The university I am currently based at is in the process of reviewing the PhD policy. One proposed revision is the recommendation that PhD students work at least 50 hours per week on their thesis if they are to complete in 3 years. A lot of students (including me) are appalled by this. In order to survive I have to work at least 10 hours per week outside of my PhD so that would mean working 60 hours per week. It is just completely unrealistic. Why can't they just say in the policy - it is unusual for students to complete the PhD in three years therefore we recommend you plan financially for the additional time that may be required. Agggggh!

If you work Mon to Fri, that's 10 hours a day! I can't see something like that becoming best practice. I think it's naive because PhDs don't work like that. Factor in that most PhD students (me excluded) have lives, families and part time jobs, it's ridiculous. Personally, I don't see how they could ever enforce something like that. As we know, we all move at different rates during different parts of our PhD.

It made me wonder whether the person who made this recommendation has also got a PhD because it seems completely unrealistic and out of touch to me. Sure you might put in weeks like that towards the end but no way is it sustainable for 3 years straight! I think they are just trying to brush off the concerns made about the feasibility of finishing in 3 years given the VERY low stipends our university awards to a small number of students. It isn't possible to live on without working at least 10 hours a week. They don't want to give us any more money so they can ignore it by just saying hey it is possible you just need to work 50 hours per week for 3 years whilst also having a job and therefore no life.