I'm planning to submit November/December and I did try to do some job applications but even those (and papers etc) have to be pushed aside...

One question about conferences for next Autumn - who/how will you fund yourself for that? Presumably you can't apply for University funds if you've submitted/viva-ed/graduated...I've seen a few, but couldn't afford to do it by myself...

I bought a small whiteboard to write down task lists that sits on my desk. Also print out a timetable of deadlines and put it next to your monitor - that scares me into work!

I agree with the 'putting your head on the block' comment. It does get your name out there (if those 'oh great Academics on high' ever flick through them) but would you put them on your CV as a publication? Its not like they're peer-reviewed are they?

A fellowship is often used to describe teaching or post-doctoral funding.

A studentship in my mind describes a full-funded postgraduate position (especially research council-funded)

A scholarship to me describes undergraduate funding, or postgrasduate funding from other sources (e.g. a charitable trust). Sometimes a scholarship is for a particular activity, e.g. a sport? This may or may not cover all your funding needs? The boundary between a scholarship and studentship might be a little blurred...

A supervisor is the 'main (wo)man' when it comes to closely (if you're lucky!) advising the direction of your work. An advisor is someone a bit more distant that you can turn to if things go wrong with the supervisor relationship, or you might only see them in a professional context at your upgrade viva etc.

Hope that helps?

Its something like £2000 less, even if you study outside of London but rental prices (and most importantly beer prices :-s ) are comparable.

I think a funded PhD is enough to live on reasonably comfortably (depends what your standards are I suppose) but don't expect to accumulate many savings.

I think workshops are more useful to learn, participate and (aggghhh!) network in.

Mailing lists are a good way to hear about these events - just google '(subject) mailing list'.

Do you have to do a first year report? Thats 10-15 000 words you'll have to write. Also, everything I did was written up as a report, maybe once every two weeks, which formed the basis of my chapters. Of course it is completely correct that you will scrap 60% of it. I did a week long field experiment in my first year, and now I'm writing up I've realised it is completely rubbish and distracts from my argument, but I still can't bear to take it out though I know I have to...

Sorry Pete, I had the Inbox (0) error when really I had Inbox (1). The lack of messages problem has been resolved.

Certainly at my University, and I presume all, your PhD has to contribute some original thought to a subject - I think its a bit naive to think you can just churn out some results and get a PhD. Even using previousdly collected data you must analyse them in a new way, from a new angle, or put new clues together. And I would be astonished if that could all be done in 6 months.

In fact, if you only gain 6 months experience in data collection/analysis then I think you've been short changed, as will it set you up well for your next position?

Yes, I agree that intellectual work is not always connected with a genius idea or plan (very few PhD projects win a nobel prize first time round...), but whats the point in doing it if it is just a repetition of someone else's work?

Mr Admin, now I've received some (lovely) messages, I'm getting the same problem encountered below.

Yep a change of scenery is a good idea, and I think diet has a big influence (are you living on a pasta-carb filled diet?!). And I think stressing about it makes you more stressed and tired. Its very hard to accept that not every day in a PhD is going to be 100% productive with major discoveries every twenty minutes!

Yep, it is so true...

Wow, I love sympathy messages :$

Pete, thank you for your important message! It seemed very important indeed.