Most artificial sweetners contain aspartame which should be avoided (see above). The less sugar you have, the less you will want, so try to cut down the amount you add to tea and eventually you will find you don't want any extra sweetness in your tea anyway.

To be honest though, sugar in tea is probably only a small percentage of the amount sugar in your diet (depending upon how many cups you drink a day, obviously). I think two teaspoons of sugar are about 40 calories - same as an orange or apple (although the fruit is obviously better for you). Fizzy drinks or processed meals on the other hand can contain 10 teaspoons of sugar, so these are the real enemies.

Well done with walking home every day - soon you will be able to walk in up that hill as well :)

I don't think they are completely irrelevant - I think they can be useful in some cases, for example where a person may not have taken any maths modules during their Biology degree, but now they are applying for a highly mathematical Biology PhD and it may be useful to be able to say they got a A in Maths A-level. The same can be same of an English or Chemistry A-level etc.

This is good advice AnnJolie, thanks!

Sorry to hear about that. What steps are you taking to try to resolve it?

You are right about the sugar, but fructose is used differently in the body than sucrose or glucose. Carrots have a reasonably high sugar content too though.

Drinking water is good advice - I only drink water, tea, coffee [or wine] ;)

Sugar-free alternatives are best avoided as well, since they excite similar biochemical pathways as sugar, but without the actual sugar so your body is expecting something it doesn't get, causing more cravings.

You will find that your preferences change once you change your diet. If I go away for a weekend and eat out all the time, I don't feel good and I'm craving vegetables by the time I get home.

Interesting - I'll be keeping an eye to see how they do and whether they manage to get a postdoc or not!

If I'm quickly scanning articles, I will read them on screen, but for in depth analysis I much prefer paper. I like the fact that it feels like there's a physical end to it and reading continually on screen gives me a headache and hurts my eyes.

I don't think it matters too much, as long as you didn't retake them to get a better grade, or failed some completely. Especially if they were first year modules, which I'm assuming they were since you will struggle to get a First if you get less than 60% in a module during your second or third year. [I don't know what grade 3 means].

If you get a First, they probably won't care at all anyway.

I don't think MOOCs are considered as 'real' qualifications at the moment, but at least they will show a willingness to try, so they can't hurt.

Hello,

I also have to keep a close eye on my weight because I find I could easily eat rubbish all day when at my desk!

I restrict what I eat during the day when I'm at uni so that on most days I only eat between 1500 - 1800 calories in total and then find this is compensates for the treats I have and extra calories I eat at the weekend, so that my weight is maintained.

I take 3 or 4 pieces of fruit to uni with me and then either bring a home made soup or salad for lunch (no dressing on the salad, basically just veggies so lunch is only 200 to 300 calories).

I'm really hungry by the time I get home in the evening, so I eat a proper big meal (about 800 calories) that I've already prepared earlier in the week (otherwise I would just eat junk as I'd be too hungry to cook).

This is the only way I can maintain my weight, as I have found that if I eat a normal lunch (sandwich etc), I slowly start to put on extra pounds.

I also don't buy crisps, cakes or biscuits unless I intend to eat them that day otherwise I will just keep eating them if they are in the house!

I walk or cycle to uni as well, and that is basically my only exercise.

Hello,

I agree with your lecturer - just put down the A-levels you got, not the grades. They are unlikely to ask you for the grades in your PhD application - they trust that the university you got your degree from has already checked them.

I only had to upload my degree certificates and academic transcript so I know they didn't check my A-level results at all.

The university you attended is strong in your subject so that willl benefit your application, and the fact that you have experience in a lab also adds strength, so I wouldn't worry about your A-level results.

Good luck in applying for PhDs :)

I'm not entirely sure... but UK PhD students are non-tax payers as the money we receive is classed as a grant rather than a salary.

This is pretty normal, so don't worry. Even if the data is unusable, you haven't wasted your time - you've been writing your thesis! That's what you're here to do!

If your supervisors are happy, that's enough really. You could ask them whether there is anything else you can be doing in the meantime though, and ask them what they think will happen if the data isn't what you want.

Many people spend years refining things and then get no results, then they try something else and hey presto! That's what research is about.

You're both right: following a dream should only be considered if you're sure it's the correct dream and it's achievable.

I wouldn't advocate that people pursue their dreams if the dreams are unrealistic.

However, I'm yet to meet someone that says they followed their correct, achievable dream and regreted it.

I don't have any publications and nothing in the pipeline either. My supervisors don't really encourage trying to get published before the end of the PhD. They want me to write papers inbetween submission and viva, which I think makes a lot of sense to be honest, since I wouldn't have time to concentrate on papers as well as generating results and writing the thesis.

Sounds like you have a lot of publications already! I think submitting another one should be fine, you shouldn't need to get it accepted straight away.

I would always advise someone to go for their dream because if you don't at least try you will probably regret it.

For me a PhD was something I had always wanted to do but thought would never happen ie if someone asked me what would I do if I won the lottery, I'd answer 'a PhD'... so if it's that way for you too then I would say go for it, even if it is the second time round.

It's going to be harder for you to get funding, because of the failed first attempt, but it's not impossible, especially if you pursue a slightly difference research area. You should just explain everything in the cover letter, showcasing lessons from your last attempt and stating why it will be different this time around, and new knowledge and skills acquired since, in a way that makes the supervisor want to give you another chance.

I say go for it!