following on from Dan's point, hands up who has a supervisor who actually expects you to work like this, or even if you know anyone in your department who ACTUALLY works like this?

Because based on my experience, there are a lot of folk who talk a good game, 'oh I work 12 hours a day' - but very few who actually do it -
sure they may have done it once or twice - but very few people sustain this kind of thing.

I know you can go through phases (couple of weeks or a month) of long hours, but does anybody do more than a 9 hour day 5 days a week (or more) 12 months in the year?

don't know about anybody else - but I forget and lose track of time - so I only realise after like 3 hours that I've been slouching, by which time, I just top up my blood:Ibuprofen ratio a little and get back to some more slouching

yep - there is no real point in doing visa stuff until that point

Focus on getting written up but at the same time speak to anybody with an American accent at conferences and you'll be fine

Good luck with it - remember its never to early to start your write up - get planning chapters etc now and you'll be finshed in no time

S

The problem as always is consciously doing it for hours on end, you'll never sit completely imoblised and you tend to shift all the time - which usually results in some great slouching postures

Oh dear! you appear to have got yourself all worked up over nothing

Just make sure you are clear on why you want this one!

If it bothers you that much either a- lie and say you applied to other posts or B- quickly apply to some and then say you've applied

I don't see what difference it makes, they are not assessing your ability to apply for PhDs, they'll be trying to figure out if you are the right person for the job and thus get the funding - so focus on why you are the only person they should consider.

And if they ask you if you've applied to others you could say, you are being very selective and only applying to PhDs that particularly interest you, then tell them your interests etc etc

good luck

S

Oh god yes - bring on that glorious day - please - don't think I can do this much longer

Heck yea! whats the point in being a student if you can't party like one till you fall down

i think she'll be overjoyed not to have to read it anymore

but she doesn't have a laser one - there is a colour laser in the department but I can't get the bugger to work - its a good one too - damn students broke it doing god knows what

yea I would, despite the cost of laser toners, but I'm leavin for the US probably about 2 days after the viva so I don't think I want to pay for another printer. By the time I ran off all the copies it would probably cost the same
I already have 2 desktops, a loptop, laser printer and inkjet printer at some stage I gotta stop

Just suck it up and do it page at a time I think

same here, every 3rd page is colour and its all one document so it'd just end up a mess if I split it all up etc - Just gonna hvae to endure doing it myself

To be honest, its not the worst thing about writing up so I think I'll cope

CC - we have to print it and pay for it ourselves at our Uni. although we do get 1000 print copy allocation per year on a black laser printer
I do have a black laser printer at home - which is great, but may have to just do the colour pics on an inkjet - not looking forward to that as I need 4 copies of the submitted form, then 3 copies once the corrections are done - expensive business!

Oh yea then bind them I suppose ;)

my very helpful pharmacists told me to avoid slouching - thanks! give me the Ibuprofen

Although it is true, just try to sit as upright as possible, I went through some bad phases of it, but for the last month or so have been okay despite sitting for about 10 hours a day writing (not in a library tho) - I keep the back of my chair bolt upright and try not slouch - it does help either that or I've just gotten used to it?

your time is your own in a PhD, and its up to you how you use it

You should have plenty time especially in the first and second years to enjoy yourself.

there will be times of intense work when you come towards submission deadlines.

It also depends on your supervisors etc

I would say the best policy si to maintain a stable and maintainable level of work throughout and meke sure you are doing plenty of reading and writing and planning at first, but enjoy your life as normal as much as possible

Good luck

S

Have you not enjoyed the subject at all, from the start or is this something fairly recent?

Its not uncommon for projects to start slow, so the first year can be a bit frustrating

On the other hand if its fairly recent maybe you should think about whether you have been suffereing a lot of stress, its possible you may be slightly depressed for a number of reasons I'm sure, and if thats the case you should probably address this first and foremost

or maybe a bit of both?

S

Think I applied for about 10 got about 6 interviews (5 of them were during my final year exams and got offered just the one poisition in the end

not to mention about 30 emails I randomly sent to people whos work interested me, to inquire about positions etc - but to be honest the don't really like that - and prefer you to go through the jobs section.

It seems a lot, but it wasn't just any old one would do, there were elements in all of the ones I went for that interested me - except one, which I realised as I sat in the car for the interview so it was to late not to go in - and I pretty much said to them oops sorry don't think I'm interested -they still gave me a 4 hour interview! lol