======= Date Modified 18 Dec 2008 13:36:39 =======
glad to see my uni did pretty well overall and my department was 2nd with 30% 4*. however, i was just wondering something - has anyone worked out a ranking based on the number of subjects each uni covers? for example, oxford and cambridge each do 48, whereas LSE only does 14, so you would expect LSE to do well as it is so specialised. therefore wouldn't it be of interest to do a ranking weighted somehow to reflect this? forgive me if this sounds like a load of rubbish, stats were never my strong point! ;-)

congratulations, what a lovely xmas present for you! have a nice break, i look forward to hearing your viva story (i hope its a thoroughly positive one!) next year! ;-)

i feel exactly the same, i'm 5 months in too. haven't achieved anything of note yet other than lots of reading and learning a couple of new practical techniques. however i have been assured (by my sups and by other phd students here on the forum and elsewhere) that this is perfectly normal. only now do i feel i have a clear (ish!) idea of the initial direction i want my project to take, and i am just starting some actual 'work' that will produce results.

as for time management, i personally think its quite difficult at the beginning to manage your time super-effectively, as there seem to be so many things you need to do. i am in the sciences, so for me i have both lab-based and computer-based things to be doing, hundreds of articles to read, loads of meetings/lectures i have to attend, and i have been away to a conference. it feels like just as i get stuck into one thing, something else comes along to distract me from it. however, as i said before this seems to be perfectly normal and hopefully things will calm down a bit soon and i can focus a bit more on the important things.

having said all that, i am quite enjoying the chaotic nature of things at the moment as i am certainly never bored! although i am looking forward to really making a start on my phd work and achieving something that will actually be used in my thesis at the end of all this!

i'm sure everyone feels the same at this point so try not to worry! good luck
:-)

fine

scoop

i'm going along to this, looking forward to it as a bit of light relief before christmas! :-)

one of the methods i am using at the moment relies on acetonitrile (in v small quantities, but still...) i am based in industry and they have had to reduce supplies by 70% but *hopefully* someone will find a solution soon!

wow, 5 months in and already in the lab - i should be so lucky! i started 5 months ago too and it has taken ages for things to get going (my topic is a bit out of my comfort zone so lots of reading had to be done!), so i haven't actually generated any data at all yet. i agree with the previous post - you need your supervisor to help provide you with a clear plan of what he expects you to achieve, and if you need a little extra help in the lab, then ask! you're not expected to know everything at this stage, you are still learning and your sup should realise this. if your sup isn't very helpful, then are there any postdocs around that could help you out?

i got waved at by a group of santas at the motorway services on my way in this morning and have filled my ipod with xmas songs - i am officially in a christmassy mood! ;-)

although using work from your own papers in your thesis can be self-plagiarising, there should be a way around it. in my university you can choose to submit your thesis in 'alternative thesis format' - this basically means that you stick your entire paper into the relevant part of your thesis in place of a chapter(s). you can use as many of your own papers as you like. your viva should then be very short, as your work has already been peer-reviewed. if the papers are co-authored, your viva will mainly consist of questions about how much of the work you did yourself, and therefore your understanding of it.

i would think that all universities have something similar to this, as they all encourage students to publish as much as possible. you need to speak to someone at your uni about this to find out the rules, as you need to apply in advance to be able to submit in this format. if you don't tell anyone and you use work from your papers in your thesis, you will be self-plagiarising.

i'm stumped :$

flaps

I would say definitely go for it! if it's what you really want to do, then your enthusiasm for the subject will go a long way. don't worry about the time since you graduated - if you do lots of reading around the area you want to do research in so that you have good knowledge of new developments/technologies etc, then you should still be in with a chance! often work experience since you graduated can count for a lot, as you will have learnt new skills that will help you through a phd (not necessarily things related to your topic, but more general skills such as time management, project planning etc that supervisors are looking for).

best of luck! ;-)

how about a puppy then? ppppleeeaaasssseeeeee..... :-)