Thanks eveyone, that's super helpful!xx

Hi everyone,

My viva is two weeks today, and I'm beginning to get The Fear. My supervisor gave birth to a very poorly baby a week ago, and so she's not available to ask advice from (and my second Sup. is useless).

Just wondered whether anyone had any advice on how to prepare? All I've got so far is "read through thesis. Again. ".

Any tips would be very gratefully received!

B.xx

Yup, I got 2k more than if I'd have had the same funding else where.

Ooh, I feel for you. Its difficult finding the motivation when you've been doing it for so long, and the end isn't immediately in sight. Do you have much more to do before you can begin writing up?

Its must be particularly hard as you've just come back from a long exotic holiday. Its going to take you a while to get refocused - don't be too hard with yourself. I'd suggest baby steps. Make yourself a few lists of things that need to be done, then break it down to macro to the micro. Are there little jobs that you can do which don't require too much cognitive input? I find that doing the menial tasks when I don't feel like working gets me in the right mood - you're still working but its not too effort full!

B.xx

Yup, I've treated mine as a four year PhD really, with the MSc work being pilot stuff. This is was under the instructions of my sups. who never regarded it as being any other way. Might be different in different areas though?

B.xx

As others have said here, based on the info given, my gut reaction is multiple regression. However, this sounds like too important an issue to leave it to this - you need to have a chat with your sup (or at worst, someone else in your lab) as they will have a clearer idea of what the norms are in your area.

I also second the ask a stats person! I've ALWAYS found them completely charming and helpful!!

Is there some reason why you haven't brought this up with your sup though?

B.xx

What makes you think you need one? For the sake of parsimony, I wouldn't include one. I don't think your examiners want to read stuff over and over again. I doubt it would really add anything to the work. This is another question for your sup, who would be able to tell you whether its the done thing in your area!

B.xx

Okay, so you need to say more about your data.

I'm guessing you have a measure of cog. func, a measure of fatigue and some indication of drug treatment, all taken at different points in time?

I'm a bit confused as to how your in this situation, as the design of your study should directly inform your stats? What does your sup. say?

B.xx

I'd imagine this would be very much like an abstract? Just give a couple of sentences (depending on how long you want it of course) setting the scene, then a couple on what you did, how you did it and the bottom line of what you found, no?

B.xx

Hi there, I'm a bit confused about what the question is? Are you asking for help designing a study to investigate this, or do you have the data but you don't know what to do with it?

B.xx

Bet you wished you hadn't asked now!

It is a bit of a big ask - but then if you don't ask you don't get. I'm a psychologist and can probably have a quick sqizz, if only because I admire your cheek...;-)

Kings is significantly more highly respected.

Hey guys,

Thanks for replying. I think I might try the writing a spider diagram in the evening - its getting to the point where I stay in the lab til about 8/9pm, because I'm getting so worked up about things. It gets to the point that I'm stressing so much about getting things done that I end up getting nothing done. Its no good. I think I am going to try and set myself some time to work on each task exclusively (say, reading for half an hour). My problem tends to be that I can't concentrate because I'm worried about the other things I have to do!xx

Hi Guys,

Well, I'm getting myself in a tizz. I seem to be completely incapable at doing more than one thing concurrently. I have a couple of experiments running at the moment (am in Cognitive Psychology so it with people) that are a pilot study for a study I will conducting with children in schools.

I'm getting into a panic because I'm running out of time, as I need this to be sorted out soon as schools break up for summer fairly shortly, so I need to get in there and get testing.

I'm really nervous about going into the schools (as of course I've spent the last three years behind this computer), and really worried about the data - what if I don't find anything? I'm starting my final year in Sept and worried that I'm going to have no results.

But the nerves are another thing. The real issue seems to be that I can't mentally do two things at once. I'm supposed to be writing up my second chapter, but I'm struggling as I find I can't read or write if I have something else going on (i.e., running exps, which is stupid because I have about one an hour). I find it really hard to settle into it.

I guess what I'm saying is that I feel like I have a lot going on in my mind, and I feel incapable of doing anything unless I can do one thing at a time, which is no good as I need to be able to work on several things concurrently.

Is this just something you guys are able to do? Any advice?

Thanks.

B.xx

Sigh. I'm sat in our office in central London. All I can here is traffic and the constant ring of the phone (or supervisor is obsessive), and all I can see is concrete. Nice.

Its so hard to be stuck in on a day like today!xx