Oh no Ady - that's encouraging but also really annoying! You never know the other person might drop out for some reason....

Thank you!! (and I bow down to your superior googling skills!) ;-)

If anyone could get this for me I would be very grateful:

The life story and the study of resilience and response to adversity. Cohler, Bertram J. Journal of Narrative & Life History, Vol 1(2-3), 1991, 169-200

Actually I am not sure though that it has been digitalized so it might not be possible! If not, is it the done thing to contact the author directly? Has anyone done this? Thanks.

Hi again. I am full time. I have Skype meetings with my supervisor and my advisor and these have been very successful I think. The frequency depends on what stage I am at - sometimes monthly but have been weekly when I needed it. I am lucky that my supervisor is very good at keeping in touch and making sure that I don't let things slide and gives me great feedback - both on Skype and in emails. Of course, it would be nicer to meet face-to-face more often but it just isn't possible for me! I usually go back once or twice a year though. I am almost at the end of my second year now (full-time) - although I have actually been studying for longer as I had more than a year off of leave. Yous should also check with your library whether you can get access to journals etc as a long-distance student.

Thanks! I think that makes sense - I can't imagine anyone going back to the source to tell me that I should have kept the error in!

I am currently doing a PhD at a British university but I live in Italy. We keep in contact via Skype. My department does have rules about how long you have to be physically at the university for in order to do this. I started off doing 5 months full-time at uni before moving back to Italy. I have also been back for my upgrade - but it is not so far for me! I would check this out with your supervisor but it is doable.

I am adding my query on here as it is similar. I want to quote someone who uses "it's" wrongly instead of "its" - I know it's a quote but it looks like I don't know the difference - and writing "sic" looks a bit school marmish....

It's great reading everyone else's experiences. I would add that if at all possible it is great to have a space of your own to study and keep the children away. Unfortunately I don't have a desk or study and have to get everything out and set up on the kitchen table when I want to work and this is actually even more disruptive than the children themselves!

If it makes you feel any better, I am nearly forty and have never had a car. I am just about to buy one ....any my husband is signing the finance agreement! :-s;-)

Maybe you should reconsider moving somewhere with better transport? When I stay with my parents I am shocked by the cost of bus fares to the nearest town (20 mins away) - £6 return! It is actually very expensive to live in the country imo unless you have a car.

First of all I want to say that I really feel for you as it must be very hard to be in your situation but I also wanted to tell you to stop comparing yourself to others and saying it's not fair!

I am a lot older than you and have a family but I can really relate to a lot of what you say. I have three kids and am married and luckily I have no worries about buying food but I do cause myself a considerable amount of heartache by comparing my situation with others around me. We live in a very small flat, no garden but we can't afford to move. This year we went on holiday (as always) to....my parents' house! Meeting up with friends from university there really is a wide difference in wealth. Some are really struggling whilst another lucky b***** flies to Australia for the WEEKEND. What I am trying to say is that you shouldn't feel a failure, life isn't fair. Some of my better off classmates from school (and I hate to say this) are those who left before uni and got early into the property market - those who tend to be worse off are those with more qualifications. That's not to say that I think it is not a good idea to get a PhD - far from it. But don't expect it to pay off financially, at least not straightaway and don't feel like a success or a failure because of your own financial situation.

I know this isn't easy and I certainly am not trying to be blasé. I think the most important thing you need to be doing right now (apart from finding a job) is concentrating on not cutting yourself off socially. Your friends should be making an effort to come and see you if you cannot afford to travel. Don't be afraid to let them know they are needed! Good luck!

P.S. My parents bought their lovely big house on one salary (smaller than mine) while my mum stayed at home. Times have changed and I bet your parents know that and realise you are doing the best you can in a difficult situation.

Has anyone else been PMed by a company offering to write their dissertation for them? :-s Am a bit paranoid that they singled me out as someone who clearly couldn't string a sentence together!

Hi Natassia - it doesn't sound like you have anything to worry about to me. I had a similar experience with my upgrade. I didn't pass it outright but have been asked to resubmit some parts. At first I wasn't sure what to think about this but on reflection I am very glad that any weaknesses are being flagged up now rather than at the viva. I think it is a good sign that they are looking at your work so closely even at this stage, given some of the scary posts I have read on here!

Oh dear Ady, my twins are 19 months and fight loads - I was hoping that it was going to get better not worse! My older son would agree with Blyton - he can't wait to get back to school luckily.

Dunni - good luck with the move! Hope it all goes smoothly.

Just thought I would start a thread for all us PhD mums (and dads!) out there. How is everyone getting on? Have you, like me, done hardly anything over the school holidays? :$ I really need to get back into the swing of things and would love to hear from others in the same boat - any tips on juggling studies with kids? At the moment I can't wait for normal service to resume! Dunni - are you still around? Every time I think I can't do it I think of you and push on!!