I think if you continue with this supervisor then you should take their advice. It is her job to tell you if she thinks you are on the wrong path, and if you are, that should be sorted out within the first year. The only alternative I would suggest is that you aquire a second supervisor or advisor in psychology for a second opinion, to see if that would make a difference (it may be that your current supervisor is not sufficiently grounded in psychology to help you to refine the project to a more managable form).

I also had a problem with a 'risky' project (largely psych based as it happens) which an external advisor advised was too big, methodologically, for a PhD. My supervisor had nothing whatsoever to say about this and I didn't know what else to do but plough on - and it's been very tough. So in one sense I think your supervisor is being responsible and doing her job in trying to guide you. Whether she is accurate in her assessment we cannot judge - if it were me - I would want a psychologist's opinion. If your project is 'too big' - much better to do something about it now than be told this at the very end.

Try not to feel too downhearted. It's very common to have to alter your topic during a PhD.

Don't take on a supervisor who is well-known to be a pain to work with. Just don't do it! This is very valuable information - many people don't find this out until too late.

Sounds like you have a potentially difficult supervisor that needs careful handling. Definitely keep good written records of meetings, agendas etc. We all make mistakes - some supervisors handle this better than others. I recall one lab leader (who I was actually very fond of) saying that he didn't feel anyone was properly broken in until they'd been sent to the bathroom crying. People management skills are not always top notch.

It's very demoralising when expts don't work - you need to figure out how much of that is down to inexperience, bad luck, or that fact that it just doesn't work (because some expts just don't work). 5 months is really no time at all - your work should still be pretty closely monitored at this stage, I would have thought.

Well done writing up with a young baby! I don't think I could have done that. I took the whole year out after mine was born and just did a little bit of writing.

It's always good to be reminded that this can actually happen! Well done8-)

Yes nurseries are more reliable but babies don't really play with other kids - that really starts about 2-3 years. Personally, I think nurseries can be a bit too impersonal and lacking in one-to-one care for a pre-toddler (and I sent mine when she was 7 months). But I felt more conifident about safety and security issues in a nursery since she couldn't talk yet and I felt a bit insecure leaving her with one person in their home. The trick is to talk to other mums and get some ideas about the CM from them - I just didn't know anyone at that time to ask and didn't feel confident choosing a CM. Childminders do have others kids usually - just fewer. Many CM's are part of a network so that they can cover for each other if one of them is sick etc (mine isn't unfortunately).

Sounds like this is her style - not very tactful and a bit opinionated - and it's not personal.

I had my desk and locker cleared, without notification - I just turned up and there was a new student sat there with my stuff in a bag! I think even just an email would have been polite. I'm due to submit in March. All the 'oldtimers' i.e. those in their 4 th year were moved to the 'attic' and us part-timers didn't even get that:-(

I really think a lot academic depts need some 'people -management' training!

Are you sure she's not just trying to be helpful? I'm a mature student but had never used those things before and no-one ever showed me how to use anything or even told me they existed. I was late discovering quite a few helpful things because of this. Perhaps this is just the routine she goes through with all new students. Are you sure she is being mean?

''I'm so happy I haven't had to delete and edit loads of words out, which is what people who wrote much more have to do''

That's how I feel Alice. My first drafts are always the best and I find it works best to to write from scratch (or very brief notes). Mountains of years-old paper to re-edit would depress me.

I think what I'm finding hard is that I am now trying to force myself just to get finished when my interest and motivation are at rock bottom. The irony of course is that it was in order to avoid this kind of situation that I chose to do this in the first place. I guess wherever you go, there you are. At some point in all jobs, you will just need shere perseverence and gritted teeth to get on with it.

Think I'll givet the sticker chart a miss though. I'm using one to potty train my daughter and can't bear to look at another one! I sometimes fantasize about some kind of celebration/party when I finally submit (and try not to wonder how to pay for it.... that just spoils the effect).

The bottom line is that there are only so many hours in a day and either you have time to publish and submit within some deadline or you don't. Your ability to do this will be partly driven by how desperate you are to get a postdoc/lecturship to start the next academic year - i.e. could you get by with some hourly teaching and bits and pieces for another year while publishing and applying for jobs.

There is just no way I can do both in time so I am concentrating on PhD submission then publications. I don't expect to apply for a 'proper' job until after that so will do bits and bobs in the meantime. My husband can support me - so if you have some other support a gap is not so disastrous. I have one paper and one book chapter but I certainly don't think they will get me a job. Some projects really do need to be finished in order to publish - mine is like that. I just can't do much with it until all the results are analysed and that is only just complete now.

I had the same problem with childcare - I could only afford 3 days/week (and didn't really want to use more anyway). Do you have a partner living with you? My husband takes dd (now 3) out on Saturdays while I work at home. Technically you can work nights but I find that next to impossible - depends how much sleep you are getting. I have just started my 4th year and my funding ran out end Sep so now we are paying the childcare with no grant:p

I'm expecting to finish by March. Use the childcare you have to the max. I have switched from nursery to childmibnder - not only is it a lot cheaper (2/3 the cost of her nursery) but the home environment and consistency of care is especially suited to younger preschoolers - especially babies. I wish dd had gone to a childminder from the start. I rarely work in the dept now - it saves the travelling time. And don't get suckered into doing anything else like teaching etc - people forget that your time is more limited than most.

I don't think it's been too long and it's definitley worth looking into. Will you be self-funding -part-time PhDs usually are? If you can do some catch up reading in the literature and approach suitable supervisors with some knowledge of their topic area and perhaps some ideas to work with then you should do fine.

I hope it works out for you. I have done quite a bit of family-care and definitely needed an outlet just for for me to balance the situation.

I've always been last-minute deadline-driven. I worked all through the night up to submission for my MPhil. The PhD has been really tough in that regard. I have no deadlines - I didn't even do a first yar report. I'm about to put through the paperwork to delay submission from Jan to March. Still no deadlines - my sup never asks about it. From time to time I ask for an audience to look at draft chapters. I really feel I'm being especially unproductive right now as though the looming ultimate deadline has me paralysed. I just feel lost at sea and I dont' feel anyone has checked my work thoroughly. I definitey should be working harder but this is probably the least motivated I've been so far.

It's been a very steep learning curve for me with the maths. I found the few lectures available almost unendurable! It only worked for me to be working with real data and figuring it out as I go along. Personally I think maths is the very worst subject to try and learn from a lecture format.

Sounds like you work well in shorter bursts - I find I need longer sessions - I think it's partly the nature of the project. Also I prefer long daytime session to working nights since, as I'm sure you know, children tend to get up early.

I guess if you're happy and it works for you that's great. Sounds like my husband does a lot more household stuff and childcare than yours even though he works full time. There's nothing I do in either case that my husband couldn't do competently (well, except possibly laundry...). On the other hand, we've had a few threads where younger, singlish, childfree posters have waxed lyrical about demanding equal compromise and involvement from partners that makes my situation look like something straight out of the 50s since profesionally I make all the compromises. That works for us as we depend on his job.

Is sorting out the move a full time job then (speaking as one who has moved country/continent and household several times while working)? If the situation were reversed and you were retired, what would you be doing? I really don't think it would be unreasonable to ask for a bit more help if you feel you need it.