seems I'm not the only one procrastinating today!  :p

Great article. Nice to think that the way I often feel isn't so bad after all...

Hi PGF,

I don't post very often on here but wanted to share the happy bubble I'm in.

It's so nice to have the undergraduates back and some fantastic new postgraduates, the University is again brimming with activity. It's lovely to have so many people milling around after having had months of quiet. Of course, there's now nowhere to park and an hour long cue for coffee, but I do love the initial months of a new academic year where everyone makes that extra special effort to take time out from their work to welcome the new and reacquaint with the 'old'. So, I am very happy to be part of this all.

Having said that, I've had a couple of weeks off so am now, so trying to get back in the saddle. It is so hard to get back into things after some time away, especially with the exciting hubbub of P/G social events. Anyway, whilst trying to find anything to do but my own work (big procrastination issues since my return), I stumbled across this video on you-tube. It made me titter and feels so relevant. So, if you're feeling the warm glow but struggling with your flow, perhaps you'll feel it too...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4P785j15Tzk

Hi Smoobles,

funny that I should spot this post as I put one up myself that was very similar only a few hours ago. I too couldn't get a mortgage but we've just been into town and spoken face to face with a high street lender and managed to get a mortgage with a 90% LTV at 6.6%. The rate isn't as good as what we had originally applied for, but we now have a mortgage promise and the house we have put an offer on is now off the market!

It really worked talking to a human. The woman we delt with was excellent, helpful and informative. And we've now secured our dream house! Yay!

So there are lenders out there, but on the phone they are too inflexible. I can give you the name of the lender if you want, but expect I can't post it as advertising isn't allowed I don't think! Needless to say, the lender is the high street bank who make adverts with people who sing and dance to well known tunes. Oh, and a guy called Howard sang on some of the ads. Hopefully that helps you, but PM if you need the exact name.

This sort of discimination is stupid, so glad someone realises that we are valuable members of the community and we are earning a crust!

======= Date Modified 28 Feb 2009 11:06:52 =======
Hi Shani

thank you for your reply. Sadly we don't have a large deposit, but we have now managed to get a fixed rate mortgage with a 90% LTV at 6.6%. The rate isn't as good as what we had originally applied for, but compared to the 1980s I think the rate is still reasonable in our situation!

Hey Frogs,

Apologies for the late reply - I've only just picked this up. How are the applications going?

Ok, so, how am I finding the course - well, to be honest, really hard but really great. Some days I feel completely inadequate and wonder why I am putting myself through so much stress, but other days I am so full of excitement for what I am doing (especially when I'm starting to understand things). The huge multi-disciplinary nature of my dept means there are a wide range of backgrounds from physicists, neuroscientists, programmers, psychologists, so we all bring our own skills to the table and help one another. I know I am incredibly fortunate to be here (often question why me!) but it's worth it.

So good luck to you!

Hi,

was wondering if anyone could tell me whether they have managed to get a mortgage based upon their research grant as an income? My partner and I have just applied to a large well-known mortgage lender and they've said that they will only lend against his earnings as mine aren't "real money" because I don't pay tax! So, we can't afford to borrow enough to buy the house we're after (or any other house in our neck of the woods). I know lenders are cautious at the moment, but this seems ridiculous as my money is g'teed for the next few years! I can't see a major research council going bust somehow! Has anyone got any advice/come across this/resolved it!?!


:-(

Hey Frogs,

from my own experience (Psychology Undergrad, current Neuroscience Postgrad), I think it depends on your degree and the degree you're applying for. If your undergrad is a BA you may not be able to apply (but check anyway!). I didn't have any problem going from one discipline to the other in terms of getting a place and funding; however, I had worked hard to get relevant experience whilst doing my degree. I always knew I was most interested in the biological and cognitive aspects of Psychology, so made sure I could show this on my application.

On another note (sorry if this sounds obvious) but make sure that the neuroscience courses you're applying for are what you want - it's a broad area, so make sure that if you're applying for a course doing cellular neuroscience, for example, that cellular is what you want! Also, be prepared for maths, physics and programming if you decide to do cognitive neuroscience. Other courses such as the Wellcome Trust 4 year Neuroscience programmes cover a wide range of areas (and are open to Psychology graduates), but include animal studies, so you have to decide if this is something you are able to do.

Whatever happens though, you lose nothing from asking the question. So, do some research into the areas of neuroscience that interest you, check which programmes match up with those interests, then contact the programme leader if you're unsure if your degree is acceptable. Then apply, and remember to relate your experience and interests to the programme that you're applying for.

Best of luck!

Hi Cdrwolfe

wish I was a programmer - it would make life a lot easier. I wonder if, like your brother, I'll never be heard from again after this....

Thank you for highlighting those problems. It seems to be rather a tricky thing they have given me. Well, for the novice anyway. I know that the Psychtoolbox is really what would handle this best (from a point of view of timing, colour constancy etc); however, I can't get to grips with that at all

:-(

That site looks like just what I need - it's hard when you don't know where to start, so thank you again for all of your help

:-)

Hi H,
sadly yes. It's something my supervisors want me to do - an exercise for someone in the early stages I suppose.

Hi Bovp2000,

thank you for your reply.

I haven't looked at GUI programming so I'll look that up, thank you! All I kept coming across was using either the Screen commands (which were impossible at my early stage in learning) and 'imshow' .

I don't need Matlab to determine matched or no-matched - I just need the programme to know when the randomised sequence of type A and type B images is matched, so that the users input can be determined as correct or incorrect. I'm assuming that this will be some sort of 'If' type function. I thought it would be best to set up a programme that will simply display my images first before tackling this bit!

Strictly speaking, the images depict a scenario - for example, a coloured box on a chair from two different orientations (type A and type B). The user has to identify whether they match (i.e. a blue box on a chair, followed by a blue box on a chair) or don't match (a blue box...followed by a red box). The user will provide a response stating whether they 'match' or not, then I want some text to appear to tell them whether they were correct or not.

I then want to compare reaction time differences between matched and unmatched stimuli - which I've found using the tic/toc command.

Any advice on the commands to look up would be great. I need to learn this stuff myself, but a prod in the right direction is great.

Hi Everyone,

I'm hoping that someone can help me. I have a cognitive experiment to write in Matlab, however, I'm failing miserably. I've scoured the Matlab help, several books and the web, but can't seem to find any solution to what I'm sure is an easy problem. I think my major problem is, because I'm new to this, I don't know a) whether the things I'm trying to do are possible and b) what the processes are called to be able to find help.

I have a series of .bmp (or .jpg) images. I need to display an image (e.g. type A), the participant makes a keypress to progress, then display another image (e.g. type B), then the participant makes a response indicating whether pictures A and B 'matched', then I display whether their response was correct or incorrect. There are a series of type A and B images, so I have to randomise these. I also want to measure the reaction time difference between congruent and incongruent stimuli.

I haven't really got off the starting blocks yet - despite hours of reading. The problem I have is how to display the images. I've looked at the Psychtoolbox but can only make a blank screen appear. So, I figured I'd just use the standard Matlab command script.

Anyhow, what I have is completely disjointed. I've used the imread/imshow commands, which makes the picture appear, however, the image is displayed as a figure in a new window, in front of the Matlab platform. Plus, where I would display 'correct' or 'incorrect' (after their response) appears in the command window. Really, what I need is the whole thing to appear on its own - with no Matlab things behind it (i.e. the icons, menus etc). Effectively, someone needs to sit in front of it, do their stuff (without being able to see the programming), then I collect their response (plus an RT).

Can anyone point me in the right direction as to what I'm doing wrong? Or what it is called that I'm trying to do? I've found loads of stuff on creating images, but I can't find help on simply displaying ready-made stimuli.

Hope someone can help. I'm so frustrated.

Happy 2009!

I am very clever *coughs* with the weight thing. The trick is, I don't keep anything naughty in the house. If I want chocolate or some delicious cheesecake, I figure that I'll have to walk to the supermarket to get it. That way, I earn my treat. Trouble is, I end up dumping my lardy arse in the car instead and, because I've held out for so long (deliberating - should I, shouldn't I), I end up buying a massive 'to share' bar of Dairy Milk AND the biggest ready to eat cheesecake there is. I often ask myself, who really shares their 'to share' sized bars? As for fun-size, what's so fun about something so darned small that it's gone in one? That used to be a party trick as a kid - who can shove the most marshmallows in their mouth and say 'fluffy bunnies'. Maybe I could play it with 'fun-size' Snickers instead. Hmmmm, if I drive to Tesco now, I wonder how many fun-size Snickers can I do in one. Perhaps in the name of science I should...

Thank you so much everyone for your replies. I feel much better to know that this is fairly normal, and to hear that it should get better!

My first supervision meeting today went really well. As some of you suggested, I wasn't expected to know everything about my PhD topic already (hence why I'm doing a PhD!) and my supervisor seems to be keen to invest the time in me.

I'm going to spend the weekend trying to come up with ways of keeping all of these balls in the air; might go and look at a Blackberry or something similar...

What a supportive family it is here! :p

Hi,

this might seem like a bit of a silly post as it's so early on for me, but last week I started my PhD and already I feel overwhelmed by the huge number of tasks I seem to have: reading, research groups, teaching, lectures, as well as the vast number of social activities. I feel like a big fat fraud - I shouldn't be here doing this, incapable and floundering.

I have a meeting with my supervisor tomorrow and am terrified. The summer after my Undergrad has been spent earning money (and chilling out!), so I feel awfully underprepared for my first official supervision meeting and have little time to get up to speed, although, judging by the reading I was given for summer, I'm sure that there's the expectation I'll already know so much. I really don't.

I suppose, other than to get this stuff off my chest, I wonder, should I be feeling like this already? I seem to have already developed a love of procrastination (I should really be reading now!) and have lost the original bullish self-motivation that I once had as an Undergrad. Did anyone else feel like this so early on, or is this a bad sign? Does it pass?

Maybe my trouble is that I'm used to being super organised, super informed etc. I'm pretty anal in a sense, so feel very unsettled by the newness and my inability to organise everything efficiently. Any advice? Please!!