I'd love to do a PhD in Finance, like the subject very much. The thing is, I happen to have terrible heartburn symptoms whenever I stay awake past 1 am... seems to be a rare situation since docs don't find a reason for that, and of course I don't want it to turn into something more serious.

How is a typical PhD schedule? is it grueling nearly-24x7, or it's more like 60-80 hs per week (pretty manageable, with little overnight work)? Also, at the PhD level, are top unis/programs still more demanding than 2nd-tiers or both are equally demanding in terms of hs/week required? Thank you.

I think that if you were working more than 50 hours a week as a PhD student you would probably need help. Over 80 hours p/w and you would def be in the grave. But I'm coming from a humanities perspective and we do more 'soft work' outside the office and stuff.

I do a science PhD at a good university: 9-5.

Thank you guys. Adem, do you also work as RA/TA (which is how I'd fund my PhD), or your 9-5 schedule is mostly study/research?

i think this is hard to generalize. it depends on how much else you do than your PhD project, what kind of project it is (lab or field research), the place, previous experience, how fast you work, and within how many years you want to be finished.
from what i've heard, i suppose an average full time student, funded and not doing much else, can manage completion in 3-4 years by working 9-5.
but there are extremes: i have a friend who passed his first year assessment by simply brushing up his original project proposal a bit, which he did within a week. thing is, this guy has been working as a researcher in this field for several years previously. on the other hand, if you need to earn your own money and if you have little previous experience, you will either be working significantly more (overall hours) or your PhD will take longer. which is of course always an option if you want/need to avoid long working hours.

My working week is made up of paid employment and my PhD. I probably spend 30 hours a week on my PhD. I am a first year. Of course I do spend time outside the 30 hours thinking about it. But 30 hours consciously reading, writing, researching. I'm at a 'good' university - but think that the 9-5 or 30-35 hour week is probably the same in other places

my university guidelines suggest a 8x6 working week.

however many people do 12x6 to make progress.

however if you're unwell, back-off. a phd can take more than 3 years.

I'm probably doing 9hr days. I'm just wondering though how much of those 9 hrs is actually spent working. I'd love to find a way to get more VFM out of my working time.

I generally work from 9 till 5, but if I need to stay late sometimes then I do. Also Im doing a PhD in biology and work with live cells which means that sometimes you have to come in at the weekends, but generally I just work mon-fri and my supervisor seems happy with my progress (only in my first year though)

No, I don't do any work as my stipend is plenty for me to live on. This is strange guys, a few months ago I got an ear-bashing on a thread because I suggested that it is possible to proceed at a fair pace doing 9-5, i.e. a normal 40 hour week, obviously from time to time you'll run late or have to pop in the odd weekend. According to the quite rude people on that thread I didn't have a clue what I was talking about as I wasn't doing a 60+ hour week. Good to see I'm not the only one who isn't mental witht the hours.

The only reason you got an ear bashing was because you worded it so badly, if I can remember rightly.

Some people let their PhDs take over their lives, others approach it in a much more laid back way.

Everyone has differents methods of working. I personally spend more time faffing about on other things (especially with the wedding so near) but I have also got a lot of work under my belt.

Hmmmm, I suppose that sounds like something I might have said. What's wrong with it though?

lol Adem, yes you were trying to say something like that but ended up insulting people who are working extra hard.

Or they just think that they're working hard so that must be the way it's done all the time. They were right, everyone else who isn't working 75 hour weeks is wrong. Something like that if I recall too.

Hi Vic777,

I think the general consensus here is ... there is no 'typical' PhD schedule. As long as you accept the fact that it's going to be a lot of hard work (and as someone pointed out, most people take more than 3 years to complete), once you start the PhD you will should a system of working that suits you.

If you are ill, I would give serious consideration to what a PhD involves before embarking on one. However, having said that, it's difficult to give advice about doing a PhD because the only time you understand what it's like is when you are doing one.

Hope that is of some help.