Soooooo!
My Viva is looking likely to be in March, which is great as Feb feels too soon (!) and gives me confidence of a sort (that is most likely misplaced) that I can't be up for too many corrections... Sup knows my baby is due in May so I doubt he would send me to a viva in March that needed lots of work... or would he, I don't know. Arf.
Life post-submission is delightful :) Well, in theory it is. I don't have to work, I can watch tv all night and not feel guilty and every day is saturday. I do feel a bit worried but now I know the viva won't spring up on me next week I feel better. Like am on a long holiday. Am not worried about the viva now as I have asked around and really there is nothing I can do about it now, and a few people even said that try as they might they couldn't read the thesis or books or do ANY more work between submission and the viva... so went in and just dealt with the questions and realised they knew it all anyway. I feel this.
In real life tho it has been a busy and sad time. My PhD friend died last week from a shitty cancer tht she was only diagnosed with last feb. Is so bloody sd and am incredibly pissed off about it. Is hard to think that this time last year we were both admitting that we had shed a tear on New Years Eve thinking about how this will be Submission Year... then she got cancer, left uni and bloody died. I submit, she passes away. We were meant to submit and graduate at the same time. Is awful :(
In less dreadful news we have applied to rent a house in the South and should move next month. This is also a mixed bag of news... it is wonderful to be moving closer to friends and family so we have help with our young family and be near the sea. And we aren't yorkshire folk so it makes sense to move now uni is finished. But at the same time we have lived here for about 6/7 years now and live in a fabulous village and we just love it. And it is all our son has known. After a trip South to see the houses this week he is clearly delighted to be back in his homeland, so taking him away from it all will be a wrench. But this is the stuff of life eh? And it will be sad to leave where I knew my PhD and my PhD friend. Quite a few endings at the same time. I will be back tho, for the viva and (fingers crossed!) graduation, so maybe it won't be too harsh an ending. And we will have a new baby and a brilliant new home and life to be getting on with. I just have to deal with the ending first, to move into the new beginnings.
Hehe, I have had a dilemma this week as I had to fill in the application for the house and I was ITCHING to tick the 'Dr' box :) So close and yet so far! As it stands I am an unemployed housewife. Not much of a prospect when it comes to applying to rent a housey. But if I was an unemployed housewife that was a Dr, well, that means I did something doesn't it?! It means I worked so hard, and yes, I look after my son now, but I worked once and will again. It is so prestigious, it definitely brings the snob factor out in people and lends a certain amount of security to me as a person (or non-person as stay-at-home mums too often are) and will give me such a leg-up when I re-enter the job market in a few years time :) So much better than a Masters, because they are only useful for a small window of time. A PhD shows so many skill sets and, over all, a determination and will to succeed working on a project for a loooooong time (they don't know how I whined and dithered my way through it ;)). Do it peeps, stick at it!
Anyways. Am glad I know when my viva is likely to be now and that my submission made it to the office! Now, erm... off to make bagels and spend my day feeling pleased, lazy and completely surprised that I really had the determination to complete :) Do it people, life on the other side really is all you think it will be!
x J
My Viva is looking likely to be in March, which is great as Feb feels too soon (!) and gives me confidence of a sort (that is most likely misplaced) that I can't be up for too many corrections... Sup knows my baby is due in May so I doubt he would send me to a viva in March that needed lots of work... or would he, I don't know. Arf.
Life post-submission is delightful :) Well, in theory it is. I don't have to work, I can watch tv all night and not feel guilty and every day is saturday. I do feel a bit worried but now I know the viva won't spring up on me next week I feel better. Like am on a long holiday. Am not worried about the viva now as I have asked around and really there is nothing I can do about it now, and a few people even said that try as they might they couldn't read the thesis or books or do ANY more work between submission and the viva... so went in and just dealt with the questions and realised they knew it all anyway. I feel this.
In real life tho it has been a busy and sad time. My PhD friend died last week from a shitty cancer tht she was only diagnosed with last feb. Is so bloody sd and am incredibly pissed off about it. Is hard to think that this time last year we were both admitting that we had shed a tear on New Years Eve thinking about how this will be Submission Year... then she got cancer, left uni and bloody died. I submit, she passes away. We were meant to submit and graduate at the same time. Is awful :(
In less dreadful news we have applied to rent a house in the South and should move next month. This is also a mixed bag of news... it is wonderful to be moving closer to friends and family so we have help with our young family and be near the sea. And we aren't yorkshire folk so it makes sense to move now uni is finished. But at the same time we have lived here for about 6/7 years now and live in a fabulous village and we just love it. And it is all our son has known. After a trip South to see the houses this week he is clearly delighted to be back in his homeland, so taking him away from it all will be a wrench. But this is the stuff of life eh? And it will be sad to leave where I knew my PhD and my PhD friend. Quite a few endings at the same time. I will be back tho, for the viva and (fingers crossed!) graduation, so maybe it won't be too harsh an ending. And we will have a new baby and a brilliant new home and life to be getting on with. I just have to deal with the ending first, to move into the new beginnings.
Hehe, I have had a dilemma this week as I had to fill in the application for the house and I was ITCHING to tick the 'Dr' box :) So close and yet so far! As it stands I am an unemployed housewife. Not much of a prospect when it comes to applying to rent a housey. But if I was an unemployed housewife that was a Dr, well, that means I did something doesn't it?! It means I worked so hard, and yes, I look after my son now, but I worked once and will again. It is so prestigious, it definitely brings the snob factor out in people and lends a certain amount of security to me as a person (or non-person as stay-at-home mums too often are) and will give me such a leg-up when I re-enter the job market in a few years time :) So much better than a Masters, because they are only useful for a small window of time. A PhD shows so many skill sets and, over all, a determination and will to succeed working on a project for a loooooong time (they don't know how I whined and dithered my way through it ;)). Do it peeps, stick at it!
Anyways. Am glad I know when my viva is likely to be now and that my submission made it to the office! Now, erm... off to make bagels and spend my day feeling pleased, lazy and completely surprised that I really had the determination to complete :) Do it people, life on the other side really is all you think it will be!
x J
5 comments:
That's a sad story about your friend, but I am sure she would be proud that you have submitted.
Good luck with the Viva. I've heard that the better a student you are, the harder they make it for you, so if you feel under pressure then you're doing really well!!
Hi Janey,
Well, a thousand congratulations on submitting, your sense of relief is palpable from your blog. Don't worry about the viva, I have a feeling that you will sail through that.
Just look forward to 2013, your new arrival....and get busy living!
I sympathise with you on the loss of your friend. It was nice how you referred to her as your 'phd friend'. On a journey such as this, how good to have had a friend. May she rest in peace.
Best wishes,
Mimi
Aw thanks, I do hope the viva won't be too awful but know there is little I can do about it apart from do a bit of reading before and turn up. Erk.
Thanks for your condolances. My friend was very much my PhD friend, we met through the course and should have submitted together... and she provided wonderful counsel throughout. I have spoken of her a few times in the blog. Miss her terribly!
Thanks again :
x J
Your blog is great! I'm about 3 months from being DONE with my PhD here in the US, and what I am feeling alternates between extreme pressure/stress, and also incredible boredom when I'm not working on my thesis, because I can't get engaged in anything. I am very excited to be almost done, but not so excited about the post-phd blues, and job searching transition. Good luck to you in your transition. Good to hear how it is right after!
Thanks Robin! Three months is so close, well done :)
Not being able to be angaged in anythig is so rubbish. I have to say that after a lovely month off reading novel after novel I have now got back to that stage again, but now fretting about the viva (and moving house I have to say).
Good luck looking for jobs etc. I have luckily avoided post-PhD blues but it is really common to get them, particularly if you do have a lull before looking for your next step job-wise. It's all part of the process I suppose?!
x J
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