I kind of know of a few of you but just thought I'd ask.
Anyway, hands up who's feeling as disillusioned as I am? Just can't and won't do any work today! Had a crap meeting on Friday and now lost the will to do anything...

Thats how I felt through most of my PhD! When writing up I got very good at Tekken as I hit a block at about 3.00 every afternoon when I couldn't take it any more so I went for coffee, chocolate and to beat up a videa game to vent my frustrations!!!

Thats how I felt through most of my PhD! When writing up I got very good at Tekken as I hit a block at about 3.00 every afternoon when I couldn't take it any more so I went for coffee, chocolate and to beat up a videa game to vent my frustrations!!!

hmmm chocolate.... i reckon the only thing to do is for me to go home and sulk. Alebit that I only got in at 11 (very very late for me)...

hmmm chocolate.... i reckon the only thing to do is for me to go home and sulk. Alebit that I only got in at 11 (very very late for me)...

Go with the chocolate - it's the answer to all life's ills!!!

Well apart from chocolate addiction I suppose!

What many students who embark on PhDs fail to realise (until its too late) is that doctoral research is very different from undergraduate or even Masters' level study. For one thing, it requires a much higher degree of self-discipline and of self-motivation than they may expect. The key relationship (often the only relationship) is between the supervisor and the student. Moreover, you are likely to have far fewer personal meetings with your supervisor than you would probably have had with your tutors on undergraduate or Masters' level courses. Some supervisors are very diligent, but others are far less so. Some will give you detailed and explicit guidance about what you should be doing, whereas others will more or less leave you to it, unless you prod them periodically.

I think it is probably the case that the standard of support given to PhD students is probably higher now than it used to be, in that you are likely to be offered courses in Research Methods and related subjects at the outset (in the US, PhD students are likely to do a lot of taught courses). It used to be the case that, in the UK, after the topic had been agreed with the supervisor, students were more or less left to get on with it, apart from infrequent meetings - which is probably why so many were never finished.

I kind of know of a few of you but just thought I'd ask.
Anyway, hands up who's feeling as disillusioned as I am? Just can't and won't do any work today! Had a crap meeting on Friday and now lost the will to do anything...


I think its called January blues, happened to me last year as well. I can't seem to do much work other than read a tiny bit of a paper and then go back to surfing the net. arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

I think its called January blues, happened to me last year as well. I can't seem to do much work other than read a tiny bit of a paper and then go back to surfing the net. arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

God, i can't even bring myself to look at a paper. I'm raging at the injustice of it all. Stupid science. It's all just make-believe anyway.

What many students who embark on PhDs fail to realise (until its too late) is that doctoral research is very different from undergraduate or even Masters' level study. For one thing, it requires a much higher degree of self-discipline and of self-motivation than they may expect. The key relationship (often the only relationship) is between the supervisor and the student. Moreover, you are likely to have far fewer personal meetings with your supervisor than you would probably have had with your tutors on undergraduate or Masters' level courses. Some supervisors are very diligent, but others are far less so. Some will give you detailed and explicit guidance about what you should be doing, whereas others will more or less leave you to it, unless you prod them periodically.

I think it is probably the case that the standard of support given to PhD students is probably higher now than it used to be, in that you are likely to be offered courses in Research Methods and related subjects at the outset (in the US, PhD students are likely to do a lot of taught courses). It used to be the case that, in the UK, after the topic had been agreed with the supervisor, students were more or less left to get on with it, apart from infrequent meetings - which is probably why so many were never finished.

I'm just having an off day.

But I have to agree that things have changed, although we still have to do it in 3 years, including a good 6 months of faffing about with the 'courses'. And personally, I've been left to get on with it. Neither of my supervisors have any experience of the techniques in my grant proposal, and there is no one in my department who has either.

Good timing for this thread. Just produced yet another sheet of absolute garbage from my bloody microplate reader after five hours or so getting everything together and found out after three hours of setting up another thing that I'm out of a reagent I need and I'll have to start again next week, feeling a bit scazzato with the whole PhD thing.

Good bits too apparently, I'm still holding out for those!

Luckily I do have a supervisor who when around, is fairly attentive and definitely knows what she's doing. Be absolutely buggered otherwise!

I'm just having an off day.

But I have to agree that things have changed, although we still have to do it in 3 years, including a good 6 months of faffing about with the 'courses'. And personally, I've been left to get on with it. Neither of my supervisors have any experience of the techniques in my grant proposal, and there is no one in my department who has either.

A key common problem is that PhD subjects are often so specialised and abstruse that the supervisors may have even less knowledge about the topic than you do. Moreover, the supervisor him (or her) self is likely to be under pressure to do research and to meet tight deadlines.

A good supervisor though should be able to provide you with valuable advice about research techniques and should at least be able to point you in the right direction. They should also regard it as part of their duties to boost flagging morale and to offer reassurance when the student gets the jitters (as he or she inevitably will at some point).

Most supervisors will start taking a keen interest when the thing is near completion, as their reputations will be on the line when they have to decide whether its good enough to submit. Some supervisors end up being more nervous than the candidate on viva day!

My supervisors are great, all three of them. It's just me being rubbish currently. I don't want to talk to them in case they realise what little work I have done since week 2 of December.

My supervisors are great, all three of them. It's just me being rubbish currently. I don't want to talk to them in case they realise what little work I have done since week 2 of December.

What year are you in Spicey? I reckon there's a whole field of new research looking at the development of a tardis specifically for PhD students. Or maybe I'll just clone myself...now there's an idea!

What year are you in Spicey? I reckon there's a whole field of new research looking at the development of a tardis specifically for PhD students. Or maybe I'll just clone myself...now there's an idea!

2nd year, yourself?

Someone should do a PhD about procrastination in phd students.

2nd year, yourself?

3rd and allegedly final. Yeah right. I'm not really struggling with motivation, i'll get it back tomorrow, just had enough really.

If you can, go to a GradSchool...

I am! Not until November though!

I am! Not until November though!

Are you on a longer residential one? Windermere?

Are you on a longer residential one? Windermere?
Yep!

Did you go on it? How was it?

Yep!

Did you go on it? How was it?

Excellent! Really really good. Went this November just gone. Word of warning though: try get good rest beforehand, you'll be absolutely exhgausted by the end of it.

Gradschool? What's that?

Crayfish:

link (http://www.grad.ac.uk/cms/ShowPage/Home_page/p!eecddL)

You get together with other phd students around the country and talk about career stuff and team exercises etc. Some funding councils make it compulsory for their students to attend (like mine) but it sounds like a good experience anyway.