i agree with these guys, mate! i wouldn't stress too much over this kind of thing. chances are that they have been delayed and will be in touch soon. hope you get the news u want!

wow that is quite outrageous.

i am embarking on a phd on a humanities topic which is significantly under-researched. this has made me weary of consulting with academics who may have been of use at my previous university. grim times. how far along are you?

hey seven, podge!

im studying at the centre for media research in the uni of ulster, previously studied at queen's though. how's ur phd going? mine is in journalism and media! mental!

I'm starting mine in a few weeks and I've just sorted a new house and I'm having my car serviced tomorrow! I have been making a living as a musician and stand-up comic for sometime now tho, so it's good to have that as another source of income aside from the PhD funding which I literally thank God for everyday! But yeah, we haven't been paid yet. the key to staying positive is to try not to spend that stipend before you get it and also to maybe think about getting something else near the uni that pays well but isn't that much of a pain- im lucky to have music and comedy but a bit of barwork or something might help?

Just a thought. OBV, it has to be something non-committal!!

Twanky

wow keenbean, you must have been stressed if looking after kids calmed you down! Like sitting in a kiln to cool off! :P

Hope you're alright mate. I would tend to suffer from IBS (not panic attacks as much) but the mental 'worrying it'll happen so it happens' thing is common to both conditions. I literally try to think about football as it is my happy place. it really helps me unwind my brain when im stressing. maybe having an outlet like that might help. hope youre good tho, bud!

Hiya,

This really depends on what university you are in. I had a few interviews and some were very manageable while others were not so great!

I find that a bit of confidence in your project goes a long way, though I would certainly advise you to understand where possible problems with it might arise and talk about how you will mitigate them. Strangely, i was a cheeky so and so at the interview that I eventually got funding for, but that was because they kept me waiting for over an hour outside the interview room.

Definitely, they will ask you why you want it and what you hope it will achieve and what you want to be doing in ten years.

Also, if i were you, I'd have a good idea of the type of reading you'll be doing!

Hope it helps, good luck.

BoooooooM!

Hi Mlis,

I understand where you're coming from having suffered from similar depression myself. The feeling of owing a lot to your parents without any sign of being able to pay them back (financially or otherwise) is totally crippling. Combined with your sense of isolation because of your career path at the moment, it makes for a really nasty self-ebbing process but trust me, as someone who understnads those feelings, if you keep trying to stay positive in your approach to whatever it is you're doing, those feelings will go away, that's how depression worked for me anyway- it started to slowly go away and now, even two years later (from the worst part of it all), i still have some bad days- but I stay positive. I do other things. I can't recommend enough the joy of going for a walk or jumping on the bike for an hour. If you start to regroup and gather some thoughts, you will feel and appear more confident.

I started as a stand-up comedian during the worst few months of my depression- it was something i always wanted to do and now i make a really good living off it while i study. would it maybe be worth your while pursuing some hobby or interest that may lead to remuneration? There's also plenty of online jobs for academics on elance.com- money isn't great but it's better than doing nothing.

One other thing I noticed was that friends who had never felt as down as i did had absolutley no idea how debilitating depression can be, so don't blame them when they make you feel like shit. chances are they aren't trying to.

I really hope this doesn't come across all preachy and that, becasue it's not my intention. I just read this, identified with it a lot and didn't want to just exit without saying that you are not as isolated as you might think. Hope you'll start to feel better. PM me if you wanna chat.

Ciarán

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what's ur phd in podge (if you don't mind me asking)? mine is a three year one in journalism, i live in fear of isolation as well!!

i was virtually an alcholic in first year so i have mixed memories but i adored second and third year. i did a masters straight after which was tough but ive just completed another in a different subject and it was the best year of my entire uni life!!!

i miss drinking my student loan!

done and done! I'd prefer the amazon voucher if possible!

i enjoy a vignette and as i am taking a break from work, i'll do this!

Hello everybody,

I'm new to this forum, even though I've been a postgrad for a couple of years (getting MAs in Ancient History and Journalism).

Anyway, starting my PhD in Journalism (for which I've been very lucky to get funding) in about three weeks and I'm experiencing an odd mix of wonder, excitement and also panic and deep visceral fear! Is this normal?? Does anybody else feel this way?? I'm the first in my family and circle of friends to have done this and could do with feeling a little less isolated.

Also, I'm at uni in Coleraine, Northern Ireland and will be exploring the possibility of asserting my uni into the relevant research seminar circuits, so if anyone is interested I'd be glad of the reply!

Finally, if anyone else is attempting to do a similar project to mine, it'd be good for us to form a team as crutches for one another!

Shalom and farewell!

Ciarán Bartlett (ie Twanky)