Sometimes it strikes me that the PhD is not isolated, its just isolated in all the wrong ways--as I can point out plenty of areas of life where I could do without all the dealings with other people--and not enough of the sort of isolation that is quiet, contemplative, introspective battery charging me time...so I dream of a time post PhD when:

1. I will not have to share a bathroom with unrelated adults.

2. I will not have to share a kitchen with unrelated adults.
( and not with unrelated adults who believe in a rubbish fairy, now a washing up liquid fairy, and a cleaning fairy)
3. My office space will be mine....not just borrowed, small, or squashed or unpleasantly public.
4. Cars will not drive on the pavement instead of the street, making the already crowded pavements even more hazardous.
5. My "home" will be larger than an 8 x 8 room with a bed the size of a yoga mat.
6. I will not be ejected from my "home" at odd hours and in bad weather because other Tower inhabitants decide to demonstrate at 3 a.m. that they do not know how to cook and must set their kitchens on fire as absolute proof of this incompetency.

It strikes me that there are very few times in the day when I am not in hearing or sight of sooo many people. Even at "home", there are the sounds of the other Bleak Towers inhabitants, sometimes sounds you do not wish to hear...

The only time that there is blissful peace and quiet is if I work after hours at the university...something I seem to do more and more!

Crikey! Sounds as if you need a break ... or at least some good choons!
Goto www.jango.com, look for some Suigur Ros (Von in particular) and some Godspeed You Black Emperor and float away!

Would agree with a lot of what you said but in my own case, very lucky to be in a house with people I knew for a long time. Maybe you might suggest to a few friends to do the same - strike out, get a private house to somehow make a homelier place than Bleak Towers ... so what if its more expensive. The extra rent is well worth it (yeah, I can hear the cries of "Do you know the cost of renting in (insert appropriate location).

Failing that, you have to adopt the "the gaff is only where I sleep" and work around that, with activities that get you out of that. And as for the 3.00 wake-up calls, I would get onto management and complain - maybe they could actually run a small campaign in the facility to make the duma$$es aware of this (with the prospect of hefty fines as well). Also, maybe suggest more vending machines in the building ... after all, it is the munchies that sends these cretins to cooking at that hour.

Sorry if I sound a little patronising, and yep, I never lived in campus (f**kers have enough of my cash already!). Hope things improve soon.

Oh I remember my years in crowded places with messy other students. It was HORRIBLE. Flat mates growing mushrooms on old dirty places, smoking joints day and night, listening to music as loud as possible, making party when I have a flue. Once I had a half attac-movement in the kitchen.
I rent a private flat no matter how small it is.
But in general it is the problem of cheap housing, it is noisy, stinky, crowded, small with bad infrastructure. Years ago I started to use ear plugs.. Try it, you will hate your environment less ;)

Me too, all points same as Olivia, just dnt have the issue with cars on the pavement thankfully!

Have had fire alarms at 2 am in the night a couple of weeks ago, somebody left the pasta to cook itself while the snoozed. But honestly, i cant afford anything else (cant means, i actually cant, there isnt any money, its not like i am trying to save money or use it for other purposes...)...for me its a question of putting most everything on hold and do a fast phd....and yes, if it means all this rubbish, so it is...I am young, will have a phd at age 26, and then can hopefully live life.. at least better than right now..

But am dreading the holidays....everyones going off home, i cant...and to top it all, its christmas, my birthday and new years in a span of 7 days...so yes, a deserted residence hall makes year end look so delightful for me..


Gosh, i have sounded like a real mop here, but cant help feeling a bit sad and just a bit scared at the thought of 4 weeks of pretty much being alone through the festivities....

(hmmm...thinking aloud.....is this my first sad post on this forum?? :) )

Aww thanks a lot olivia, maye i ll post stuff....its looking so lonely all of a sudden...

Well, if you are around, I will be checking in so at least you have some company on the forums! Sometimes its better than nothing! I will be at home, was driven to find the means to get home for the holidays when I thought of facing what you are--a bleak several weeks in a bleak place that really is no home...so I really do feel for what you are going to face. :-(

Its not much, but if you do hang out on the forums, I will be sure to check here a few times a day during the holidays and see whats going on!

Thanks a lot, u r nice :)

Gosh Olivia I feel for you petal, have you thought about getting a private rented house or apartment to share?
I live in my own rented apartment rent is sometimes a pain in the arse but its quiet and my bathroom and kitchen are my own. And I have an office in my house mainly cos in university I got tired of being moved around like a flipping wheely chair.
Its a pain with rent but sometimes the benefits do wonders for your work. I turned my apartment into a wee zen haven where I reside pretty much 24/7 only leaving to squint at the sun and shuffle along to the shop lol

I hear you Olivia. As it is i have been busy scrolling on gumtree for alternatives. I live in a house share and my house mates are really getting in the way of my concentration. It's not so much about noise, its relatively quiet, its just the mess in the bathroom and kitchen! I have a whole year of writing up and i am wondering if i can manage it living in my current house... just too stressful... prob is -rent money is limited, am considering working a few more hours so that i can get a studio of my own... well something like that. good luck with your search.

Olivia, I'd also suggest living in private accommodation. There is no way I could contemplate living in student halls now. It was a nightmare when I was an undergrad, and since that time I've always rented a private flat.

Doesn't your university/college have accommodation dedicated to postgrads? Normally they are apartment style blocks which are much quieter normal halls, and often universities have some houses they rent to postgrads. Xmas tends to be the time when these coveted rooms become available.

Another option is to flatshare/rent with a professional person, or lodge with someone. You'd certainly be able to lodge with someone for the same price as student accommodation.

My predicament is so similar to Olivia's, also to top this all, the area in which I live is one of the most unsafe ones apparently, every week, we hear incidents of mugging and such like. The usual happens: residence committees wail, students wail...but back to same stuff next week again.

The worst is having to share facilities. People burn up the kitchen, there is a cloud of smoke in the kitchen at the fag end of a long day and you cant use it, they waste water, all kinds of stuff.

But I am wondering, I have not come across anything thats cheaper....I do know people working a huge amount to pay off that extra margin to live in a decent place, but somehow I cant manage any more part time work than I already am :(

it all boils down to money, doesnt it....urrrrrgh!!

Yep, I'd recommend gumtree.com - though be careful of someone asking you to transfer money before letting you view the property. It seems a pretty regular scam on there. Be careful of any ads that have really good photos, are absurdly cheap and are written in poor english OR ALL IN CAPS. You'll certainly find a room to lodge for the same price as you're paying now, though getting your own studio is still pretty pricey. It might be a bit weird lodging in someone elses house, I went to see one place that was living with a lady and her teenage son, which would have made me feel a bit odd. Either that, or ear plugs!

Try www.flatshare.co.uk for some good accommodation. Often professionals (usually in London) will advertise for a 2nd/3rd flatmate, and often the rent is not all that more expensive than student accommodation (which has become such a rip-off in recent years). My brother who refuses to pay a lot for accommodation no matter how much he earns, usually gets a good place off this site.