Hi

I started my PhD 22 years ago (!) and still haven't finished.This year finally I laid to rest any notion of finally finishing it - and it was hard. I'm left with mounds of work and a rough draft - so near but yet so far.

The fact I never finished it has affected me in many ways, especially in terms of a career/lack of it. I've recently gone into freelance journalism as a way to transfer some of my skills and I'm currently researching an article on what happens to those people who don't complete: how do they feel about it? do they go onto better things? are they better off without it? or do they wish things had been different? what are they doing now?

If you know of anyone who fits this description, or anyone who is thinking of giving up, who might be willing to talk to me about it, please email me: miranda@expatwoman.com.

I have only just started mine but I would be interested to know why you weren't able to finish it after such a long period of time (unless of course its personal).

This wasn't really about me - rather what happens to others who don't finish.

Just to lay the questions to rest: I was persuaded to apply for a ESRC grant in my final undergrad year. My tutors suggested a topic likely to get a grant: but I wasn't very taken with it and there was little expertise in the department. Being young I went along with it.

I got a first and got the grant.My research was in anthropology and required fieldwork - full immersion in another culture for 13 months so coming home was a major adjustment. I had little support and minimal supervision. The funding ran out so I worked, but I didn't give up. Every spare moment was spent on the thesis. I did a first draft, but by then I was married and living abroad - all I needed was a year re-registered to complete. Whenever I was ready to re-register, I was either overseas, had just had a baby or there were no supervisors available.

There are many reasons why people don't complete: it's not as simple as saying they're not committed.

Sorry millavi but having read your above post I tend to concur with MistaG.

Very true. Getting married, having babies and all the rest of it are choices you make. I have know people who did all of them and still finished their PhDs on time. One of my friends did her viva four days before she gave birth!

What would be theme of this totally useless book? Don't finish a PhD, waste people's time, go on holiday to a different land and then write a book about it?

Well, from a social science perspective, I think it could be interesting

um, not a book, only an article.

3/10 doctoral students do not complete. The point of the article is not only why they do not finish, but the effect that this then has on their lives or not, as the case may be.

Reading about the problems some people have come across can surely help others decide whether doing a PhD is a good idea or not or whether they should give up or keep going.

sounds interesting, particularly for those in the arts and humanities where i am sure the completion rates are probably much lower than in the sciences.

I think its a good idea. It could benefit potential students and PhD supervisors alike.
It at least seems to have a point unlike some research projects Ive heard of (e.g. one that was researching what people have on their mantelpieces as a PhD project!!)

It response to your question DanB, maybe its because we dont have to be in a lab all the time, so need more self discipline as have less structure. I can go for months without stepping into my department. Its ok now as I have a routine, but I have friends in social sciences who havent done anything other than watch TV for months

I think an article about how people feel about not completing their PhDs would be an interesting read

money is probably a major reason ...

So...does anyone know of anyone who would be willing to be a case study?

Fair comment Freddy,

What I said is true. I have contacted universities as well, but it's not easy finding people who are out of the system. This is only one of the routes I have taken. I don't feel it's capitalising on people's misery - there can be a kind of therapy talking about it and hearing about/talking to others in the same boat.

Regarding DanBs question, I think it has a lot to do with differences in subject matter and lack of paradigm in the social sciences. In anthropology, one of the main problems is that you spend at least a year in another country away from a library, supervisor and intellectual exchange: you are in a different culture and can lose objectivity easily ..then you come back and have to get immediately into academic writing.

In my case, admittedly a long time ago, anthropological theory was in flux and academics were looking for new and different ways to write ethnography. With no formulaic structure to a thesis it was hard to know where to start and there was no post-fieldwork support at all then. All my supervisor said was just try to get it all down.

I just don't like journalists.

They are all so selfish and don't care about the misery they impose as long as they get their story.

Millavi, accept that the subject is a bit touchy, and people don't like accepting defeat or admitting to personnal problems, so I really think you should drop this subject and find something a bit more sympathetic.

There are many people on this forum with worries and a lot of stress, and they will certainly not want to read a whole thread about 'failure'