Anyone else just starting or about to start a PhD?

[Materfacit]

Wondering if there was anyone else out there in the same boat?

I don't officially enrol until October but I have a meeting with my supervisor in a month. I'm also preparing DCs for childcare and trying to find the notes I made for my proposal which I submitted at the beginning of the year. And learning to drive. And trying desperately not to panic ( have been out of academia for a long time).

I'm in the writing up stage of my PhD, and man, it's hell! Hope you know what you've let yourself in for . I think you're very brave to take it on with kids (my mom did, she started her phd when I was small) I don't have any children and can't imagine juggling it all, but i know a lot of people that do, and manage it very well! If I could give you one piece of advice, write up as much as you can as you go along! Even if its just bits and pieces, it will really help you when you come to writing up the big ol' thesis.

Eek RightsaidFreud, not what I wanted to hear!

DCs are older though, one in junior school and one very nearly school age so I will have five days a week to work on it. I'm registered for part time, but was planning to work full time on it as much as I can which should give me a bit of flexibility. I've also got a very supportive DH with a flexible job; he got his PhD a few years ago so I am aware of some of the pressures etc, although his was in a very different discipline.

I hope it all goes well with you- you sound very stressed!

I've been told writing up is always stressful, probably hanging around on mumsnet isn't the productive thing to be doing, but it's friday after all . That's great that your DH is supportive, and if you've already seen him go through the process, i'm sure you'll be fine.

I saw DH very rarely when he was writing up, hard times.

Didn't help that he was a sciencey type, so it was long hours n the lab, going back late at night to refill things with various dangerous chemicals, lots of time away doing experiments abroad and lots of conferences.

I suspect I will have the same problem dragging myself off mumsnet in the future, DH said he can block it for me on the router but I went a bit pale so he stopped talking about it!

What's your thesis? If you talk about it on here, that counts as work a little bit doesn't it?