Is it typical for an individual student to attend a conference on their own - i.e. without some other members of their group? The question sounds really daft now that I've put it into words, but stems from the fact that I'm in a situation where the other members of my group DO NOT GO to conferences, for a variety of reasons, and I don't like it! Believe me, I KNOW that we're not here primarily to be one big friendly group who go on holiday (conferences) together, but it is nice to find people who share your interests and enthusiasms. I don't want to go on too much, just to gauge whether my situation is tyical, and whether I am justified in feeling a bit grieved by it. The happy smiling group pictures that I see on the web don't fit with my experience of PhD life...I'm not looking for sympathy here, just feeling a bit down today because a conference that I'm NOT at is just starting as I write this :(

fifth line should read TYPICAL

just to clarify - it's not a rule that we don't go to conferences! I am allowed to go, although in practice it's difficult to find the funding, and have been to a conference by myself...

No idea how typical it is, it might depend from the subject. I cant imagine that in social sciences you will find in faculty more than 2 students specialising on the same topic, not to talk about "a group"of them. except if there is a large research project. I go to conferences alone and mainly because 1) to present a paper and get a feedback and show that I do exist; 2) sometimes you can develop good relationships with people met there; 3) great to have a holiday partially paid by your faculty

Sue, I think it depends on individuals if they like to go to conferences or not. I think some people are probably quite anti-social and would rather read papers then go and meet new people. I for one really enjoy it and there always is at least one person going to each relevant conference from my group. However I have been to one by myself when I was doing my MSci and some postdocs decided to look after me when I was there (lol).

It's a really good way of meeting people in your area and you never know when these contacts will come in handy. The more you go to, the more you recognise people.

I went to my first conference on my own. Luckily it was local so it wasn't too traumatic.

I'm off to a conference in Poland on my own in September...I was hoping someone from my department would be going because my Polish is a 'little poor' to say the least!

Where do you get the money from???!

Actually there is plenty of money around but it takes effort to get it;) From 8 conferences I have been, I have paid myself only for one of them. Sources of money: your faculty or university, your college (if you are in Oxbridge), conference organisers (some conferences give special bursaries to students), national funding bodies (dont know anything in this respect about the UK).

i usually go on my own... sometimes my supervisor accompanies me -
but now there is usually someone I know... if not then its nice chatting to people and stuff.

Although my uni has a list as long as your arm of possible travel funds, thay all specify something that excludes me - like the travel has to be cultural, should broaden your mind(!), involve community work, be to North America, related to a specific subject area...and my department just gave me a big fat no! (they said my supervisor should pay for it, which is fair enough if he had the money!) The professional organisations belong to nearly always specify that the conference has to be organised by them. I did manage to get some money after a long search, but it was REALLY difficult and I certainly wouldn't have been able to find money for eight conferences! Maybe I'm just unlucky that those organised by the professional organisations haven't been relevant.

A lot of my group go to conferences on their own due to the fact that we all have quite diverse research topics. Although most have a fee we have a few which are free so you only have to pay to get there.

Should say that every group has its problems - despite the happy smiling group photos my group is unfortunately split into two sections (or cliques), which is frustrating when you're trying to organise a group trip out or a night to go to the pub.

I know, 'there's more to the picture than meets the eye' (Neil Young, and others before him I'm sure!). I'd just like to think that SOME of them are true? or at least some of the time.