Waiting for a viva date

Currently just waiting for a viva date. Thought it would be before the end of the year but it seems it will be in January 2014.

Examiners

I have got my two examiners arranged now and they will be Uli Sedelmeier from LSE and Adrian Treacher from Sussex.

Thesis submission day

I handed it in today !!

Ready to submit

Collected the printed and bound copies of my thesis today and it looks great. All ready to submit !

Thesis sent to printers

Sent my thesis to the printers today - should get the copies back in about three days. Will be great to see it all bound properly!

September 2013

Wow, it's September 2013 - the month I have to submit my thesis. It always sounded like such a long time away 'September 2013', but now it's here.

Proof reading

Currently making corrections to the proof read thesis (thanks Mum!). Feeling really at the limits of being able to even think about it anymore quite honestly. Very, very ready to be done with it.

Back from holiday

Just back from a lovely week in France. Now just six weeks til I have to submit my thesis.

I love this quote

"Hours ill-spent? I searched for the truth and did not find it. But if I find it here it is because I sought it there."

John Stewart Collins, 'The worm forgives the plough'

Entry into examination process

Had a letter from Sussex confirming my entry into the examination process. Kind of amazing that after all this time it is only a month until I will hand in my thesis.

New info

Have discovered that I can in fact submit my thesis whenever I like and that it doesn't have to be on a nominated day. The two months notice they ask for is just to arrange the examiners, which is a process that is currently going on. So, I think in actual fact I will probably aim to submit at the beginning of September.

Submission date

Submission date for my thesis should now be set for 23 Sep.

Supervision on thesis

Had long supervision meeting today going over the whole draft thesis. Got a lot of work to do now. Aiming for submission in September. Discussed possible examiners.

Supervision on draft thesis

Two hour supervision on draft thesis has been re-scheduled for 4 July. I'd better read the thing...

Time til deadline...

... 15 weeks til my completion deadline.

Next supervision meeting

Next supervision meeting will be a 2 hour session on 5 June to talk about the draft thesis. Not exactly looking forward to it. THIS MEETING WAS CANCELLED BY MY SUPERVISORS.

Draft thesis sent to supervisors

Emailed the draft of my thesis to my supervisors today.

Stalled

Just don't want to think about it or do anything with it right now.

First draft of thesis

As of the beginning of this month, I now have a first draft of the whole thesis.

40 interviews done

40th interview done - I am very much inclined to think that is enough now.

Thesis latest

This is how it stands at the moment:

(1) Introduction
– 12,400 words

(2) Three cases of democratization: Poland, Croatia and Ukraine
– 13,000 words

(3) EU democracy promotion: Views from Brussels
– 13,100 words

(4) The domestic impact of EU democracy promotion: Influencing political elites

– 11,500 words

(5) The domestic impact of EU democracy promotion: Working with civil society
– 13,400 words

(6) Conclusions
– 3,600 words

(7) Bibliography
– 13,000 words

TOTAL - 80,000 words

30 interviews done

Just done my 30th interview. Is that enough yet?!

2013!

2013! This will be the year that I finish this PhD!