======= Date Modified 10 Aug 2011 17:53:12 =======
Hi everyone.

I'm going to put this post out there, hoping others have been in the same boat. If anybody has any advice please let me know, it is invaluable at the moment.

I am currently studying for a four-year PhD (medical) and am just finishing my third year. I have been funded by a three year scholarship which of course is about to run out. Due to the nature of my Phd (I travel all over the place but do not get any expenses) I have not managed to save any money for my final push. I am doing an extra three months in the lab (unpaid) October-Xmas, and will then be writing up at home until March. Well this is the plan.

My supervisor is paying my bench fees and consumables Oct-Dec but she has stressed my stipend is not to be continued. Sadly in todays day and age I cannot work for free. I was considering a part time job but I really don't want to take the focus away from my studies. These last three months in the lab are so important it's ridiculous.

Has anybody had this experience before? If so, what did you do? Does anybody have any ideas about how I might get some money? I heard about career development loans, but applied and got rejected (they didn't say why). I'm at a loss, and can't see this PhD end being as stress-free as I wanted it to be money-wise. Of course, I get worried about money very easily, so working for free doesn't appeal at all.

Thanks for reading, hope to hear from you. Would be good to hear of some experiences.

Thanks for your replies guys,

I feel that it is a mix of never going to be able to have enough results (every thesis produced through the lab by her reach the 300 page limit, and many have to ask the university for extra thesis space), and also yes my project was a pet project made by her that she was VERY excited about. Unfortunately I proved a lot of stuff wrong right from the off so it was a flawed project. She lost interest in it very quickly after this and moved on to new things. I, however, was stuck with it trying to make it work anyway. You don't get a lot of thesis-worthy results like this.

It's interesting because after going to other labs and seeing what theses look like there I've seen ones that are only 150 pages in length, three results chapters only ~30 pages each, not all novel may I add, and I really think this is totally achievable, maybe even for the funding deadline. Sadly, I'm not in those labs, I'm in hers.

I've done a huge great big day by day plan to show her that I think is do-able, and it will generate results enough for two thesis worthy (fairly chunky) results chapters. The third I'm not sure where it will come from yet, but surely yes - getting a part time job and working there for the fourth year will be aloud? The thing I'm worried about is that the house prices where I live are quite high, and really I need a full time job wage to pay rent and afford travel costs to both labs. So I don't know how this is going to work. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Cheers

Hi KB thank you very much for your reply

I think you hit the nail on the head when you said it seems that I'm most of the way there. After an absolutely torrid time at the start of my PhD I pulled things back and started to get results. I think this has been the biggest blow - hearing what she said after I've been doing so well. It hurts a bit you know?

As for misinterpreting what she said - I told myself that at first too. However, after the meeting I went out with my other (secondary) supervisor for a few drinks. I told him straight up what I thought, and asked him if it was unlikely I was going to be getting a PhD. He was very very cagey and kept saying "I don't want to step on your primary supervisors toes". Ultimately he said: "Yes. I do think it's possible. But you need..." x, y, and z.

Furthermore, he mentioned that my other supervisor doesn't feel I would survive the viva as I don't have enough knowledge of what I'm doing. I told him that I'm quite petrified of the woman, so whenever she asks me questions (more like... shouts at me and then stares and waits for a reply), I go to pieces. I think he understood. I wonder whether this comment will be fed back to her.

I'm going to meet with my academic supervisor (she is supposed to be someone I can go to if I have problems) next week. Not sure what to say to her though.

What's annoyed me is that every other PhD student in my lab got given four years, but she won't budge an inch for me. She throws thousands of pounds at pointless things, but won't give me until xmas...

I would definitely think about getting a job and continuing to work, yes. But this is not something I have broached with her yet. Hell, I'd work for free if it meant I'd get a PhD out of it. I'd work out a way!

I'll get that second opinion, and go from there.

Thanks once again.

Hi all

This is my first post, as I haven't had too much of a break-down to complain about anything work-related... until now.

Some background. I am 2yr 8mth into my PhD meaning I have 4 months of funding left. Three years of funding was secured for my PhD, but I have four years in which to submit my thesis. It has been very slow, something which I'm sure most of you can relate. I am split between two universities 40 miles apart, and it has been completely up to me to make this split-site project work. My car, my petrol money, no travel expenses... you can imagine how this wears at my minimal PhD wage!

Anyway, I'm finally getting somewhere and the results are rolling in. I handed my first full (70 page) chapter in two weeks ago. Yesterday I met with both of my supervisors for our monthly meet. It was awful. I've never got on with my principal supervisor anyway, but yesterday she ripped me apart. Screaming at me where repeats weren't done, and asking my why some experiments hadn't even been attempted. This is, of course, because I'm doing the other 1 million experiments she's demanded of me, and I simply couldn't get round to it in my constant 14hr working days.

Can anyone relate?

At the end of the meeting she declared: "This is good data, solid data, and it's created a good story. The great news is that this work is publishable. Low impact, but publishable. However, you simply do not have enough data for a thesis, so we're going to need to sit down next week and discuss what your alternatives are."

I'm sorry, alternatives to a thesis? Two years and eight months in, and now she tells me that I need to start not thinking about getting a PhD. Just when I was doing well. I now have a complete lack of motivation, I do not want to see or even think of my lab, and I can barely think straight. I work so hard, and she knows it, yet she just doesn't seem to care what effects her nastiness has on my work.

I am not a quitter. Heck if I was - this PhD would have been abandoned two years ago. It's been very difficult. She feels I won't have enough data after three years, and is completely unwilling to make any moneys available to me to stay for three-six more months in the lab, as is my other supervisor.

I've never been so down, and I could really do with a little advice. I want a PhD, it's what I've always dreamed of. I am scared, alone, and I just don't know where to turn.

Any help or other experiences would be greatly welcomed. Thank you.