Hi anon, you have my sympathies too! Poor you, this sounds horrible. But as Paige has suggested, go and get some advice. Go and talk to your student union, your postgrad student union people. It sounds like you've had a hard time, and certainly doesn't sound right that your sup isn't supposed to talk to you now!!

Take some time out to get over the hurt for a bit, then in the new year make some phone calls. Good luck! Let us know how you get on.

Hi MissG

Yes, pencil skirt, tee and cardie sounds just fine. Make sure you're comfortable - you don't want to be picking at your skirt or worrying about heels while you're talking and moving around. Conference dinners do tend to be a bit dressy - you want to look really good so you make a good impression on people, so choose something a bit swish, like a really nice frock. It will also make you feel fabulous and confident, which will help when you're networking. You'll have fun!

Thanks everyone. Rick and Walminski, glad to know you'll be along for the ride and the company!

And thanks Bilbo, yes, it is doable - a lot of work, but doable. I'm going to start referencing now, and do a little bit often - I know this will be really time consuming.

Cobweb, my main chapters are about 10,000 words, intro and conclusion will be shorter, lit review will be longer. 30,000 words in 10 months is absolutely achievable. In the last 6 mths I've written about 50,000 words and a couple of articles and conference papers - if I can do this, so can you. I'm a slow writer, but I do put in long hours.

Onwards! Today is my last day of hols, then back into it.

Hi Bilbo, yes, my thesis has 11 chapters. I've written 9 of them, however 2 of these were written a few years ago. So I haven't even gotten a first draft yet. But that's OK. Have rewritten 2 of the chapters into a second draft.

So, my workload for the next 6 mths is:
- rewrite 7 chapters into second draft;
- write 1st draft of remaining 2 chapters;
- get whole first draft together;
- do references, beginnings, diagrams etc while 1st draft with sup;
- redo complete 2nd draft;
- third and final draft.

Work full-time in 'real' job in Jan; also finish conference paper and article in Jan. Follow up interviews in Feb.

Yeesh! But this will get done!

And good luck to you Bilbo.

I'm also for regifting. The homeless bloke may not want your charity - if he's to be given anything, he might well appreciate a proper meal, rather than chocolates someone doesn't want. So, give them as an early pressie I reckon.

OK, who has 6 months to submitting, like me? Chums from the '10 months to go' thread, are you there??

I think it would be really helpful if we started a thread to get us thru the next 6 mths. I imagine this is going to be quite a ride, and am already feeling overwhelmed with the amount of work I need to do. So, as we approach the last stretch, the final lap (and whatever other cliches come to mind!), who's out there to keep me company in this madness? :-)

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Yes, like Bilbo says, don't put too much pressure on yourself. 22 isn't too young to start a PhD, there are lots of people who go straight into a PhD after undergrad. And your ideas will come together - you won't be expected at this stage to know too much about your area, or your research question. Doubts about your ability is also really natural - I still don't think I'm smart enough and feel like a fraud a good chunk of the time, but this just goes with the territory. Your confidence will grow.

I also didn't feel overwhelmed or intimidated when I started - probably because I already had done lots of postgrad study and was a also bit older. It's lovely getting all excited about the topic - that's fabulous! You'll be fine, sounds like you're off to a good start.

Hi Mark

Glad you've started posting - welcome! The bible round here is Joan Bolker's 'How to Write your Dissertation in 15 Minutes a Day" - it's fabulous. It related directly to doing a PhD, so am not sure if that applies to you.

Cheers.

Yeh, like Bilbo, my questions also changed. My broad topic stayed the same, but the research questions changed, as I worked through my findings and discovered what I had found. Which I think is pretty common. Talk to your sup and confirm that you should be going with the new direction - this is the fun part, seeing where your research takes you!

Nice thread Cobweb - this can accompany the goals for 2010 thread - so we should make sure we all revisit these throughout next year.

OK, this year I've done well. Writing still takes me too long, but not much I can do about that. But there are other ways I can improve...
- will be more productive when writing. Not that I skive off much, but am going to make sure that I'm fully focused when I'm working.
- and am going to give up going to the pub on Sunday nights. As nice as it is to put a full stop to the w'end and regroup for Monday, I can't afford to take this time off anymore, if I want to finish in 6 mths. So - can have fun on Fri nites, and that's all.

Am going to get this thesis finished in the next 6 mths!! Then life will start!
:-s

Hi Bluebell

I started my PhD years ago while I was working full-time in a demanding job, and found it really difficult. I'd get up and study before work, then in the evenings after work, but it was just so hard to get decent chunks of time to really get into it. If possible, schedule in some 3 day week-ends, so you can get a decent amount of time to study - the amount of work that can be done in a few days is far, far greater than the same amount of time spread over weeks. And will you need to take time off to do any field work? Also keep in mind that you'll probably need to take a few months off at the end to finish the writing up, and really get into it and finish the thesis.

Working full-time and doing a PhD is possible, but you do need to be really determined and willing to give up a lot - I basically did nothing else apart from work and study, altho I also made sure I fitted in exercise and time with my partner. I don't mean to sound negative, but it's best to be prepared. I found that I gradually decreased my working hours - to 4 days a week, then 3, then I changed to being a full-time student and took leave - the PhD really does take over your life. It's been mostly enjoyable, but a long and taxing journey. Good luck!

Yes, and one is glass - so quite a dead eye! The multi-coloured eyes have always been one of his major attractions and sources of intrigue.

Was thinking that it might be interesting/motivating to post our goals for next year, then we can see how we're tracking. Will also give us a sense of who's in the same phase of their studies.

So, here's me:
- by this time next year I'll be done! Hee hee! Will have submitted, gotten thesis back, done corrections, resubmitted, hopefully passed, and just be waiting to graduate.

- hopefully will also have moved out of this god-awful town into a lovely big metropolis - with a new job.

- and had a really nice holiday as a reward...

Here's to a productive 2010, fellow forumites!

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