I don't really understand what you're saying.... have you just failed your PhD? Or is your research still ongoing and unsuccessful for some reason? It would be more fruitful for potential responses if you could clarify what your problem is.

Yes, it's been annoying me since yesterday. I thought maybe the PGF programmers had fiddled with some screen setting or other and gone home for the weekend. It looks like the right-hand advert block should be a bit further over to the right, as you say, only a tiny bit for everything to fall perfectly back into its old place! It looks like the posts threads section ('our' bit! :p ) should be a little narrower, so it fits into the massive amount of white space I now see whenever I log on here...:-)

I first read your post title as longitudinal meditation, which sounded terribly cerebral:$

Can't help with the real question though, sorry.

Hi Scienceurchin,

The book was 'How to survive your viva' by Rowena Murray, it's a 2003 publication by the Open University. I know various other fellow PhD students I work with also thought it was useful. If nothing else, it demystifies some of the viva processes. I know I was told about viva procedures years ago but it didn't mean anything at the time, it was too far off as I was just fixated on submitting at that time.

Get a job quickly!!!!!! :-) I'm still stuck in the university administration system with its endless procedures that have to be followed before my PhD is finally wrapped up, though I passed my viva back in May. It's so nice now to be able to mentally put it behind me though! The job thing isn't too desperate (yet!) as I did my PhD part-time and have been working and teaching all the way through in various jobs. I'm looking around at the moment, as I really feel like moving onto something new. It will probably be better for you if you're a scientist, I'd imagine there are more jobs around than in the arts.

I think people I know who have done PhDs, or are doing one, are impressed by my stamina and tenacity, rather than intelligence. Friends who haven't done PhDs seem more taken with the whole Dr title thing and act as if I've been officially certified brainy, but they also seem rather amused by the novelty of it all for some reason. I quite like being a novelty, but I'm definitely not a genius. :-)

Hi Scienceurchin, being burnt out sounds a good description of how I felt after submitting too. I couldn't bear to pick my thesis up either. It took me until about 2 or 3 weeks before my viva to sit down with it and start reading it through properly. It wasn't easy, I really had to force myself and it was only that knowledge of the impending viva date that made me get on with it! Not because I didn't care about it, but I felt so mentally drained that I wanted a rest from it all, but there wasn't any time for that.

Do you have to write the papers now, or could they wait? I took on a few things to write before my viva as I thought they would help me revise, but it didn't work out in practice. I didn't want to think about them just then. I agreed to do that work as others had told me it helped them with their viva preparation, but it didn't really do it for me.

My supervisors told me not to do anything PhD-related after submitting, just rest, have a life and stop agonising about the viva. One said to read my thesis through a week or so before the viva and that would be ok, as he said you know more than you think, and it was true, though I didn't believe him at the time! He said it was important to come to the viva fresh, after the rather demanding submission experience. I think that helped me get some distance from it and see it as a whole piece of work, because I was so bogged down in the details after submission that it was hard to be objective about it. Plus I didn't want to do the viva in a frame of mind where I was sick of it, as I didn't think I'd do myself justice somehow!

I'd suggest in the time before the viva, just read it through, know what the strengths and weaknesses are and how you'd deal with questions about them. Know exactly what you wrote and why. You probably already do anyway! I had post-its all over my thesis with extra references or clarifications that I thought I'd get asked about, but I didn't need them in the end. I wish I hadn't got so worried beforehand, but it's hard not to when you've been doing it for years! :-)

You could search on this forum for Lara's viva experiences too, as she did an awful lot of revision based on the Murray book, a hell of a lot more than me, and that worked for her. Definitely have a break from your thesis if you think you need it though, mentally or physically. I was surprised how knackered and unmotivated the whole thing made me, but talking to other people, that sounds fairly normal and seems to fit with what you're saying too.

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Cleverclogs, is criminology and prostitution your thesis topic, or a personal interest? Just curious to know what your discipline is.

Heifer, no corrections, that's brilliant, congratulations!! How nice it will be tomorrow to wake up as Dr Heifer! (up):-)(up)

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I thought people might be too busy with the moral decay thread to respond, so thank you both for your speedy responses!! :-)

Is it ok to send a CV as a PDF by email to someone who's expecting to receive it in some form, or is there some etiquette in certain situations where a hardcopy by snail mail is preferable? A colleague mentioned me to a Head of Dept in another college about getting some more teaching. He is apparently looking for new tutors to possibly start next term, so I'm supposed to send him my CV asap. I've never met him myself, though he knows my colleague and my supervisor. I was just going to email it off as the post's still a bit unpredictable around here, but then wondered if I was making a bit of a faux pas?

Any advice would be welcome. :-)

Cleverclogs, are you equally condemnatory of the frequently well educated, socially powerful, prosperous customers who use the services of those in the sex trade? Do they also lack this 'moral education' you mention, or is it just female 'whores' like Magnanti who should 'repent' and who lack your 'respect'?