Nice to see this thread is so popular...it shouldn't matter if our supervisors see this forum- we're not doing anything wrong by talking about our PhD and getting and giving advice from other PhD students!

As someone else has said- people can choose to give their names, and details if they like... my real name is not Billy (my parents would never have been so fashionable) but just a nickname given to me by my boyfriend because I am so silly. I just thought it would be nice to see what subject areas and what stage everyone is at on their phD journey!

What do you reckon? I'll start:

I'm Billy (female) am 22 and a first year. My PhD is in statistics and am at a London uni although I don't live in this horrible stinky city!

I have been to the dentist today for the first time since I was a child...I now know why I havn't been in so long!

I had a check-up, x-rays, scaling/polishing at a cost of £75.
My dentist informs me that I need 3 fillings which is going to cost another £150. I also had to get special mouthwash, flouride toothpaste and dental floss!

The scaling was so painful and has left my teeth and gums really sensative and painful! And I am shoked at the fillings- my teeth have only the tiniest black specks, they are not soft and are not painful. So let this be a lesson to you all to get checked at your dentist every six months!

I just thought that I might add,
Of this poetry I am glad!
This thread has made my day,
In its own peculiar way.

Today my tooth has had a filling,
To write my thesis, I wasn't willing,
Instead to this thread I have added some prose,
I hope I havn't stepped on anyones' toes?

I think the thing that struck me was my parents attitude and reaction towards my PhD...at my undergraduate degree they understood why I was doing it. It took me a long time for me to explain to them what a PhD was, the process I would have to go through to get one, and that was before I started to explain what my topic is! When I start to talk about my work, their eyes just gloss over and they stop listening.

I have the same experience explaining what I do to some friends that did not continue to further education- I am constantly saying no I'm not going to be a GP and no i don't go to lectures, I work on my own project!

But what is wrong with getting a PhD by 24? I will be 24 and am no less qualified than someone who has waited unitl later in life! I have no other distractions, no children, no mortgage, etc. All I have to focus on at the moment is getting my PhD and settling in my chosen career. I am young and am not yet set in my ways therefore I am more flexible in my approach to my PhD.

Olivia- havn't seen you around on the other forum lately? Hope everything is ok? It seems to have gone a bit dead in there but am trying to revive it!

I was 21 when I started and I just turned 22 last November.

I think this is a wind up....from mixed effects models to romance....statistics is NEVER sexy!

This makes me worried as I am funded by the MRC...

In my experience of other's presentations, anything that is too technical (eg. equations) are really off-putting. Even to a very technical audience that are probably familiar with such technical details, they can easily stop concentrating.

This is something I worry about too...everyone else in my office seems to stay a lot later than I do. Then I realised that they wern't actually turning up until 10.30 and staying only half an hour later than me. So I stopped worrying about it. I am currently doing 9-5 mon-fri, and am also 6 months in. I spend a lot of time reading and analysing data (all secondary fortunatly) at the momont. I know there will be times when I work the odd weekend and I stay a bit later but I agree that I need time for things other than my PhD.

sylvester why havn't you been on the other forum?

My partner and I have been living together for three years now since we met during our undergraduate degrees. I am in the first year of my PhD and he is about to start a diploma in Architecture (Part 2) in september. Luckily we both understand how important our careers are, and that sometimes we need to work instead of spending loads of time together. However, I think its important to not put any pressure on the relationship whilst you are still studying. We have put aside all thoughts of morgages and marriage for the forseable future, so that we can both focus on our studies. Any understanding partner will realise that achieving your PhD is your dream, and they must do everything they can to help you achieve it.

Unfortunatly, as a fellow glasses wearer, I have found that despite being a student we are not entitled to any support from the NHS. You can only get free glasses up to the age of 19. In specsavers you can get a certain percentage off as a student, but thats about it.