I've just completed my final chapter, so now have an entire first draft of my thesis (only a few changes to make - should take a month or two at the most if all goes well) and then I'm ready to submit!

How much work do you guys have left to do?

congratulations!

myself, still got at least 2 years to go.

Woo hoo! My thesis is being examined at the moment, so I know how wonderful it feels to finish an entire draft. You are on the home straight now. Hope you have a celebratory treat planned for yourself this weekend. Enjoy!

Hi Shani and Piglet,

Thanks for your messages.

Piglet - Yes, I feel like I've heard the bell for my final lap (although it still looks like a very long one!). When will you hear a decision regarding your thesis?

Congratulations BB!!! How long did it take you to write your first draft? Was it a very painful process? Or not too bad?

I found it a long painful process and had a draft at the end of May (my 4th year), with a talk to my supervisor about how I was hoping it just needed quick reading so I could move on. My supervisor has only just read it, and now is finding big mistakes, and problems that he didn't pick up on in an earlier draft he read. Sorry, just bitter at the moment!
Hopefully Aug/Sep now.

Littlemissworry - I'm bang on my 'official' 3 year mark at the moment, so by the time I (hopefully) submit the PhD will have taken me 3 years and 2/3 months. However, I've taken long breaks over every summer (i.e. 4-6 weeks of doing no work), and also made a point of taken 2/3 weeks off every Christmas (and that's not including the odd week of here and there - i.e. Easter and just when I feel I need a break).

Just work consistently (for each chapter I read - until I felt like my eyes were bleeding - for a few weeks, then locked myself away from the outside world and just got down to writing them). Luckily, I haven't got many amendments to make to my overall thesis, just inserting a few sentences at various points/sorting out referencing and writing the extra odd paragraph here and there.

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I find writing a VERY painful process. For me, writing didn't get easier (as I thought it would), but got harder and harder!

Having said that (and I'm assuming your at the early stages of doing a PhD), as I said before ... just work consistently, get down to it, accept that it isn't going to be your 'life defining' piece of work, and you will get there.

Small steps!

PS I've still got a way to go yet to!

BB, I submitted 2 months ago and expect news any day now. I actually heard yesterday that my uni has received the examiners comments, but I am not allowed to be told anything until my supervisor responds to the comments. Usual university red tape and protocol stuff.

I knew it would take a couple of months to hear anything, so after I submitted I pretty much forgot about it for 6 weeks. I surprised myself by being so calm. If anyone asked me about it, I would get that horrible feeling of doom and dread inside, then just forget about it again. But in the past couple of weeks, knowing the result could come at any time, I have really started stressing and stewing. I check my email, phone and letterbox a lot! Will keep you posted.

Congratulations BB! I'm just about to start writing my 3rd PhD chapter (out of 6 main chapters + 7th conclusions chapter). Each chapter is such a long and painful process to write. I can't wait to be in your position! You're nearly there - make sure you treat yourself to something nice.

It's good to know you can finish pretty much on time with a good few weeks holiday each year! I would imagine you come back much more refreshed and work better. I bet there are people out there who don't take many weeks but just burn themselves out!

how long is your thesis?

About 80, 000 words ... I'm kind of 'to the point' and (my supervisor agrees) don't think unnecessary 'waffle' is needed (i.e. if I wrote more, I'd be putting in stuff just for the sake of 'bulking out' the thesis).

If you are in the early stages, don't worry about things like word count. Just get on with writing the thesis!

Littlemissworry - just take one day at a time, you will get to this stage eventually.