I am in exactly the same boat - I am just finishing my second year and am doing a project with a gov't department. My sup gave me the whole summer to get my lit review done, and to do the data analysis for my 1st study (yes, I said 1st!). However, I have moved house and am now living in shared accomodation, where my desk is in a communal area - I am struggling to do any work and my sup just won't take it as an excuse - I daren't even try! At this very moment I have a 5 year old asking me how to spell things - its a complete nightmare. But I do have every faith that I will get a lot done by xmas if I carry on the way I have been - putting in solid 9-8 days 6-7 days a week. Best bet is to write up a list of things to do for the next year, then for each term, then for each month, then each week, then each day! Then you can gradually see yourself ticking things off and it won't seem so daunting!

lol, I'm 2 years in! - But have done 1 and half studies and currently setting up the final one at the mo. I don't think my lit review will end up being 60,000 perhaps more like 30,000 and a 10,000 chapter preceding it on the theoretical background and history of the research area. but, the fact that I am pulling literature from out of my field - will in itself be adding to my field of research - as it has not been looked at before and where it has, my field is very ignorant of the other disciplines and how they have approached it.

lol, I'm 2 years in! - But have done 1 and half studies and currently setting up the final one at the mo. I don't think my lit review will end up being 60,000 perhaps more like 30,000 and a 10,000 chapter preceding it on the theoretical background and history of the research area. but, the fact that I am pulling literature from out of my field - will in itself be adding to my field of research - as it has not been looked at before and where it has, my field is very ignorant of the other disciplines and how they have approached it.

Well I will have three large studies, so am contributing a lot to the literature. Basically, the topic has been looked at in other areas, but not from the same angle so I am having to discuss the other angles too!

Can I ask how you managed to get the money together - I am looking for a mortgage with my husband at the mo and although we can guarantor it and have a 25% deposit, it would be nice to have a back up in my stipend being included!

ok - that sounds better. I am sure mine will be edited beyond belief. I am a very concise write believe it or not - its just there is a lot to say on the different areas!

I'm getting a little concerned that my lit review is WAY too long! For those of you in social sciences particularly, how long is your lit review? and do you have other chpaters that aren't technically lit review, but are not about the method etc. My lit review -when complete may be about 60000 words so getting a bit worried.

I have
chapter 1: intro
Chapter 2: evolution of research in my area and theoretical stance
Chapter 3: lit review
Chapter 4: methodology
Chapters..... = studies
Discussion

I don't think they would let you pay it back - presumably there is a contract somewhere saying you would be paid for the work you did. Even if they could legally accept the money, judging by my uni's finance department, they would consider it more hassle than it was worth! - Keep it and use it pay rent etc like its meant for!

A* does seem to be a bit 'this one goes all the way to 11' - Spinal Tap lol.

I think there may be a very very small fraction of truth in media claims. However, I think the exams are just different now than they were. Its no more about geography meaning you learn all the countries and their rivers lol - its about learning how to critically evaluate and use more of the skills you need at uni. I honestly think more people are getting better grades because they know how to take an exam. I know my dad was shocked when I told him not to bother 'getting the books out'  when he wanted to teach me about history. If it wasn't on the syllabus I didn't want to know - and you can work out which parts of the syllabus will be examined and from there revise only concentrated parts of the subject. Basically the whole 2 years is a cramming session for several sections of the exam which is why people come out with great grades - but probably KNOW less about the subject (unless it stays in their short term memory more than 5 mins after exam!)

Most of the media talk is a load of daily mail rubbish - my mother in law listens to london talk radio with Nick Ferrari - god is it a load of tosh! They were trying to get all irate the other day saying 30% of children CAN'T READ!!!! - by the end of his show the figure had gone up to about 90% and he was proposing that they should be caned lol

A levels are traditionally more 'proper' subjects - and are academic rather than practical, wheras other qualifications such as GNVQa (I think they got rid of those) and BTECs are more practical. They introduced the AS level, so you would take 4 AS levels, then take 3 on to get an A2 level, to make it more like the international bacalauriat (sp!?).

A lot of my friends did 5 A levels, but it usually didn't help them get anywhere, I think if you get 3 good ones then its fine. Universities accept UCAS points - or they did in my day! so you will receive usually, a conditional offer based on your predictive grades, and then the condition is that you get so many points - they can stipulate that those points must include e.g. A in maths (which would be 160 points I think!?)

So if you did the AS level and/or more a levels you have more points - but you also run the risk of getting 5 bad grades cos you have had to spread yourself so thin!

Maybe you should start a rumour that some professors have been fired (in some distant department) for not brining enough funding in - and it was down to not getting their PhDs through on time, i.e they missed out on research council funding and departmental funding or something - might get them to pull their socks up!

Otherwise, keep plodding along, the problem with a PhD is that it can take a long time to get an overview of the subject, and your sups may become more interested in the latter stages when you have fully understood the area (you may think you do now but you don't)

Sounds like a normal PhD to me! I'm afraid you will have to try and get on with as much as possible in terms of writing, if your practical element can't move on. THen bug your supervisors. In my case, I found that once I had something to present my supervisors then they were suddenly interested and helped the project get moving.