my research idea has been done-fear I will be asked to leave with mphil

[poetry]

So Im in 2nd year of a 4 year PHD, I changed to new topic end of last february and pretty much scrambled it together very quickly for funding application. Anwho I have just this week come accross research that has done alot of what I had planned to do, but just interpreted in a different theoretical framework ( with little proof of that explanation either) 

 

I have a novel and more explanatory account of the relationships involved, which i plan on testing. But now I fear this isn't enough to base my whole Phd on. I'm totally freaked, just emailed my supervisor and asked him his opinion.

 

I worked hard last year, but had some issues over the summer (nowhere to live, no aircon in study space in uni, personal issues, problems getting data- basically didn't do as much as I should have.

 

since term started I have been working hard, I have a lot of classes to take (3) and teach on 2. for example next week classes, teaching and lab group takes up 16 hours spread over week and thats just 'show up' time, doesn't include work put in for those classes and teaching. my supervisor told me i should be doing 40 hours research on top of that. so maybe I should. I struggled with changing sleep schedule and adjusting to work load, so I suppose research suffered a bit, and I feel my supervisor is now unhappy with me ( he was fine last year) but he said things that lead me believe he is presently unhappy with me.

 

so the two things combined I fear I am going to be asked to leave with Mphil.

 

any opinions on this appreciated, going crazy with worry over here.

 

 

 

 

[memyselfandcoffee]

there is worse things than leaving with MPHIL, life goes on

[PsychGirl1]

Relax, calm down, take a day off and get your thoughts together.

 

When you have a clear head, remind yourself of why you want this degree, get your life together, stop freaking out, and approach your adviser calmly to chat about your dissertation as well as your goals for this year. If you're comfortable with it, let him know that you're aware you haven't been managing your time as well as you could be, and that you plan to be making xyz adjustments for this upcoming year, and ask him to give you feedback along the way.

 

Adviser-advisee relationships are a 2-way street! Communication, communication, communication :-D

[Usmivka]

Of course someone has done it before. You're just going to do it better.

 

Also, the last sentence in the above comment. As for the sentence before that, I would consider carefully before saying that your time management has been ineffective; that is a big opening for an advisor to take advantage of you down the road and blame any future issues on you--I've seen it happen.

Edited October 24, 2013 by Usmivka

[juilletmercredi]

Talk to your advisor!

 

Dissertations don’t have to be a completely novel idea; sometimes, they are extensions of earlier ideas or different interpretations of existing theories or data.  It’s your first major research project; nobody expects you to do R01-worthy research yet.  Also, every graduate student ever has had at least one less-than-productive summer; I had at least 2.  You have all of these plans and ambitions and then few of them come to fruition - enough that I think there’s a PhD Comic and an entry on whatshouldwecallgradschool about this.

 

So talk to your advisor.  It’s only your second year; you have a little time to shape your dissertation project.  You may have to change your idea or direction a little bit; that is expected, as you learn more about the field.  My dissertation project is not the same as I thought it would be in my fourth year; it’s not even exactly the same as I thought it would be when I started working on my proposal 6-8 months ago.

 

Also, 60 hours of work a week is normal for a grad student.  You learn how to adjust yourself accordingly so that you get proper sleep and relaxation.  It took me 5 years to learn the balance.

[ybsnroHMark]

I would say that it isn't a big deal if others have done very related work before, especially if their data don't support their conclusions. The PhD doesn't necessarily have to be a novel contribution to the field; however, it should be significant. Depending on how you approach the research, re-interpreting new data in a manner more consistent with them could certainly be significant. Plus, if the data work out the way you think they will, you should be able to imagine the next course of action to take, either on your own or in discussion with lab members and your supervisor.

 

Discuss this issue, and the other problems you mentioned, with your supervisor. Generally speaking, your success is his success, and he should be keenly aware of this already.