i think it is v imp to see the reasons for lack of motivation. personal or work-related???? in any case, maybe you can just focus on the target that you need to finish your work in this much time and get out of the PhD program. keep your eyes on the end target...:)

related to above question...it is said a PhD student has to be working 70 hrs per week throughout or be prepared to be doomed...is it a myth or a reality???? can we do this? i have worked in industry as well, i have worked in consulting as well, in those areas it was much easier to work these long hours, but for PhD i somehow seem its too difficult to constantly focus

i am fascinated by qualitative research, but there are very few people who are into this
By the way have you read this article???
FROM THE EDITORS:WHAT GROUNDED THEORY IS NOT by ROY SUDDABY
in AMJ, 2006, vol 49

yep because if they are close by in ranking then these will have more or less same quality of resources, in that case, your final output will entrely depend on in which environemnt you can function the best

its an verbal exam/interview
on wikipedia it says
"For the defense of a scholarly thesis or dissertation by word of mouth, a viva voce examination (viva voce is Latin for "by live voice")"

ranking may only be important if there is wide difference between the two univ (eg no 2 vs no 50). cause better univ have better faculty and research resources...but if there ranking is closer (eg no 2 and no 10)..then go for faculty and environment

totally agree with Joyce, and remember if you will not handle your supervisor carefully, dont be mistaken, all other faculty members, will have reservation about your attitude with supervisor's n general. Again, i am not judging you, you might be right, but you will need to be careful and not give the impression that you are disrespectful towrds your faculty or that you have low patience or bad temparament. Try to maintain a brand image of a collegial colleague....be

well, do not reach your one sided conclusions. Are you close to any one of these people, you can casually ask without sounding upset or angry, in a very light way, that how come you were not asked to join. I am sure this will be some misunderstanding. and also do not form opinions about new person. If you will think she is bland and boring, then you will unnecessarily distance yourself from a collegue. another thing, is there any diversity issue, like are all of you from same culture or background?? cz diverse teams have more complex dynamics

tutor? as in your supervisor? i dont understand whats going on
can't you request a change of supervisor
and for future, try to handle supervisor's more tactfully, i know u might be genuinely upset, but fighting will only harm you...

I agree "having a baby" desire is either their or not. Some of my friends wanted to marry/or be in a relationship cz they wanted to have babies. Then again, there are some women who want to have children once they r in a relationship, and some dont want to have children no matter what. And this BIOLOGICAL CLOCK....tell me about its pressure. we cannot deny that its not there, but i know women who cldnt conceive even when they tried in early 20s and then again their are women who do so in their 40s...but social pressure mgnifies this FEAR of loosing your chance so much. I believe, if its meant to be it will happen even in 40s ..so we need to not fret too much about it

:) depends in which year of PhD you are, if you run out of money, and there is still long to way to go, atleast you have your kayak to run away, and go with the flow of river

i just completed my first year, its hard to be motivated all the time....i would say ups are way less than downs, but i dont think quitting is an option, i have to see it through, cz if i will quit, i will have to live with this feeling for the rest of my life, that i quit and did not meet the challenge....so take one bite at a time, try to find other colleagues or faculty who you can have discussions with, find reasons which can keep motivating us is the key

what exactly you are worried about. My basic question will be, do you think their mutual bonding in any way affects your outcomes.
are you concerned about a) unfair treatment because of possible favoritism...is the output of your work dependent on their work in some way. Do you think your supervisor is treating you unfairly e.g., not giving you fair opportunities or time or feedback b) or are you feeling socially isolated.(in-group out-group issues).. do you interact with these colleagues...how do they behave when you interact with these females...
I am not clear what is the basic issue here...

wao...some ppl are so smart and witty......

tools like oneNote and Endnotes are v important to use...help in organizing stuff