Thanks everyone for the replies - anonGerman, your reply was particularly helpful - I wasn't aware of that. So the university doesn't mind how long we stay (within reasonable limits) as long as we're paying? What do you think is the main motivation behind the three year limit then? I think it's something to do with external funding - the more students that are pushed through the more the money flows! I'll investigate the rules for my uni, and of course I know the situation depends on my supervisor, but at the minute I feel like some extra time in the lab wouldn't go amiss...especially since I'm not allowed to submit until May (uni regulations - only two submission dates a year, in September and May), rather than spending 7 and a bit months perfecting my thesis I could get a few more results...thanks.

Is that Freddy's caravan behind him?

he's lovely...

And how does it work for some humanities students who are 'thesis only' all along as it were? (not carrying out experimental work?) - please don't take offence at that anyone! if anyone can shed light on how humanities research and thesis writing works (what does the 3 year deadline mean to you?) I'd be glad to hear it.
Finally, I've also been told that it's up to the individual supervisor to decide whether you can stay in the lab or not - surely this isn't fair? Or is it allowed as long as you state in your thesis that 'this work carried out between mmyy and mmyy'?

Do I have to leave the lab, quitting all experiments exactly when my three years are up? I know that only a small minority of students submit within three years, and in the fourth year I will be registered as 'thesis only' - to me, this means I should clear out of the lab never to return on the 30th September this year! Or is it the case that I can do a few scattered experiments to tidy things up, but not start anything substantial? I think I'll find it difficult to do this, the nature of my work is that I'm either properly doing experiments or not. I get the impression that the fourth year students who are still hanging around in their white coats are 'just' doing routine analysis of products etc, but could be wrong.
Are the rules clear-cut about this?

...because we've all stopped posting.

yeah, you're right sheena, you're the last to post on this thread...

A duty to yourself or to society? What if the person simply doesn't WANT to do a PhD? Do you think that would be the 'wrong' decision for the person involved?

I say, have the phone interview (don't go there in person), and if the interviewer isn't interested (for whatever reason) you'll be able to tell. What if you demand the interview in person, the (can't be bothered) supervisor is impressed by this and takes you on?!!

I can't really advise on the whole application/interview business because there was NO competition for my position. In fact in my department, for those who stayed in the department, the selection process involved 1. us listing our preferred supervisor 2. the students with the highest marks being 'given' the supervisor they wanted 3. some kind of selection where it was necessary (preferred supervisor) at lower grades. I had a 5 minute chat with the head of department and that was it! (Has anyone else had this experience?) But it does seem strange that, since there IS an interview for this position, it is over the phone. I can't think of any sensible reason for this (other than maybe there are international applicants and they are giving EVERYONE phone interviews to be fair?) Talking over the phone shouldn't involve any more effort for the interviewer than meeting in person, but maybe the supervisor doesn't see it that way. Stu, I was just arguing from your perspective, I didn't even THINK about what my position was before I posted.

Or maybe avoid the supervisor and project altogether. I wouldn't want to take on a supervisor who, from the very start, couldn't be bothered (if what you think is true Stu)

wow, that's so great! Have fun!

jen, how did the journal club go?

350!

infinity and beyond...