Hi!

yeh!

sourapple, i sometimes wonder, too, what they have that i haven't. but... my friends who are funded are just like you and me. so, to an extent it does come down to luck, i'd say.
another point is, many will only embark on a PhD if the funding is already secured. that means you never get to see all those who's applications failed. so maybe the thing that differentiates the unfunded from the funded people is mainly that the unfunded people decided to go ahead without secured funding, whereas the funded people decided to go ahead with secured funding. whatever that means.

oh seabird, why don't you start right now, i'll come be your yoga on the beach student

oh, i'm so sorry to hear that! to the people who decided against you!

when that happened to me last week, i cried all day. i have a feeling that you are trying to go on as if nothing had happened... not feel to distressed about it or at least not let it show...?
anyway that wouldn't work for me... i need to let it out, be angry, upset, think about quitting for some days. because it just IS distressing, dissappointing, a let down, - then it usually gets better but sometimes the bright side has to wait a bit while you give yourself some time to be properly angry and upset. - i might not be making too much sense, please disregard if you find it meaningless.

oh dear oz, that sounds awful. you must be totally stressed out! i hope you find a solution soon.

would this maybe be a case for some legal counsel? your students' union might provide good and free or cheap services. just a thought.

take care, and keep us informed on what happens, ok?

for city university, i would stick to the north.islington everything around regent's park, angel, highbury... a bit further out camden town... or towards the east, dalston, hackney.

i've never lived in these places but they come up when I search on gumtree for reasonably cheap places in the north.

Thorntons Special Toffee...

ginger and lemon tea... (ginger has similar effects as coffee)

when i'm feeling good and don't need comfort food, it is more healthy stuff like dried fruit and nuts.

hey thanks oz and juno, for getting back on this thread!
- well i TRIED to get a PhD position in switzerland. didn't work out though, as there are about two places in all switzerland that would perhaps have been interested in the kind of project i am doing, and they both didn't have any open positions. whereas where i am now, it is the perfect place for my topic, which is why i took the risk of starting without funding.
- hmm... companies... will give it a think. am a bit worried about independence since it is a social science project, where big pharma might be interested but i would kind of prefer coming from the "patients" side, if i'm going to take sides...
btw things are looking a bit brighter now since i just managed to secure a teaching job. now i just need the luck to keep going and i might just find a way! thanks all for your support!

hi rob,
it depends a bit what you are looking for and how much you are prepared to pay; and perhaps other requirements like distance to the school and accessibility etc.
grosvenor is extremely centrally located and all "rooms" are basically self-contained studios (so not much social life!). nothing to say against that except that it is reflected in the price - it is probably the most expensive LSE residence hall you can get. if you've got the money, and don't want to rather spend it for a nice holiday or so, then go for it.
regarding alternatives, i would stick to the "postgraduate" halls. i've heard baaaad things about the undergraduate halls. from own experience i can say lilian knowles is fine - good value for money. not as close to school but in a great area.

i agree to an extent with silverbobs and robber - the thing you don't have always seems so attractive compared to what you do have...
i think most of us have dabbed at the 'real world'. one of the reasons i decided to try for a PhD was that i had realised that the real world wasn't really better. i do tend to forget that, though, sometimes, especially when things are going badly, when i find myself asking myself "why oh why was i ever so stupid to start a PhD?"
that said, the 'real world' not being perfect doesn't make doing a PhD perfect. i suppose we just have to accept that the way things are, most people are never going to land a 'perfect' occupation, as there are drawbacks to everything.
that's why i put signs up in my room reminding myself why i am doing what i'm doing

is english not her native language? you could try a retro-translation analysis. for example if she speaks German: "space" could be from "Raum" which is similar to "Gebiet" which could mean "area". If it is in the right area, perhaps she means it is going in the right direction. Does that help?

Good question... I've come across a number of people (or rather, names) that are Dr. Dr. Prof. Something. So I would assume they had two PhDs or do you think they earned the second Dr. as an honorary PhD?

and if you want to devise your own project instead of applying for an advertised project, you need to be aware of the deadlines for research council funding applications. they are usually in the beginning of may, i think, but you would normally have to go through the department where you will be, which might have significantly earlier deadlines. it is often necessary to be already accepted as a postgrad student at that department in order to apply... so you would be looking at applying 3 months before the departmental deadline. that might be nov/dec. 2007.

well you can't be lucky here AND in the job-hunt. so i am relieving you of the burden of being the winner here, in order that you might become the winner in that job-hunt.

congratulations! what a nice way to start the week! and thanks for sharing it on here, it is so good to here the good stuff!