It doesn't mean you're crap at all Eska! If anything I'd say that he was continuing his usual approach of being fairly blunt. If funding is scarce then what little there is will automatically go to the students (or supervisors) who have the highest marks/publications/etc, it doesn't always make sense but it's an easy way for those distributing the funds to make and justify their decisions. I wouldn't assume that it reflects on the quality of your work at all. Try not to worry :-)

You wont get £6000 from them but it may be worth applying to your university's hardship fund, checking what bursaries are available, or looking into a career development loan. Afraid I don't know any more than that.

Hi Maxipat. I must admit, I'm not familiar with electronic formats, as all our books have to be hardcopy, signed and dated on every page in case of future patent claims. I try to keep a separate book for every rough topic area, then just rely on the index at the front to tell me what experiments are where. I guess it depends on the work you're doing but for me this seems to be ok. A loose leaf folder of electronic format may be better for you, but check your department don't need hard copies for IP purposes.

Would you expect your supervisor to do your donkey work for you? No. Then why are you doing the hard labour for these MSc students?! This stuff sounds way beyond the call of duty. I don't have MSc students myself but I can't imagine them getting their projects done for them elsewhere. As you said, no one did this for you when you were an MSc.
Is there a chance that while supervisor is clued up as to their timetables, that she's not as aware of yours? I'm (probably naively) wondering if telling her about your own work load might change her perspective. Either way I think that you and your fellow phd student should definitely have a word, it's absurd for you to be spending your research time doing someone else's photcopying.

Yup, keep a record of everything! Being a scientist I have lab books, but I am horrified when I look back at what details are missing. Write down all your calculations, all your thought processes, the lot. Because what seems obvious now will be completely lost to the swamps of memory when you're writing up in 2-3 years time!

Also, don't bother feeling guilty. Ok, so that's nearly impossible, but keep a lid on the guilt anyway. You'll probably never feel like you're doing enough, but remember it's a marathon not a sprint and allow yourself a life outside of work.

Come here or read phdcomics.com when you need a boost (the longer you've been a phd student, the funnier it gets :-) ).

Write as you read. There's no point plowing through 100 papers if you don't have a central text summarising how they fit together and what they mean. Mindmapping software is great for this too.

Don't be afraid to talk to academics, yes you're a lowly student but so were they a while back. I've often been amazed by how genuinely interested and helpful senior researchers are when you're working in their field.

Urgh! Dear God Wally, could you not have put a warning on that link? I have enough trouble keeping down my morning caffeine as it is.

It's not uncommon to be low on results 18 months in, many of my friends have suffered methodology problems / crap supervisors / even laboratorys that simply weren't built when they arrived! What you need to do is be very realistic about what you can achieve over the next 12-18 months, graph it out if you possibly can. And I agree with the others, seek out researchers who are knowledgable (in your instsitute or elsewhere), not everyone will help you but you'll be surprised how many do. There's also the option of going to your head of department to formally request either a change of supervisor, or the addition of a second who knows more about this. If your current supervisor is in denial about their own limitations this may not go down well, but it could stand you in very good stead if you need an extension later on. A friend of mine has been through this and was re-assigned quite successfully, with an extension that has enabled her to get sufficient results for writing up.

Hi Lobster. I get totally intimidated and overwhelmed by my thesis on a regular basis, starting a new chapter always throws me. But look at it this way, you've slain most of the beast already so you're clearly capable, you just need to get into it. If your mind is going blank every time you sit at the keyboard, maybe try one of the following:

1-Free write about the topic in general, no correcting, no fact checking, just keep writing for 10-15 minutes and see what comes out.
2-Talk to someone about it, sometimes when you verbalise you make links and free up your brain in ways that writing just doesn't do.
3-Grab pen and paper and sketch out a skeleton of the chapter, work on this until you have it broken down enough to head back to your keyboard, picking it off one point at a time.

Not sure if any of that will help but these things sometimes get me out of my pit of despair and back into constructive activity :-)

Och aye the noo and bloody always.

Keepcalm I know exactly what you mean.

I'd certainly attend a talk on that. Lots of phd-ers aren't sold on academia and there's precious little information about the alternatives. If you've got time then go for it.

I don't mean to make little of your concerns M-asimuk, but I would be inclined to agree with the others. Academia has many faults, but it tends to be very non-discriminatory regarding gender, race and pretty much anything that's not related to work. Profs are determined to get the brightest candidates because their success depends on it. Plus, research is such an international industry that everyone pretty much expects to be in a multi-cultural environment, certainly in science anyway. I'd agree with Wally that if you're struggling to get an interview, ring up the departments and ask for feedback. And don't feel too down-hearted, it is a tough time and competition is fierce, many good candidates are finding it tough just now.

You're qualified, go for it! No one will laugh at you (that's just the old imposter syndrome talking), the worst case scenario is simply that you don't get it. But far better to have applied than sit there wondering. With jobs this rare I'd apply for anything you're eligible for.

I think it's very varied Ephiny, although £1000 does sound on the low side for four years. In my institute we get 50% of one conference paid per year, with our individual dept or grants from elsewhere making up the rest of costs. It might be worth asking the supervisors whether they provide additional funding out of their own resources for stuff like this. If you do get stuck there are plenty of societies and companies that offer travel grants on a regular basis, so it can be surprisingly easy to drum up a few hundred here and there.
Aside from that, congrats on the offer!

Teek's healthy pact for the day.... when your stomach rejects coffee, accept it's time for bed. Night all!

safety wear is never a bad idea, but unless you're drilling for a long time I reckon the ear muffs are optional :-) Just make sure there's nothing inside the wall you're drilling through (wires, pipes, etc)!