If you're going through hell

..........................................best keep going.

Michaeal, not to put a downer on it, but unless you're funded by a specific council who set rules on this, then there may not be a minimum. There certainly isn't in my case and my stipend is definitely non-negotiable (ie - there are other people who'll happily take a PhD being paid it).

Fear not! The best presentation I ever gave was when I decided to ditch the powerpoint and just talk to people :) it was scary (especially since everyone else was powerpointing like crazy) but it went down so well, I even got a little prize.

Plan your topics and make sure you know the flow of your talk (if it's a long one a few cue cards are fine), and tbh, then just improvise. If it's a non-specialist group then an informal approach is often more helpful, you can interact much more with your audience, rather than constantly looking back at a screen. If you're giving lifestyle tips, can you can ask them questions and make it more of a two-way experience? I always think that the more audience participation the better.

Given that a bursary is, by definition tax free, I don't quite understand his reasoning. But there may be plenty of other reasons why he can't give you any more funding. Im on £1k/month and so is everyone else in my dept. It's the lower end of the scale for PhD salaries but it's not uncommon.

And sneaks - you are the jammiest of dodgers (up)

Sneaks, is there some way you can break the "thematic analysis" down into smaller sections (apologies if that's a stupid question, I've no idea)? It seems to be a big beast to slay!
Back in work today and waiting to access the lab bench I need, so far it's been a morning of emails, tea, and of course....findaphd.com.
Goals for today:

1) cDNA conversions
2) write formal notes on alternative analysis programs
3) draft a work plan for remaining practical tasks

Hi Jateet

I think your nerves are pretty standard for this stage, everyone doubts their work when it comes to handing in. If your supervisor is happy (and he surely cares because this reflects on him too) then it's probably fine :)

Well done for getting this far!

======= Date Modified 18 Nov 2009 21:07:40 =======
Outrageously off-topic question here, but I was thinking of getting an iPhone - are they all they're cracked up to be sneaks?

And yes, an anti-procrastinate app is much-needed, although mine would beep so frequently the entire office would think they'd developed tinitus.

Well done Ev and Sneaks, you guys are on a roll!

I've just gotten back from my first running club meet, knees hurting like hell but otherwise feeling 100x better than I have all day :)
Ice pack, ibuprofen and a take away sandwich - now I'm ready for another bash at the thesis before hubby comes home, word count so far (discounting tables)
= 338.
Damn, it was so much more with the table included! Ah well, it's 338 more than I've managed any other day for a fortnight so I'm happy.

Maria1 I nearly snorted my tea out reading that! Where do these people come from?!

And badhaircut I quite agree, pissing contest sums it up nicely.

I remember an ex-boyfriend of mine being fixated on this IQ test he'd done online, because it rated him as "close to genius" or some such nonsense. He badgered me for days to do it, no doubt so he could show how great his cleverness truly was. Eventually I gave in and took it - yup I scored higher and he sulked for days, hehe, load of nonsense but it amused me no end. Truth is that natural ability only gets you so far, I'm not massively dim but I really feel it some days with the PhD.

Points 1 and 2 (up)

I'm on (temporary) fire, I think this deserves a chai latte to celebrate.

Ok Sneaks, I'm back in the game. First up, congrats on the email success, I hereby award you a virtual beverage of your choice :)

As for me.....

1) Email the genetic forum for advice on whether I pool samples.
2) Contact PD company's tech support on layout.
3) Plan plates for cDNA conversion, ready to roll tomorrow morning in the lab.
4) Check in on the ol' thesis, lets say we need 200 words minimum today.

Little and often....

If you have the motivation to crack on and do it quickly(ish, PhDs really are a marathon) then go for it! Only give up if you truly don't want to do this anymore, hate your subject and/or have something else you'd rather be doing. The patches where you have zero motivation and just don't care are par for the course, and having no targets is the worst thing for getting you into that demotivated state (says she, currently immersed in such a state).

As for the supervisor issues, having such different team members is frustrating and confusing, BUT it's also a bit of a Godsend. It's rare to get one supervisor who's good at everything (proofing, checking in, motivation, connections), so having a team with different strengths is a real safety net. In my team I have "Prof distant but expert", "Dr enthusiast with poor English" and "Prof language whizz - no knowledge" individually they're very limited, but they make an ok team. One of the main skills in a PhD is actually managing your supervisor/s, so exploit yours ruthlessly! Use each one for what they're good at, and feel free to ignore them a little on topics they're not so good at.

He expressed his comments in a rather unhelpful manner - imitating someone can be very cruel and you have to have a safe relationship for those kind of jokes. It sounds as if his attempt at humour has clouded the issue; it's not about gender, it's about professionalism. We all do little things when we're nervous and they need addressing as they'll detract from what you're saying.
I definitely don't think you need to be more masculine (that could be very weird!) but just a more confident and businesslike version of your usual self. If you feel brave enough, the videoing idea will give you a huge insight into how you come across. It's hard to watch at first but it will help. Other than that; stand tall, keep hands away from face, look at the crowd and generally speak up - ta-da, you are now as professional as Butch McButch :)