AIBU to want to take my degree certificate to the bank?

[DrTrillianAstra]

And make them change all my details to Dr Trillian?

(not Dr Trillian of course, actually Dr Realname, but you know what I mean )

Or is it too unbelievably poncey?

The bank was the first thing I changed (closely followed by the doctors). I didn't need any proof - just told customer services.
I am Dr C at work but the students just refer to me as "Miss" as they do everyone else and I wouldn't have it any other way. My friends ignore it, my grandmother writes it in giant letters when she writes to me and I do insist on it when people are arsey with me. It is sad that it makes such a difference in how people speak to me as a customer - I know it doesn't make me any "better".

Now - as people keep asking me - when I get my medical degree which takes priority? I assume I won't be Dr Dr C!!!

"I do insist on it when people are arsey with me"

See, that's why I don't use it. Why would you insist on it in that situation unless you had a superiority thing going on. Ditto with Boffinmum's 'patronising' headteacher.

When people insist on it with me, it makes me more - not less.

If virgin media someone is patronising me on the telephone and they say "Mrs C" in that particular tone they have, I can't help myself saying "it's Dr actually". It is definitely petty but I still can't stop myself doing it!!

Bah - striking out didn't work...

put two hyphens around each word

Thank you.

took me ages to master that wee trick!

I use it, but mostly because I hate the whole Mrs/Ms/Miss thing - DH uses his a lot less than I do. I don't correct people, but do say Dr if they say "is that Miss or Mrs?". What makes me laugh is that people almost always apologise - because clearly you were supposed to know just from hearing my voice.

I got my PhD before we got married, and a couple of weeks before DH. People wrote to Dr Hab and Dr M happily, until we got married, and suddenly we were Dr his first name M and Mrs his first name M. Now that did piss me off.

i think i prefer wing commander......

woudl look good on my Boots Advanatge card

SM, actually there is a very precise technical difference between a Dr in the academic sense and a Dr in the medical sense. The academic ones have had to be examined by dissertation, whereas the medical doctors are using it as a courtesy title and are, technically speaking anyway, imposters.

However I live in adject fear of being asked to resuscitate someone on an aircraft. I think we all know which doctors are most useful when the chips are down. It reminds of the philosophers' strike in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I mean, would anyone miss us???

I agree with you about Ms McKeith though. Gives all doctors a bad name.

agree we are imposters in the title sense but then doctorate Drs may be enjoying status benefits because members of the public think they are medical Doctors,the assumption being they are likely to be of good character etc

having said that,medical Drs' reputations are rather in the doldrums these days compared with the past,partly thanks to the anti~medical establishment government we have,but that's another story..

Yeh, good for you! You use it.

It has taken me bloody ages to get to the writing up stage of my PhD and I'm desperate to finish the thing. I've had maternity leave and alsorts of life obstacles in my way while trying to work freelance and look after two kids.

I have already threatened to print t-shirts for the playground if I ever get it!!

As someone once told me, they can take away your kids but they can't take away your PhD !

Mrswoolf, funny you should say that. Oddly enough, I find myself quite frequently in the awkward position of doing quality assurance for high level medical exams, and supervising ward rounds or mock up GP consultations. These days quite often I can diagnose the condition (sometimes quite wierd ones too!) and suggest a suitable treatment protocol. Occasionally I can do this better than the lower level candidates, having seen the questions before, so to speak, and knowing what to expect. Everyone assumes I am a medic therefore. However it results in me having to do things like stand in front of grotesquely misshapen genitalia and swollen extremities trying to look noncholant, as if I do this every day. I have to say I didn't know all that library work would result in this!!

I like to use it because it takes any focus off my marital or domestic status. It was a motivating factor in doing the phd in the first place. The pleasure of never ever having to be a Miss or a Mrs. (Ms is fine, but dr better for the gender ambiguity).

Noone ever seems surprised that I'm a woman when I turn up to things. I don't get upgrades but I always thought that was cos of my shoes - someone once told me that they look at your shoes when considering upgrades, and I don't have First Class Shoes.

I love upgrades. I will buy new shoes if that's what it takes!

Do it Trills. You have worked SO hard for that, it's the least your deserve.

Plus, there are practical benefits..not least you might find yourself upgraded when you fly. This is now ALWAYS (exaggeration) happening to my sis.

You deserve the recognition as much as any medical doctor.

Don't hide your light under a bushel.

I have never put my letters after my name so I am going to do it here just once to see how it looks - SEB1 BEng(Hons), MSc.

Fennel - finally someone else who did a PhD not to be Miss/Ms/Mrs!

My sister is married but did her PhD when she was single.

She has bank accounts in her own name ie Dr xxx yyy, and bank accounts with her husband, ie Mr and Mrs aaa bbb, and bank accounts in her married name ie Mrs xxx bbb.

We are Dr A and Dr B (my DP, separate surname, also phd). And we used to live with another Dr B(that's my sister a medical doctor) and Dr C (my sister's partner, also a medical doctor).

Rather a surfeit of Dr titles in one household.

And still none of us have EVER been upgraded on a flight.

I have Dr on stuff wehen it comes up for renewal, but not my passport as I would feel a fraud (I hAVE A science PhD). DH gets unearthed all the time on flights to give medical assistance.

I only use Dr when p[eople are starting to be patronising to me

I am working on teaching DCs about bragging atm - YABU, don't be a show-off. Well done BTW.

DH is in the forces and never uses his title outside of work. I did use it recetnly when ordering a box of veg from Riverford...unfortunatley although there were 1001 options, his actual rank wan't there - so I promoted him!

What about putting MBEs, OBEs etc on cards?