops - I currently have a macbook but it's a few years old and quite heavy and am not keen to take it up the huge hill to uni every day! (As well as the Stats Application worries Chloe mentioned.) Does anyone know of a light laptop (not a netbook as I will probably need an optical drive) that isn't ridiculously expensive? Or is it worth it to splash out?

I was surprised when shown to my PhD room and there was no computer, is this usual? I think on my placement I must have been really lucky and thought it was the norm to be provided with one! Do people usually just have to pay for PC/Laptop for the room out of their own money or does it tend to come out of the research grant?

I use hi, hiya and hi there to a lot of people.. I guess I don't really think about which to say beforehand! I hope nobody has taken this as rude, I didn't really think people would care about it or remember which form of greeting you used when meeting them.

I start mine next week too. I'm excited but a bit nervous, I keep worrying that I might not be good enough or that I should have taken a year out to relax first, having come straight from my final exams at the end of a 4 year degree.
I'm sure lots of us are feeling similarly though - we should report back in a few weeks once we settle in :-)

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I'm just about to start my PhD, so I am still filled with hopes that I will have completed it and ended up with a relatively stable research position in a good university by the time I am 32, with a house and a cat and maybe even a child! (typical woman, haha). Who knows though... my interests may change by then or I may wish to be in a job where I can directly see positive effects of my role (eg. doctor), although I know that would require even more years as a student!

I'm just moving to another part of the country to start my PhD - my other half can't really leave his job as with the current situation it'll be difficult for him to find a new one, so we are going to be long distance for the time being. My course is 4 years - 6 months seems pretty easy in comparison! We had a long distance relationship in the past for 1 year when I was doing my industrial placement so I am hoping it will be a similar experience although I know I won't be able to travel back to see him as much as I did then due to more work. :-(

I think it's nice to send letters and little thoughtful gifts occasionally, and talk over video messaging (eg. iChat) every few days. I think its best to be honest about the times when you will be so busy that you won't have time to chat so they don't worry that something has happened to you or feel abandoned.