You are never too old to do a PhD. I don't think your age should be a problem for getting a job afterwards either.
I am a little bit older than some other PhD students in my department and I sometimes get twinges that I am sooo old and not any further than the fresh-from-undergraduate studies PhD students (23 or so?), but in actual fact I did something else before the PhD, so it's kind of comparing apples with pears. I think the key is that you really want to do the PhD, love your topic and that seeing people your own age being lecturers does not upset you. Go for it!(up)

Hi Annieslim, I am not sure I completely understand what you situation is - your first supervisor left? Where is he now/what is his position in the department etc - maybe providing a bit more info could be useful..
From what you say, it can certainly be that the fact that your supervisors have not supervised before could be bit of an issue - just in terms experience, but I suppose it takes two to tango, and if you feel unsure etc they might feel even more unsecure themselves... Although I think it is always good if one is able to talk to sups openly about how one feels about things etc, I think it also important to recognise that some sups are generally good with dealing with content of the work and not so much dealing with the person and the problems/issues they might face.. at least that's what I have experienced to some degree. I think it is important to get a feel for what your supervisors can deliver for you and what they can't. If you have generic issues with the PhD process etc, sometimes it can be equally helpful to talk to other understanding students or post-docs, to get things off the chest. In your case, considering your first sup has left (?), would it be possible to focus more on the second sup and make him first sup as it were?
I am not sure whether this has helped or whether I have completely misunderstood what your post was about?

Thanks for your comments.
I have just checked with the university guidelines, and it is possible for me to get uni business cards, but I am limited to what I can put on - basically the name, address, telephone number, email, title. As for the title I think i will use "PhD research student". But yes, I was considering adding a line/keyword on my research project/expertise and maybe add another non-uni email address (for after PhD life). So whilst I like the professional look (and logo) of the university business cards, they are a bit limited. I suppose the question is whether it is more important to be asscoiated with one's university/research group or as an individual with X interest/expertise?

I will be presenting at a conference later in the year (oral presentation) and I was wondering whether anyone has advice or an opinion on whether taking business cards with you is useful?
Normally when presenting a poster, I print out small A4 versions of the poster, (with my email address etc on)which people can take away, but now that I will be talking, that does not apply, so I was considering business cards (for use in conversations etc) - is it appropriate or over the top?

Have you considered doing something about the stress - why not join some meditation class, or a group counselling thing, or have a shiatsu massage or anything else that helps you deal with stressful situations (from sport to tai chi to yoga...)?

And yes, if someone asks and you do not want to say you have IBS, then just allude to some "medical issues".. all the best, ..

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I agree, this sounds a bit like a "misunderstanding" between your supervisor and the potential sup. I dont think this should make you feel less proud of your excellent essay though.. sometimes academics can be a bit weird when it comes to interaction with people (interpersonal skills?!), or sometimes you just catch them when they have a lot on their mind (like the fact that they will be away a lot soon and all the other stuff they need to do before then).. Whilst it is really good to have enthusiastic supervisors, the most important thing is that you yourself are excited about the research topic, because that is what will make you keep on going ultimately (I think). I can understand that your exchange with the two supervisors was confusing, but let it not influence you too much, like I say, you might have just caught him in a weird frame of mind (or so).

3 months is normally the time when people come out with the news, right?! I suppose the key thing is that you are ready for the response of your sup - what is he/she like? I have heard of sups not being supportive (esp when they hear the news), so it is important you are ready to tell and have thought about plans how to finish the PhD. Good luck and - congratulations, it is good news really!:-)

I have not heard before that the EU funds students going outside the European Union, unless maybe you are part of a big project that has some activities abroad (lets say study some aspect of marine biology in South Africa because of the unique conditions/species there), but even then, I would have thought you'd need to be at a university in the EU. I would have thought that there might be other ways of getting some money, maybe some organisation/society that has interests and research of marine biology at heart. Or maybe there are opportunities getting money from the government (or other institution/oragnisation) that wants to improve Spain-South Africa relations through exchange of research - type -thing... I have a feeling you have to be creative and proactive to get extra funding in your position - it can probably be done, though! Good luck.

I am not sure I understand all the ins and outs of your situation, but I think it is important to remember that there can be strong competition for PhD places. In that case, obviously grades from previous degrees do come in to divide the "good from the bad" which is obviously not to your advantage. I think it is vital in any application to highlight your strengths, e.g. maybe your determination/commitment to do a research degree despite the extra effort that is required due to the disability, your enthusiasm etc... You have to convince the potential supervisor that you will be an asset to them, so my tip would be to highlight your strong points and not get too caught up in what happened during your BSc. Good luck.

If you are willing to leave Italy and go to another European country, sometimes there are Marie Curie EU funded studentships. Using the findaphd.com search should have those come up as well, I think. You can always check with specific universities that have research in your interest area whether they have something going.

Yes, go down the printed out hard copy route. If that does not work because people want to edit your text in word with track changes, maybe maybe (?) you have to reconsider your tools and use what the others are using.. It can be really annoying when people use different tools, but there are often ways around this... I also know people who swear by latex and they have stuck it for that reason, even if gets a bit more complicated when dealing with non-latex users...

Mmm, interesting. I agree that sometimes working on two chapters at the same time is the only way to keep things going and flowing, but in response to your question - I would actually try and finish off that "old" chapter before moving onto the next one. I find it can be really rewarding to finish a story/chapter/analysis. As was mentioned before, it can be depressing to go through an old chapter, and yes, it is essential to have an open mind and be ready for radical changes, but at least in your mind it is all still fresh. I suppose you have to go with your gut feeling whether you prefer the new chapter or the old....

I am just coming back to an old topic I worked on a while ago and find it hard getting my head round what I did (all those months ago;-)
I am trying to do get back into the flow of things by re-reading some of my old notes, and trying to think of where I can continue the work. I find having structure helps and I really need to decide at the beginning of the day what I am going to do, otherwise I float a bit.. (i.e. not do much really productive). My tip would be to do some "easy" things, like reading some papers and just take it one day at a time. Good luck.

Thanks for your replies. I have phoned and emailed the co-athors with some success, and one of the co-authors is indeed a prof, and he's very busy, so I have had problems getting in contact with him. As I want to publish more work with the same people in the future, I figured that it is indeed important to have them all on board now and not upset them, so I am going to wait until I get a response from them all. My strategy is to send a weekly email and phone intermittently, too, to keep the paper on top of their priority list?! I hope that'll work.
Anyone with responsive co-authors, count yourself lucky!

I do count menial tasks as work. After all, if I did not do them, I could not do the rest of the work (reading, writing, data analysis whatever). I try and do those tasks as quickly as possible though and always do a bit of "real work" at some point during the day, even when lots of menial tasks need to be done. Sometimes that obviously does not work out, and I find these things come in phases. If you do the regular working hours thing, then I think it is useful to recognise when your best time of the day is and do proper research during that time and stick to it. Maybe some admin work, going to the library etc. can be done after lunch or at the end of the day when the brain is having a break/ is getting tired. A Friday afternoon seems to be best time for filing, I find.:-)