======= Date Modified 06 Feb 2009 14:57:32 =======
That all sounds really positive, Lilliput. Do you reckon 2 months is long enough though? I had a few problems a while back. I wasn't sure whether I was depressed, bad at dealing with stress or a hypochondriac as I was slipping behind with my PhD work and I didn't know why. It was annoying, as I'd been doing really well at everything before that. In the end, my GPs found that I had an underlying medical problem that could be sorted out easily once they knew what it was. They were really sympathetic about the stress of the PhD on top of that and were fine about providing a supporting letter for the uni for a 6 month suspension of my studies. The reason we went for 6 months was because it was apparently a big deal in terms of the procedural formalities to get it through the various uni committee etc, and also quite a slow process. As they pointed out, it was better to have a decent chunk of time to get healthy, with the option of getting on with my PhD if I felt like it but before I actually had to, it's just a bit less pressure and gives you more leeway.

Good luck with everything and do look after yourself! (up)

EDIT: I was carrying on thinking about this.... if you've got your GP's support, why don't you try to go for a longer period of suspension of studies, pending medical advice? I think a few of our students have had up to a year out for personal/medical reasons, several have been registered for their PhDs for about 9 years. It's crap coming back to the PhD when you've been off on health grounds if you really aren't feeling 100% because everyone expects you to be back to normal, and if you're still struggling then it wasn't the right length of time for your break. I'm saying that from experience btw! I know you and your sup have to get advice from registry as it's an official thing, but don't let them hound you!

Hello Liminal, I wondered how you were doing! :-)

It probably doesn't feel like it as it's all relative, but you've got lots of time. Stick with Joan and you'll be alright!(up) I haven't even read it but the tips I've had via Lara have been invaluable and they work! Don't beat yourself up mentally when you don't stick to your timetable, as long as you're doing something, anything PhD-related, as it's better than nothing.

I'm sick of mine - SICK of it, though it's just the thesis, not the subject, luckily. I just want to get it done now. I feel like those runners that get to the last bit of the London marathon, forcing themselves to carry on even though they're well and truly knackered, till they drop just past the finishing line and get wrapped up in a silver foil blanket and get their medal or whatever it is they hang round their necks. So that'll be you with your 5k training then! ;-) For me, a nice beer and being able to move on to something else will be enough!

Lilliput, how did your meeting go with your sup?

It's horrendously gruelling when you're up against the final submission date, but I always think it's not over till it's over and the actual submission date is passed, if you know what I mean. So theoretically, there should always be something you can do to improve the situation until then. It's hard to dredge up the energy to get stuff done sometimes, but if you really want to finish the PhD maybe you can make the best of the time you've got left. And this is coming from someone who is *still* messing about rewriting large bits of chapters with a few weeks till submission, on top of 'normal' corrections...

Congratulations, that's great news Dr Aloha!! (up):-)(up)

May I ask how it compared with your mock in terms of brutality of examining style, usefulness of preparation for the real thing etc?

PS great post title too, it's got me reaching for my Best of Elvis CD :-)

======= Date Modified 03 Feb 2009 11:10:41 =======
If you can't decide, you could always resort to scrutinising the official regs for your uni, then make an aesthetic judgement based within those parameters.

I know what you mean about not wanting to annoy the examiners though! We're allowed to use 11pt fonts, but I was worried it might irritate anyone with bad eyesight and the main text almost merged with the footnotes in someone else's draft as it was almost the same size. Also, my sup said that the glued spine binding is really annoying when you're trying to read a thesis as it keeps springing open and can't lay flat on the table. That's why I went for the plastic ring spine thing for my draft, and will do the same for my submission, if it's too thick for the wire ring spine which I actually prefer.

I know it's not the same thing exactly, but I got really fed up with a student whose whole dissertation was printed on really slippery paper and was loose, not even stapled together. It was SO annoying to mark, it just kept slithering out of my hands!!! And she used a 'quirky' novelty font that wasn't very easy to read. And when you've got 35 to mark....

Commonsense, as one of mine will come from Scotland and one from the Midlands, it wouldn't be ludicrous to think they might have problems travelling to London if mine were tomorrow. You can hazard a guess to some extent based on information available, especially during the biggest snowfall in 18 years.

Well Bug, it was a situation where once there was a trendy management plan that was a bit illogical to us underlings, it went ahead and bad things happened. It showed why it's a good idea to speak up sometimes in opposition to these ideas, even if it's not a popular view AND gets ignored AND you feel like a big moaner, as sometimes the sensible view gets proved to be the best option, albeit a bit late in the day and after a very angsty time is had by all concerned.

Melsie, yes it's ok thanks, though the memories do make an ex-colleague turn purple at the very thought, even now! We're hoping the next ambitious major project is carried out a bit better....

We have the choice of 1.5 or double spacing, but I prefer 1.5 - there's enough room for comments, and double looks too spaced out for 12pt text to me. Our margins are very specific though, 4cm for the left hand one, so that gives extra room for comments too.

Sleepyhead, that's exactly what I was thinking. As the weather conditions and forecasts are so dire practically everywhere now, someone organising the viva must have anticipated that maybe not everyone would be able to get in tomorrow. A good research administrator should have checked with the examiners about travel arrangements, given the circumstances.

Aloha, can you contact your supervisor tonight to confirm what's going on, just in case? It is an unusual situation, after all.

Aloha - have you got a Plan B, in case the snow continues? It's been the same all day where I am in central London, it keeps on falling in mini-blizzards. No sign of melting yet.

Good luck with your viva and interview if they go ahead though. (up)

Bug, if you can't get there then it's likely that the office workers can't get to work either. Email them maybe? They'll understand, this is very unusual weather for London. Please don't cry though!

It's brilliant having no background noise from traffic and planes though - sooo peaceful! Perfect thesis-writing weather heheh! I'm going out in it.:-)

lol Sneaks! What will you make the dog's shoes from?

======= Date Modified 02 Feb 2009 10:58:41 =======
Heifer, it might be worth checking that the conference will still be on - my whole uni is officially closed today, pending further travel updates. We don't know what's happening tomorrow yet.

heheheh, you're right, it is like being Narnia! Better avoid the Turkish delight, just in case :-) Not that I've ever liked that stuff though....

I feel loads better today. How weird! Yesterday was horrible, the PhD all felt completely overwhelming and it really depressed me. I ended up just plugging away at various chapters till 11ish then called it a night. I've got 3 chapters (2 very long and image heavy) ready to put pics in and get printed for proofreading. There are a couple of odd refs that still need chasing up, odd footnotes, but if I can't get them in 2 weeks I'll rewrite them or delete them, it won't make much difference to the discussion - it's just extra supporting evidence.

Today bizarrely I feel ok about it all and like I can finally tackle the theory bits that need rewriting, so will get on with that. Why are some days so horrible and you just feel swamped by it, then the next day it seems so much more achievable???? oooh I wish I'd done food shopping yesterday though... no coffee is bad....

See you later Lara! :-)