Hello All,
Do you want to start a PhD chat room, to help each other and please let us keep it formal and help each other, am sure there are many lonely confused PhDs out there.


It would be good to announce a subject every week or so, and we can arrange a meeting sometime of the week to suggest helpful hints and post it here, so that everyone can read it.

what do you think guys, let me know:-)

If I remember correctly, there is actually an MSN chatroom that you can participate in if you use Microsoft Messenger, specifically for PhD students. You could always create your own too, as you're suggesting, and get like minded people to join :-)

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Hello walminskipeas,



Yes, I know, I tried it but, it is not active any more.



As long as I can chat about PhD issues, it doesn't matter to me. :-)

by the way i have voted for you as a helpful user.

Can I be a helpful user too? Wal refuses to give me any stars because he is obsessed with his VIP status :-(

Have you tried PhD comics - I think they have a forum and possibly a chat room as well as funny comics!

Hello Skneaks,
of course, I have just voted for you. I am a bit surprised you people taking it very seriously.

any way, I know the phdcomics, I don't think they have a live chat room? it is only comics and some forum, besides it is in America, it feels better to have one for this community?
I don't know about others, am doing Biochemistry, and sometimes (well most of the times) the experiments go wrong, it would be nice to have a group to analyse the protocols and find out what went wrong?

Any one out there doing Biomedical sciences?

I really want a chat room
:$
:-(

Hi Someone, we're only taking it seriously because our lives depend on it; we are a strange, isolatated bread of human which has become star dependent due to being cut off from other forms of human contact and affirmation.

I hope that comment was helpful enough to get me a vote. One day, when you have been down this cave for years on end, you will understand...

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Hello Eska,

I did vote for you as well. I still don't understand the obsession of the stars ( OK it is nice to get one) but, not that much.

I have been in "your cave "and still is, I am International student, and like you there is no one to talk to at all.

It is very hard and I do take the PhD seriously. In fact I went through a period of deep depression and I was struggling so much to go to work because of the environment I was working in.



I have been working on my project for three years and writing for one year, and am waiting for my viva now,

what I mean is this place should be to help each other, not to worry about who is getting "the stars".

Isn't there any chance that someone would help another one without expecting any thing in return?

Is the world getting that bad?



:-(

Hello Someone3, So sorry to hear aout your depression etc. My comment was ironic: I actually am ok re: affirmation, and I'm not isolated, i have plenty of colleagues and friends and a very kindly aunty who makes sre I'm ok most days (can get a bit irritating but I love her to bits and couldn't be without her). It was just a joke, as is the whole vying for stars thing. We're just having a laugh and being playful, so sorry for any offence. Of course you don't have to give a star to get advice; we're just letting off steam and taking the mickey out of the whole competitiveness of academia thing. Don't take us seriously, we're just having fun. Maybe it's a British humour thing, we're being ironic, and also procrastinating a lot. I'm getting a bit worried now in case I get four stars and then I willhave to thinkk solely about my work :( (that was a joke!).

You could join one of the accountability threads if you want some people to share your experiences and help you aong your way with your work. I'm on the accountability thread which has been focussed on writing up, so as a second year part-time, I'm thinking of swapping to sneaks' new accountability thread, which is more general. It works really well, it helps you keep track of yourself and you get loads of chat and mutual support. We're nice really, just get a bit silly someitmes to let off steam. Good luck

:-)

Hello Eska,
Thanks for the considerate reply, you made my day, that is very kind of you.

I did not feel offended, sorry if I seemed like that, the thing is I am already frustrated and your reply was just a reminder of how lonely and "cave" like environment is the PhD life. You were just unlucky and I let the frustration of four years to come out in my reply. The thing i got so many requests from users to vote for them, and I found it a bit sad, cause in real life and in my circle, people only help you if they can get something from you, and when I signed in to this forum, I thought oh thanks god not every one is like that and there are still some nice people who help and support each other.

Keep the good works, and to be honest if a vote for a start will help me to get my answers, then that is the smallest thing one can do to show appreciation. (besides if some one reply for a star it already shows that person is really nice only to ask for a star in return)

Thanks again:$

It's not usually like this on the forum, Someone 3. People don't expect stars for giving advice, not really. Certainly not me for whatever help I can give (which is usually limited because we are fortunate to have far more knowledgeable people than me on here) It's just a silly thread I started, so don't feel sad about it. I was just being a bored plonker when I started that fantasy thread :$ So, stars are a fad at the moment like British Knights trainers where with MC Hammer or yellow submarines with the Beetles. By Monday, we'll have all forgotten what stars are anyway.
By the way, I'm glad to hear that you're almost at the end of your journey with the PhD - how I envy you! And I can identify with all of your experiences too. If you need help or support with any aspect of your PhD experience, just drop a thread on here and I'm sure that someone will have been through the issue you have, or know about it, and be very happy to respond. Ignore the stars - they're not really currency :-)

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Hello ALL,







that is very nice of you , it feels nice to share how we feel.



and Walmnis.. you are a celebrity now for sure, I think every one knows you now, not because of your stars but, because the way you show that you care ;-).







am sorry I took your comments too seriously, your earlier posts sounded abit serious to me, may be it is because of language/cultural barriers. :-):$:-x



(up)

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Hi Someone3

I hate to be disloyal to PGF (and I'm not, not really!!) but you could try www.phinished.org - it's another forum for PhD students, based in the U.S. and it has a chat room. It might not suit your purposes tho - people use the chat room as a motivational tool rather than as a forum to discuss work, but I think it's pretty good. I don't know how many science people are on there tho.

And I won't even mention stars! I just like being helpful!

Hello Sue,

Thanks.
it might be helpful, I will try it any way, but I'm keen on a chat room for UK as well.
I think if we are able to discuss problems at work, for example someone has more expertise in an area can help those who are starting etc. I find discussing experimental work (am doing biochemistry) and figuring out what went wrong very useful, sometimes it is only small thing that cause the error.

Hi Someone3, I very nearly raised this issue myself some time back, but thought it would be yet another source of procrastination. However, I think it would be a good idea! You can set up chatroom on platforms, such as Chatango, or otherwise maybe we can use MSN messenger.

@Sue, the www.phinished.org 'Hall of Phame' v. funny!

Not seeking a star :p