Thread: Scariest email of my Life so far

Lion, Please, cease & desist from self-condemnation.... tha's the function of your enemies... more important in these times that you do NOT deprive them of their role/ JOB in life....

Continue and go forth with Confidence, your cogitations ARE worthwhile !

And Bloody Well Done!

mate if you attitude towards acedemic stuff approaches what you're doing with the bluey build

you got this.

go get'r done and enjoy.

Sounds like congratulations are in order. I have occasionally thought about a PhD, but never seriously considered it - best I've managed was honorary membrship of a learned society - that took nearly fifty years!

Hello All,

Thank you for all your kind words and support. I checked with my Principal Supervisor. Basically, if I am a good boy and slavishly follow all directions, as I ought to...once I get the official feedback, I will be given 6 weeks to make the recommended changes and hand them in. Then off to a professional editor my dissertation goes. Upon its return I have to make any recommended changes in style. For example, diagrams labelled correctly. Preferred use of format for headings - sub-headings. List of Figures - Table of References. Then once I have done that the dissertation goes back to my supervisors for their final nod of approval. Then the dissertation gets sent to the research centre. They send it off to a number of external - outside of my university - examiners. All up my working on the dissertation and it being in my control should be all over red rover at the close of this financial year. After that its fate is in the hands of the examiners.

Then I could wait anywhere between 3 months or over a year before the examiners respond back to the university.

So during that examination time I will have to wait for what may top the scale as my scariest email. The final determination of the examiners. It can fall one of three ways: 1) wonderful and simply damn marvellous - go forth and call yourself "Doctor Evans"; 2) there are some minor revisions as long as you make the recommended changes is the set period of time - default to number 1; 3) this dissertation is an utter crock. Don't waste our time again... sod off.

It is an odd situation. You put your heart and soul into years of independent work. You willingly hand it over to someone who will literally pull your work apart, question you about the decisions you made to reach conclusions. Question your personal efficacy. This is all done with your own certain knowledge that you could receive back a broken pile of crud that represents years of sweat and toil.

It is one very strange - high stakes pursuit.

Kind regards
Lionel