maybe i could convince my supervisor that we need a mini trampoline in the office, which would kill two birds with one stone - i could do some exercise AND keep warm at the same time?!

not a v good start today - had a hot chocolate with sugar :-( (justification: its freezing in my office, and as i don't drink tea or coffee only hot choc would do to warm me up!), but i balanced this out by nibbling on dried fruit instead of my usual chocolate and crisps binge! going to have a fairly healthy bagel with low fat cream cheese for lunch and something healthy for dinner hopefully! was v good yesterday and managed to get to the gym so overall not too bad.....

if i were you, i would definitely try and set some form of commitment, if only to help motivate you and give yourself mini deadlines to stick to (ie. you need to have some progress to report on each time you email). however, i wouldn't make too definite a plan as you may need to be flexible over this, but some form of contact at least once a month is probably a good idea.

phds traditionally start in october as it is easier for supervisors to coordinate everything starting at the same time, and you can start going to lectures, courses etc right from the beginning. having said that, my phd started in july so it is not set in stone! some supervisors may be happy for you to start at any point during the year (i have seen a few january starts advertised), i think it all depends on the individual uni/supervisor/department. so you have definitely missed the oct start for this year, but you don't necessarily have to wait til next oct to get started. good luck!

have wasted an awful lot of time on this website...

http://www.giantmicrobes.com/

i certainly wouldn't step on the scales more than once a week, when i was younger i used to do it every day and became totally obsessed by it. i wouldn't say it was an eating disorder exactly but it certainly wasn't healthy, as i would starve myself to stay a certain weight. it shouldn't really matter how much you weigh, i never weigh myself now and instead i just go on how well my clothes fit, and if i'm happy with what i see in the mirror!

(yesterday: a cadbury's boost as a mid-morning snack, pizza for lunch, pasta and pesto for dinner - oops! will try and be healthier today and am going to the gym later....)

wardrobe

My favourite thing about the forum is knowing that whatever your problem is, there will be someone else who has gone through it before you! So if I'm in a panic about something this is the first place i look to calm me down, and it almost always works :-)

i'm actually 3 months into my phd, so i am cracking on with my lit review which needs to be in at the end of this month! (only jas to be about 5000-6000 words though so not too bad)

as for a proposal, i didn't actually have to do one, as my supervisors had already done the proposal before i got accepted to do my phd, so i guess its their project really. i have some scope to add my own ideas but the broad theme of the research has already been decided for me.

ps. it isn't working for me today, all this talk of nutella is making me hungry..... ;-)

i make sure i have a huge tub of dried fruit/nuts on my desk at all times - you can nibble away (almost) guilt free, and if you keep it topped up you are less tempted to wander off for a small snack/family size bar of dairy milk/entire tub of ice cream! i know it sounds boring but the dried fruit is just sweet enough to stop me craving all the lovely bad things :-x

i rely upon this one:

"Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently." Henry Ford

i totally agree, i am trying to treat my phd like i would any other job (and trying to stick to 9-5!) as i don't want it to take over my life.

does it really matter what your motivation is? at the end of the day it's YOUR phd and you can tackle it anyway you want, regardless of whether you see it as your life's passion or just another job.

I just thought it would be a good idea if all of us newbies had somewhere where we could all ask each other questions/moan/panic/etc together!

I started my PhD a few months ago and this forum has been really helpful so far in calming me down!

So if anyone wants to get the ball rolling.... :-)

i am a few months into my phd, and i have to admit that a part of the reason that i am doing it is to become a "doctor". the subject is one which i am not very familiar with, and i certainly wouldn't say i was passionate about it. however, it does interest me, and i am quite enjoying the work (so far anyway!). having said that, i have never had any idea what i wanted to do as a career; i picked my degree subject on the basis of what 'a' levels i did without putting any real thought into it, i chose my masters subject because one of my undergrad lecturers thought i would be good at it, and i chose my phd because the advert caught my eye and before i knew it i had applied and been offered it! i have no idea what i'm going to do after my phd.

i'm not sure that it matters what your main motivation for doing the phd is, but i do think that you have to be prepared to give 100% and work really hard at it to make it the best work you can produce. therefore, if you are really bored by the topic and you find it a struggle, then i would say that you probably need to reconsider. on the other hand, as you are already halfway through it may be worth sticking with it, maybe take a break from it for a few days and have a good long think about whether it is going to be worth it in the long run. what do you want to do next? do you even want a career in academia? if not, then maybe a phd isn't necessary?

good luck with whatever you decide, your life certainly hasn't been worthless, having 'dr' in front of your name won't change that ;)