That's good news Blackbyrd! When is your viva? I don't think I get my date until a while after I've submitted - I just want to know now! I'm still battling away - 12 days to go now, still seems a lot to do, but its all stupid things, fiddly bits that I hate, and I'm trying to arrange the loan of a printer too lol. Mine is an inkjet and is VERY slow, my friend has a laser printer which goes at the speed of light and will cut down printing time significantly with much lower ink costs.

That sounds really interesting too! I used to swim competitively as a teenager so that sounds fascinating :-) I'm a census historian, I look at the enumeration of working women in the victorian censuses - my specialist area is prostitution (not myself obviously lmao!)

That sounds really fascinating - I hear what other people are doing and kick myself :-) Ha ha, yes, we all want that wonderful job - we can dream. Someone has to get it so why shouldn't it be us?

Oh my goodness! That could be fun submitting that day in London :-) I know what you mean about the Olympic clock, every time they say its x days until the start of the Olympics on the news or whatever I have a wave of panic ;-) I'm planning on handing in, getting a big bottle of wine and some chocolate, and sitting down and enjoying the Opening Ceremony knowing that, for the first weekend in goodness knows how long, I don't have to work :)

Tegs, I'm in humanities, a History student, my word count is currently around 83,000 words so I'm a little over. Sup has said that won't be a problem so I'm ok I think, but I do need to cut back a little - repetition and dead wood as much as anything. That's a pain that you've not had the final feedback! Mine wants to see my chapters again next week... could make for a fun last few days :-)

Hi Tegs - so you're on for the 27th too?? I know what you mean, I'm finding this last bit so hard - much harder than I thought it would be - so near but yet so far! It was much easier to keep going during the full write up - this bit is horrible. Hopefully we can help each other over the line :-) I've finished writing out my list of figures and tables - well, the titles, I can't put in the page numbers yet as that isn't formatted or ready - but it stretches to 4 pages! I've also prepared a contents page and am waiting on some feedback on some writing I did. There doesn't seem a huge amount that I can do until I get that feedback now.

Massive congratulations!! I so need to see 'I passed' threads right now :-) I hope that you had a fabulous weekend Dr Gudwin!

Hi everyone, I so feel your pain! 16 days to submission here, and the strain is beginning to get to me. I've just finished the amendments requested after my final draft, but now have to do more editing and cutting and then the dreaded proof read. I had a bit of a day off writing today and tried to get to grips with the fiddly bits - contents page etc - I made a list for my acknowledgements, but then gave up on it. I had a day off on Sunday and did a 10k race in London - it was lovely to get away from it all, but its always lurking.

Why do such simple things take so much time? Am I alone is being so fed up with it now that I feel quite sick and tearful just opening Word?

I've also finally had my examiners confirmed, so its all go - a friend who submitted a month before I will has had her viva date set for the end of Sept, so I'd imagine that unless I'm very lucky I will be in limbo until October even when this is all done - the thought of that wait is just horrific!

I'd better get on - I want to get my list of figures and tables finished today - its taking forever!

I so hear you all on the blob factor - I've been trying to lose weight since January and have lost nearly 2 stone now, but still soooo much bigger than I want to be, and I know that most of it is because I'm sat here working. I also do paid research work and have to work 3 days a week on one job and another on a second - I hate that I can't just push on and finish this darned thing. I try to exercise, I run (or did until I tore my quad) and have a race next weekend, but even that worries me - a day in London with less than a month to submission.... when did I forget to have a life?

It hit me this morning that I have to submit THIS month.... it is less than a month to go now - argggghhhhh - I STILL don't have my final draft back, I'll get that during this week. I've spoken to my sup and he says its ok but there are a few bits need tidying up etc (read a ton of work to do lmao). I finished my conclusion last week and sent that over, I'm working on my bibliography today - I'd done, but it seemed a bit short, then I realised I'd missed half of it off! argggghhh lol.

Yes, be very careful about your contract... mine states 18hrs pw even in completion (in the other 3 years it was 10pw!) I've been working for the last 3 years of my PhD, and in the last year I have crept over the 18hrs a little and its been hard - BUT - jobs are so hard to come by that if there's one there I think I'd take it - but you MUST speak to your dept and you should really inform your funders too - the last thing you want is for it to come back and bite you further down the road. Its such a shame on the timing as I'm finding that, with 5 weeks to go, the pressure is mounting to a ridiculous extent now and I'm having great difficulty juggling work and writing which is the exact point at which you'll begin a full time job! I think so long as you can accept that you won't have a life, that you'll be sick with tiredness, but at least you have a job, then you'll be fine :-) but do check that small print!

I'm so pleased to see you back, but Bob??? seriously???? lmao - that man makes my skin crawl for some reason ;-) You need some Shaggy - Shaggy cheers me up 8-)

I can't believe your viva date is so close - you're so lucky! I don't submit until the end of July but I've been told its likely to be Sept/Oct viva if they can get it in in time.... so long to suffer!

Hope you had a lovely evening xx

Hi Dotdot681, I do hope that things are becoming a little clearer for you now, but I read through your post and find myself agreeing 100% with what the others have said - the first year of the PhD (certainly the first 6 months) are just awful - the transition from anything to PhD is hell - I remember sitting and sobbing my heart out on a regular basis.... The thing is that every PhD is different, everybody's experience is different, and everybody has ups and downs. The ups are major highs (but short lived) and the downs can be really very down - I've lost track of the number of times I threw my toys clear of my pram to great effect ;-) I think that that is the main purpose of this forum - it can appear quite negative at times, so many people having such a hard time, but it is hard, its very hard, but its something that once you're done nobody can take from you.

I'm planning on coming home, taking a bottle of wine out in the garden (it'd better be a nice day :-)) and a pile of magazines and then just chilling out, I might even buy a bar of chocolate (been on a diet since Feb) to really push the boat out. I think I'll need to just sit and absorb what's happened lol. I think the thing with submission is that you end up back in limbo until the viva. I hope to do the champagne thing then - but I'll also be scared that something goes wrong.... eek! I personally find it quite distressing that they don't have party poppers, a bottle of bubbly at a banner ready in Registry for PhD submissions! 8-)

You're certainly not too old to start - I was 38 when I began my Phd, I didn't begin my BA until I was 34 so you're well ahead of me! I'm still completing, but I've been working as an RA initially and now RO for the last 2 years, and teach as well. My RO position will carry on beyond the end of my doctorate and there is talk of another position coming up as this ends so age certainly doesn't appear to be an issue - well not in my field!

:-) I've just realised that if I submit on the date its due to go (I can go later I'm told but I'm darned if I'm going to) then it'll be payday ;-) I'm also loving the idea of a reward! I had planned, when I get home, to go in the garden (kids banned) with a bottle of wine and a pile of magazines and just chill! That must have been such a disappointment with the shoes!

You're right about the conclusion - it seems such a big deal, it isn't, I just need to get my backside into gear - its like I've been writing non-stop for MONTHS, finished th draft on Friday, then stopped for a few days but need to get going again and the thought of writing fills me with dread. I think I will try the freestyling writing approach - I've been sitting staring at a word doc with 'Conclusion' written on it most of the day. I'm also pondering abstracts, contents pages, appendices etc etc - it seems that its so nearly done, but still so far to go

I'm just so pleased that there are others finishing around the same time - Pam, we must be nearly the same date.... it'll be good to have people to share these last weeks with.

Hello Heidi, I've just read through some of this thread (not all of it I must confess), and I am totally in awe of what you've achieved and what you've been through - its given me one heck of a kick to get my act in gear and get my thesis submitted next month! Please ignore some posters - on any forum there will always be the odd troll, I have quite fond memories of a particular one from a couple of years back - and sadly, its usually the case that the mods can't spot every bitchy or downright stupid comment and deal with it. Don't let people like that put you off or drive you away - just treat him with the contempt he deserves and keep your chin up. I hope that your submission went ok and that you've had a good visit home. Take care xxx