Andy, that is a very good idea to think about what to do after it is over, maybe it could help motivation:) I am dreaming about having a bier with my supervisor when it is over and then going to a swimming holiday, i.e. somehwere nice, warm where they teach you swim:)

Hi, humanbeing,
I have statistics about leaving PHD unfinished but always have wondered about the fact that despite the national average of the time that takes to finish a PhD is 4 years, funding, including from national funding councils, is usually given for 3 years only. How do they expect students to survive the last year? OR they expect that all PhDs either have rich parents or take up jobs?

shani: I am not a British citizen but also dont get funding:))

Do you mean whether we are in the UK or we are British:)? In any case- this is one of the most supportive bunch of people in whole PhD business in the world;)

1)hope that after I finish I will be able to do so many things that have been put on hold because of PhD and writing up:)
2)similarly to others- end of funding (with no hope to get any financial asisstance from anywhere)

Add to these problems the fact that if your partner isnt a shop-asisstant or in similar profession where jobs are widely available,attempts to find a job in academia for you and a job for him/her in the same city is almost mission impossible. Worse, if you both have PhDs in the same field and both want job in the same city.

Salaries are really crap considering how much time one has to spend to get a PhD.In old time, at least, Academia was place where on could experience a relatively freedom in activity in ones job compared to business. But thanks to increasing 'management by performace' facilitated by RAE, small salaries are not even compensated by this luxury of freedom.

Well, still I am looking for the job in Academia;)) Must be crazy:)

The question is- do you still want your PhD when you are not having this type 'lows'? If yes, stick to it, better times will definitely come. I am in my 3rd year and have spent at least 80% of my time feeling bad about my project and wanting to quit but eventually have made work done. But if you feel like quitting even when you have 'ups', i.e. you feel relatively interested in your project and if you never ever like what you are doing - then quit.

It entirely depends on what is your research question and how you justify the choice of focus groups as data collection method. Focus groups are neither illegimate nor prefered methods for a PhD:) As any other data collection method.

Yes, I agree, apply to every scholarship you are eligible, because if you wont apply you wont get anything for sure. Competition is very high but you never know. After MPhil I applied to 5 places for a PhD scholarship and did not get any. After a year I applied to 10 places and got a full scholarship (fees+ maintenace) for 3 years, and there were 80 other candidates for this one. And I wasnt brilliant. So, try, apply and you will get.

just a note: the topics you will write your papers on dont need to be very specific, just give some rough idea what will you be doing+ make impression that you have certain plans not only a vague idea that you want to publish. But the more specific you will be, the more persuasive will be your application.

I think it could look like this: I plan to prepare X publications:
1) On the effects of long term exposure of X on Y to be sent to American Journal of Exposure by 01.01.2008
2) on the ....... to be sent to....by
etc etc

at least manuscripts you can keep in the same library as the rest of references. And in the paper they go in a normal reference list, not seperately.;

what is an office space for PhD student 8-o??? Just joking:) No office space for me, have to work at home.

it does not surprise me, especially if the position advertised was a permanent one. In social sciences there is an overproduction of social scientists, I read in Times Higher Educations supplement and competition is hard. And probably in non-top universities competition is harder than at the top universities, because the latter have much higher recquirements that less people can meet.

it is mainly through networking- somone decides to make an edited book and then she or he rememmbers that she or he knows you and you are doing something related to the theme of the book. Encyclopedia- well, forget about them if you are not top 10 in your field;) If you are- you probably will get invated by the editor who definitely will know you:)