I must stop eating cheese straight from the packet, I'm kidding myself massively about how much those slice by slice portions add up to! I did have a yummy warm salad for lunch though, and now some yogurt and tea. I'm sure normal people are capable of going more than an hour without snacks, there's obviously something quite wrong with me :p

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Catcat, I assume this means that you were looking at and applying for other phds after you got an offer from the first one? If so, it would suggest that you may not be that keen on the project anyway? I'd say go with your gut instinct, I'm sure you'd cope fine with lab 1, but if it's really not in the subject area you want then don't be swayed by an impressive set of awards or publications (there are no guaranties your own work would benefit from these).
No supervisor will be pleased to be let down but there's absolutely no sense in going into a phd knowing your hearts not in it. Be honest, accept that they'll be disappointed and then enjoy the project you have picked :-)

Typos alone won't fail you Lilbopeep, no matter how carefully we read a document we're bound to miss something, my last publication had several mistakes and that's with half a dozen authors looking it over. I've heard other students have made up a list of such errors and sent them to their examiners prior to viva, that way such things are already established and need little talking about on the day. Why not do that once you're sure you've caught them all?
From threads on here I'd say this panic is horrible, but very normal (I fully expect to be wreck in a few months when I'm in the same boat), it doesn't mean you won't do perfectly well on the day :)

It's possible that they have an internal candidate (certainly does happen) but it's also possible that they're willing to get your transcript at a later stage (some ask you to bring it with you so they can take an official copy). As for it being advertised before, they may not have found a suitable student, funding may have fallen through.....any number of reasons, that alone wouldn't worry me.

If you want to do a phd and are remotely interested in this one I would go. Even if you don't get it the experience is valuable and you may make useful contacts that could get you something later. My approach would be to send them any missing documentation along with my apologies, then do my best on the day.

Wow, they certainly seem to be keeping you on a tight leash! Given that undergrads are allowed to run their own show you'd certainly expect more freedom as a postgrad. How far into the phd are you? And is this the norm for your institute or even department?

Thanks Bilbo, that's a helpful insight :)
I guess I have to see how red-penned my first section gets (I sent the first three chapters to my primary sup last Friday) then I'll have a better idea about revisions.

From what you've said it sounds as if this is very much about the academic in question, and very little about you as a person. If she's really making an effort to demoralize you or use you to score points off your sup, it might actually be time to have a quiet word with your head of department. I know this kind of back-biting is common among certain academics, but bullying students who are stuck in the middle is still terrible behaviour.

I'm lucky that due to having a very small department there's no room for this, but I've certainly seen it elsewhere. At my old uni the behaviour at seminars could be downright embarassing. Sorry you're stuck in the middle of this, try to remember it's not you and ignore her childish behaviour as best you can.

Well done Poppy, super news!

I'm getting nervous because a phd in my lab had her first draft ready 6 months ago and is still revising now, and she's probably the most organised and capable in our lab. I have maybe 40% done and want the whole thing ready to go within 3 months - now I'm wondering if that's realistic.

Hi timeless
Normally you can't transfer your phd, as all the work you do on it belongs to the university and you have to complete the duration at that institute in order to be eligible for the viva. That said, if you project is a collaborative one with a partner in the USA anyway, there may be some flexibility.
If you stay registered with your UK group but your research requires you to study abroad (ie - you need individuals of a specific ethnicity or resources that aren't available at your own institute) then arrangements for being present on your original campus are just something that you'd arrange with your supervisor and/or dean. Whether this works may depend on what other courses/responsibilities you're expected to commit to. The only way to know would be to speak with your supervisor.
If it's not possible to square things then at 2-3 months in you wouldn't be losing much if you started over. Be warned though, phds (certainly in science) often take twice as long in the USA as in the UK.

Tinned peas with a little vinegar, salt and pepper.
Toast with greek yogurt (has to be Total) and jam.
Cream crackers with butter, marmite and cucumber.
Carrot sticks with salad cream.

Ok, I need lunch now.....

1200 is quite low sneaks, make sure you don't scare your metabolism into curling up and calorie-grabbing. I'd build in snacks if I were you, surviving from nightime one day until lunch the next on just 200kcal is bound to leave you ravenous! I know you're not keen on fruit but how about a couple of rice cakes or crackers mid-morning? I also find that doing some exercise will (temporarily) banish any food cravings and perk me right up. All this written as I sit on my bum with a full fat latte.

I did an adventure race called the mighty deerstalker at the weekend, it was honestly the most fun I've had since I don't know when, I was on the most unbelievable high during and after! Miles of cross country with obstacles, mountains, river wading and head torch-reliant descents. The downside is that two days on my knee is still swollen up like ugly sausage meat, I can't walk or climb stairs properly, and I'm having the inevitable post-high slump :s Exercise is impossible for now but I will make an effort to eat a decent dinner even though I'm alone.

Hi squiggles
It seems ridiculous that you're the one trying to time-manage your sup, but such is life sometimes. I wanted to echo what the others have said, to have come this far with so little support is amazing, you should be incredibly proud of yourself and have every faith in your squiggle abilities. And Sue is right, the last few months (in fact the last year in my case) are just stressful and hard, I'm having a bit of a downer today and there are plenty of times when I could cheerfully chuck my laptop in the fire and head off to become a hippy on some beach in Thailand. Ok, well maybe not a hippy, but a travel bum with an unusually high awareness of genetics anyway.

Would your second sup or even a postdoc in your department be willing to read sample chapters for you, just to give you some feedback and reassurance? I intend to pay more heed to my postdoc than either of my sups (he's the only one who both understands the topic AND speaks proper english!).

This is such a great thread. I'm genuinely sorry you're feeling frustrated Florence, but I'm also rather grateful to you for starting this one off!
I agree with the others that there's rarely a truly "right" time to have a baby, there'll always be another rung to climb on the career ladder, there'll always be something going on with family, geography, etc, when a baby comes along life simple gets rearranged because it must. Three years won't feel like a lifetime if you find your occupation for those three years fulfilling. But if you're filling those three years simply to pass the time, then maybe re-think your plans? Getting established in academia could happen within three years, but equally, you could be ten years down the line without a permenant job. I don't mean to sound negative, only that life (especially in academia) is uncertain, and I think we spend a lot of time building models of our lives, based on vast numbers of "ifs" and "maybes", when the truth is that with all the logic in the world, we simply don't know. "the best laid plans.." and all that.
It's like my decision to give up a better phd for one near my husband and his daughter - I'm here in our home alright, but for most of the three years his work has taken him away most of every week. I actually might have seen him as much if I'd taken the phd further away.
I've never been that keen to have children, but at the same time, I come from a large extended family and love it. If I don't have my own kids I guess that will die out to some extent. Regardless of children I've come to doubt that academia is for me, I simply don't feel I have the heart for that alternative rat race. I want balance and stability in my life, and I'm just not sure research would be conducive to that.

Well done keenbean, nicely handled! Have a sprout (sprout)

Well at least you still have the last one to enjoy DanB :p

I must admit, I will miss the freedom I'm afforded just now, and I try to remind myself to enjoy it despite the horrors of writing up.