Larrydavid I'm not sure that's entirely the response loonyloo needs!

We had a thread on this not so long ago, it seems to have happened to a couple of people on the forum. Do you think there's any chance you could get over your feelings? Work away more, date other people, etc. Has it been a long time you've felt this way?
If it really is impossible to get over then I fear you may have to be honest with whoever's in charge. It's a mortifying prospect I know, but if you give any other excuse I imagine the department will want to try and "resolve" matters between you and this supervisor.

I do feel for you, it must be a bit of a nightmare.

I think that's fantastic! Yes she may have said it to put you at ease, but she wouldn't have written it if it wasn't also true. It shows the examiner is already well-disposed towards your work and hey, if she cares about putting you at ease she can't be a total dragon! Look after yourself and good luck :-)

I don't think you've wasted time, nor made a fool of yourself. I know you must feel shattered right now but try not to beat yourself up over it. What do your supervisors say about the response? I'm assuming they didn't see this coming either or they wouldn't have advised submission.
The internal examiner sounds overly harsh, do you think she'd be reasonable if you completed the revisions as requested? Certainly she hasn't given you an outright fail so by all rights, it should be salvageable.

======= Date Modified 28 Jan 2010 14:56:21 =======
Hi Scaredgirl

I can imagine this stress is the last thing you need right now (congratulations though on the baby though!). Being in a despondent mood myself today, I can completely understand the mindset that makes you want to just walk away and have some peace. But at the same time, you're so close and it seems a shame to give up after several years of hard work.

I'd always assumed that not having a second viva was a good thing, suggesting they're happy enough with you and just want changes to the document, I could be wrong but that was my take. Is there another academic you trust who could go through the suggested changes and maybe give you an outside perspective on them? Perhaps a fresh look could help you see them as more tolerable, away from the associations with the examiners who made them.

At the same time, do all you can to look after yourself and manage your stress, make that as much a priority as the thesis. And if you can afford the time, take a brief break before hitting the work again, after a stressful viva it's no wonder you feel burnt out - give yourself a chance to recharge before going back to it.

I would look on amazon Murali, they usually have a range of books and you can check the reviews there. If you search this forum you may find recommendations as well, I'm afraid I haven't used any so can't offer more advice than that.

I think it depends very much on what stage you're at. Like Sue my sup tends just to review practical work and written output. We agree targets and tasks that need completing and keep in touch if there are problems. At the start of my phd though we had meetings every fortnight and my sup would check up on my reading or general knowledge - just to get a feel for where I was at. If you're in the early stages and haven't had a chance to produce any work yet, it may be that this is all your sup can use to guage how you're settling in. If you feel micro-managed though as Sue suggests, you could always tell your sup that you'll produce a summary of what you've read in "x" weeks, and just check in then.

Hmmm, if you're a later-stage researcher who's experienced and just looking to pick up a PhD in the course of their work I guess it could work. However for the average PhD bear I certainly wouldn't recommend having someone so close as your supervisor. Whether or not it creates a formal conflict of interest I don't know, but I assume your university regulations would tell you.

Mine certainly does, but I agree it could depend on subject.
In my case the intro is (well, will be when it's finished!) A lit review of the general area and scope of problem, with an outline of what direction I'll be tkaing in the thesis/research. I've then added brief, chapter-specific lit reviews to each experimental chapter. I can imagine though that this could be totally irrelevant in another subject (I do genetics).

Virtual hugs coming your way Florence! And a present too (gift)

Is there any way you could delay the chapter submission so you have time to work on it, given the circumstances? If not then don't worry, you can always revise later so that it's as good as you know it can be.

Hope things get easier soon with your family and health (my body goes to pieces when I'm upset too, it's horrid).

Could her views of suitability be based on the journals current focus (perhaps the essay you referred to was part of their strategy for that issue and they're now onto something else)? I know that a lot of good papers can be passed over if they don't fit with the journals theme at the time. It does all seem odd given your explanation though I agree.

Hmm, I certainly wouldn't take it badly, she did use the words topical and fascinating! I'd love to get that said about me by an important editor :-)

It does seem strange given you feel it would fit so much better with your first choice, but it's certainly not a rejection as such; the timing and lack of review just mean that she genuinely feels it's an issue with fit not quality. I'd say submit to the other one and wish you lots of luck!

Hehe
I'm tomatoing today as well. Although I find the timing awkward; when 25 minutes are up I'm usually mid-flow, but I stop, take a break that inevitably cannot be completed in 5 minutes, then come back and have to persuade myself into work mode all over again.

What I need is a longer-time tomato, a sort of doubly concentrated tomato puree timer :-s

======= Date Modified 22 Jan 2010 10:24:27 =======
If you're feeling frustrated and held back in your work then I don't blame you for losing motivation. I take it you don't feel you're getting much from the coursework itself? Why don't the department want you to plow on and start coursework, does it just not fit with their standard program?

Is there anything else you can do to prepare for your research next semester, to help you feel you're progressing? Other than that, the only thing I can think of is to get the coursework out the way so you can have a holiday! My motivation does come and go on a regular basis, but I think you need to feel you're getting somewhere or it tends to go awol.

I saw Seraphine recently which was beautifully shot and very moving (about the artist Seraphine de Senlis), not the happiest movie but a refreshing take on the glamourised notion of the genius/madman relationship and a great portrait of life in rural France during that era.

On the other hand, a few months back I saw another film called Valhalla Rising; truly the most obtuse, bizarre and unenjoyable piece of cinema I've seen in a while. Grim in every sense.

I wanted to go to the cinema tonight but the only thing that's on is a 4 hour marathon of a Japanese film about up-skirt pornography. The husband was unsurprisingly keen......... ;-)

Well done catlin, and you were such a charming guest too!

Wally's tactics are now clear, he was marking everyone down in a bid for victory - too bad Catlin's veggie delight snatched it from his slavering jaws!

Next thread? Hmmm. We could continue the tacky tv theme and all audition for pop idol (how will you dress, what god awful song will you sing, which crying family members will accompany you?). I wonder if anyone on here has actually been on any of these shows, a fellow phd at my institute recently divulged that he'd been on two dating shows, the story kept us entertained for an entire 40 mile drive and still raises my eyebrows now.