Well I am sorry to hear that others are/have been in the same boat but at the same time, it is very comforting. I just need to get a grip of myself and do it. I think pretty much all of the above reasons apply to me.

timefortea - yes printing times are factored in - as I am in Malaysia and my university is in England, I just send the PDF to the copy shop a couple of days before submission and they will deliver it. A bit worried that the PDF might be too big for email but that's a worry for later.....

Good luck to those of you in a similar situation and well done to those who have done it!

HELP!

I have just 12 days until I submit my PhD and I am still working on the Discussion chapter and still have the conclusion to write. I work full time and have two children. You would think that the adrenaline would have kicked in and with the end being in sight, I'd be off and running, but my writing is slow, my words are clumsy and my insights are dull.

I have just applied for unpaid leave for next week in the hope that I can salvage something.

Did anyone else start to slow down rather than speed up at this point? Why is this happening?

Any advice at all would be sooooooooooooooooooo appreciated!

Thanks
Cody

Goodness me! I now realise just how lucky I am. My supervisor reads my stuff chapter by chapter or even section by section if I get stuck and gets back to me with feedback after a few days, within a week if it is a long chapter. She is constantly on my case negotiating deadlines so that I get the work done. The associate supervisor who I haven't needed to have much contact with will be reading the final draft before it is submitted and he says he needs a week to get it back to me. I did contact him and work out the schedule in plenty of time so that has helped I guess. I really don't understand supervisors who would not read the thesis or take such a long time to read. It is a stressful enough process without that kind of additionalpressure.

Hi there,

Thanks for asking. It's actually going OK now. I have completed one case study of about 10k words and almost finished the next one which is about 8k. I am into the swing of it now and just going to push on to the next one. Writing the analysis, although very intensive, has been faster that the lit review or methodology chapters, it's like once the momentum kicks in, it falls into place. I think my thesis is more likely to be around 70k words than the max 80k, but I am not overly concerned about that.

I didn't bother to pursue asking about just doing two case studies as somehow it just feels a bit risky. In the end I wondered if I would be writing the same amount of words anyway, but just in more detail.

This is a really tough time and I am having good days and bad, but I just need to keep going. I am almost there. For anyone who has felt that it isn't possible to complete in a short space of time, I would say, just give it your best shot, but don't give up. Adrenaline is a great thing!!!!

Thanks. I have already taken 2 LOAs and my submission date is the absolute final. No more extensions. I have three weeks holiday coming up I will have to do what I can then. Unpaid leave etc is impossible as I am head of department at a busy international school and we have so much going on at the end and start of term. However, I am very determined and I can achieve a lot when I really put my mind to it. It's short term pain for long term gain I guess. I have asked mu supervisor, she thinks it might be OK but can't guarantee.

Thank you for the advice.

Hi everyone,

I really need some advice.

My PhD is in Applied Linguistics and my title is 'Subjectivity and the discursive positioning of Saudi women in interview talk: A feminist poststructuralist inquiry'. It takes an ethnographic case study approach but I am running out of time. I have about 2 months left and I have only the Lit Review and Methodology chapters written (I work full time and am a single mum of two).

I had intended to do 3 case studies, but I am wondering if I will only have time for two. Does anybody know if this would suffice? My supervisor says that 3 is the norm, but if I can only manage two then there's nothing I can do. Does anybody have any experience or knowledge about this? I am with a British university if that makes any difference.

Any words of wisdom much appreciated.

Thanks

Hi Epel,

I really sympathise with you. I wrote a similar message on here a few months back asking for opinions as to whether it would be possible for me to turn my PhD thesis around and meet my final submission date! My circumstances are also less than ideal - full time busy job, two children, single mother, I live overseas and also feel isolated and don't have much support so I can definitely relate to how you feel. HOWEVER....

Only you can decide if it's possible. I think it's all about the mindset and just making a decision one way or the other. I have 4 months to write 70k words, but I have decided to do it. How many words do you still have to write and in how much time? Decide if it is something that you are able and willing to do and if you decide to do it then just go into it with 100% conviction. I wasted a lot of time, anxiety, energy and tears worrying myself sick, rather than just focusing and taking charge of what needs to be done. If you decide to complete it, then your mindset and attitude has got to be right! It won't be easy but if you decide it is possible then it will be possible.

I don't think there's much you can do at this stage about your supervisor so just accept that situation for what it is and don't dwell on it. I would say focus on the things that you CAN change. Can you foster a better relationship with her? Can you humbly explain how lost you are and ask for help to refocus? Can you ask her to help you put together a timetable of work?

If it really is all too much for you then just walk away with your sanity. Nobody ever died of not having a Masters or PhD and you have nothing to prove to anyone, it doesn't make you a worse person if you decide to quit. By the same token , you've come this far and if you have it in you to complete, then go for it!

Wishing you the very best of luck!

My fear is reaching submission date with an incomplete thesis as I don't have time to finish.

Living on cheap junk food will do nothing to help your mood, concentration, ability to sleep and overall general well being. You really can eat healthily on very little money. Cook a big pot of something and then freeze it and have it throughout the week. There are lots of websites with good ideas of how to cook cheaply.

We all get stressed. I have worked full time and raised two kids alone for the last 7 years while doing my PhD by distance and it's been a very tough ride. Regardless of your circumstances, placement, work or whatever, a PhD seems to stress most people out. I think you just have to ride the waves and learn to go with the flow.

As for having 4.5 months of personal development ahead ...... I think of myself as a work in progress, the personal development is never ending. You will fall into your own routine and find what works for you. Some weeks I feel like giving up the study and hibernating under my covers forever and ever and ever and then the next week I'm on top of my game again. I think that's how life is.

My marriage broke up mid PhD and I saw a counsellor at that time. I saw quite a few until I found the right one that I clicked with so if you think that's something that could help you, then you maybe need to try out a few first. It's exhausting and disappointing pouring your heart out to someone and just not feeling like it's any good, but when I eventually did find the right one, it was a huge step in moving forward.

You have listed a whole bunch of negative stuff about yourself to justify why the PhD will be hard - too poor, too stressed, capable enough, I just can't etc etc - I got 78% in my Masters BUT....there's no but about it - that's a fantastic mark and you did it! And now you've been accepted to study at PhD level. That's pretty amazing. Of course you will be feeling nervous and that's fine, but maybe change the critical inner voice a little and be a bit - actually a lot - kinder to yourself. For me, the PhD itself has been a huge part of my personal development in so many ways and still is - I am on a horribly tight deadline until submission and have a new job with long hours and a lot of responsibility. However, over the years I've learned not to be so hard on myself and to believe in myself 100%....on most days anyway!

I don't think you need someone else's example to follow I think you just need a huge dose of self belief and faith! Wishing you the very best of luck!

I find this ridiculous. Isn't it their job to guide you through the entire process? I am self funding, not that that should make any difference, but my supervisor will give feedback on absolutely everything I write. She gives me the option to send her sections of chapters or the whole chapter and I get the feedback sent to me within a few days. If I'm unclear, we have a Skype meeting as I am studying by distance.

At my university the role of the supervisor is clearly defined in our PhD handbook, I'm sure it must be at other universities too. I really feel sorry for you guys who don't have this level of support and I know realise how lucky I am with both my supervisor and my university.

I know none of us want to bite the hand that feeds, but if you really don't get any reasonable response, then I would look into what the regulations are re the role of the supervisor and see if it's something that you can take further. The last thing you need at this point is any additional stress. Good luck!

It all sounds very familiar. I have 8 months to go, I work full time and am the single mother of two kids. I also used to keep fit, meditate, eat well and sleep well. I also believed that once the pressure was seriously on that I would spur into action. I've written about 20k words and haven't even started my analysis. I have faith, though. Good luck to you all.

Hi thanks for the reply. I didn't even know that was an option. Is that allowed? Who might do that? How would I arrange it? What kind of fee are we talking about? ???

What are you doing?

I am using FPDA - Feminist Poststructural Discourse Analysis - the transcription method isn't too detailed, but you are absolutely right about how time consuming it is.......

Hi, thanks for your reply. My field is sociolinguistics and, although I pretty much know what I want to transcribe, I haven't actually transcribed a single word yet! In my ever-changing plan of work, I have given myself two months to transcribe and analyse each of the 3 case studies that I intend to do. But I haven't even started with this. I was hoping to move more quickly through the lit review and methodology chapters than I have been able to do.

There's not really anyone who can help, to be honest, which is just something I have to accept. My issue is this - say I decide to just dig deep and really sacrifice everything for the next 10 months - is there still a realistic chance of getting it done, or has the situation gone beyond that and is it just hopeless now?