Every year, I'm afraid although they may be discounted in year 4 if you haven't finished in 3 years.

you can, but only if I'm allowed to supply a stupid answer!

... then you would have had a lucky escape!

I did my second "first" degree part-time and worked full time. I found it hard going but ultimately rewarding. The word of caution I would give you is that my experience is based on taught modules where there are lecturers and coursework to push you along when your motivation is flagging. A PhD is a major academic challenge and the self-study aspects (not to mention the brick walls) will challenge your motivation to go on.

Kiera, usual rules apply here - hang in there and you'll get what you want eventually. Learn what you can, pick yourself up and fight for the next one.

Another one I can add to my distractions list! It's pretty darn hard doing anything at the moment. Not only do I have my usual distractions - this website, the internet in general, television, cleaning (no really) but there's now the World Cup and all this hot weather. Am I right in saying the Beeb will be streaming this afternoon's game on the net?

As has been suggested, the feedback is what you really need right now. It's worth keeping a good relationship with ex-supervisor because he/she might come up with something for you later and also because your research area is likely to be a close-knit community where everyone knows everyone else.

With exam season in full swing it may be difficult to get a response at the moment. However, resend your earlier email but suggest that I would really like 5 minutes of your time to talk about it on the phone, I will call you next week.

At least they've been warned and so will have to respond.

In reply to your other thread, I made 6 applications, succeeded (thankfully) in the one I really wanted, got 4 no thank yous and I'm into the final round on the last one (I really should tell them that I've accepted somewhere else, but I can't resist seeing how far my application goes).

Best thing I can suggest is to use the feedback and keep on with your persistence and determination. Things have a knack of happening for the best, meaning that something good is waiting to come up. You'll get there!

My iron of choice is the Rowenta GTi turbo steam injection, 0-60 shirts in 3 hours. As for my handicap, it's the cuffs, can never get them right, especially when ironing on a mountain top in Wales.

Actually, you've given me an idea for a new, but ultimately frustrating sport - Extreme Golf. You can play anywhere, mountain summits, around Sainsbury's, on the train. Fantastic, I'll form a society dedicated to it.

I only discovered them recently, in fact, when I started my revision for my finals. They're really exciting activities. Who knows, may be I should join an Extreme Ironing group and take my iron and board up Everest or something.

Noswaith dda Grey

Welcome on board, we are friendly lot on here but we do have our heated debates on occasions. You can also add it to your list of web sites and activities that you'd rather do than work. Mine include this web site, the BBC 606 page, regular hotmail checking, reading irrelevant news pages, ironing, cleaning, cleaning the windows, weeding, watching TV programmes you wouldn't normally watch in a million years, channel-hopping with the remote in the hope of finding something I can watch so I don't have to work and so on.

How does everyone else like to procrastinate?

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OK, maybe there is a smidgeon of me in that response, especially the 20 years bit! As I say, if it's something you really want to do then do it. Web design is not exactly going away so loads of time for that.

As for regretting doing a PhD. Maybe, but like Marmite, you won't know until you've tried it. Better to have regretted doing it than regretting not doing it.

Another Sylvester profound statement, perhaps I should get back to bison or Fame again.

If you really enjoyed your dissertation and your motivated to go on the answer should be very simple. You can always do web design later but it strikes me you have a great opportunity to do a PhD. If you go into web design now you'll always wonder "what if" for the rest of your life and, after all, life is too short. I'd say 26 to start a Phd for a female eventually wanting a family is perfectly fine. You'll be done by 30 and have a few years before the family thing gets important. The flip side is that if you don't do it now, you'll not get another opportunity for another 20 years, if at all. Go for it!

Okay, fair point. I can't comment on how different institutions weight the various course components. At my uni, the dissertation is worth a meagre 15% of the total degree, so quite realistic to hammer the dissertation but get a 2:1 overall. This fate is quite possible for me. I went the extra mile on the dissertation to make it a clear first but in doing so severely compromised my revision time for my finals next week. That said, I enter the exams with a guaranteed minimium 2:1 which is all I need to take up my PhD position in September. To that end, job done. However, I'd like to get a first for me though.

It's a good point and it does the raise the question of the link between having a 1st class degree and suitability of the candidate for research. Whilst their is a high correlation between the two, alot of academics consider the dissertation a better measure of suitability than the ability to do exams well.

Clearly, a first class degree and dissertation is the best combination but then there is the issue of the candidate with the 2:1 degree and 1st class dissertation versus the student with the 2:1 dissertation and 1st class degree. A number of academics I have spoken to (in science anyway) prefer the former over the latter.

Good debate this, keep it going.