The wait is finally over, next Thursday it will be decided if I continue with my PhD. I am well aware that most people pass this, and a lot of people around me tell me I will be fine. But, it still feels as if it is fifty-fifty as to whether or not I will pass.
This perception of the odds feeling like they are stacked higher against you than they actually are is probably much more common than I can imagine. I think it is an example of our poor ability to handle probabilities, and why lotteries are such good money spinners.
I shall try and adjust my attitude towards the fact that I know the odds are in my favour, but I apologise if my monkey brain takes over.
Furthermore, I have been hugely distracted from writing and life, with an AI competition that is currently running. And The allure of continually making little tweaks to my bot has me captivated. I am actually doing quite well in the competition; however, I can still see all the flaws, and if they were fixed I would be doing much, much better.
Apart from what I have just discussed, everything is going quite well. The experiments I have been pushed back on due to broken equipment is now running, and I have some more lined up. The only source of anxiety for me at the moment is the organisation of my next trial, which needs to be done next week so I can collect the samples the following week.
I have joked about this with my colleges, but I think I may have the entirety of December off. I have not had any holiday since last Christmas, and feel as if some holiday will reinvigorate me. Letโs see how November goes.
I had a meeting with a statistician this week, to discuss some problems I was having. It reminded me very much like going to see a doctor. His mannerisms were uncanny. He suggested a couple of useful things, and mostly asked me questions, as a doctor would. He reassured me in the sense that I was already doing the things that a statistician would do. But also, there was no great epiphany, so I am still in the same position as I was before the meeting. Oh well.
It has started to get cold and dark here in the UK, the clocks go back tomorrow, so it shall get darker and darker for a while. I am looking forward to open-fires, and hearing people complain about how dark it is for x time of day.
Note: I wrote this several months ago and I don’t want to give spoilers ๐
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I was wondering when referencing months that had passed. ๐
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I’m with the 50% odds you pass – with flying colors. A loved one didn’t. Changed his life, for the better. Properly managed failure is always a win.
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Best wishes!
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Hi Louis, very exciting, looking forward to finding out the (I’m sure, happy ๐ conclusion!) Do you have a post that explains your reasons/decisions for publishing several months after writing? I’m curious about everyone’s blogging styles and I’d love to read your process!
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I think I mention it in my first post.
I didn’t know if I would like writing on a weekly basis, and didn’t know if I could be consistent. So I tried it without commiting to posting, and after a few months I thought I could actually do it.
I didn’t want to start and then quit basically, so it was a kind of defence against quitting.
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Thanks Louis, I’ll look up your post. What a wise thing to do; very good planning! I guess you’re more of a “plotter” vs a “pantser” then. I could learn a thing or two from that (โtheoretically, at least. ;))
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I have not heard the term pantser before, is that like happy-go-lucky? Spur of the moment kind of thing?
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“Pantser” is NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) speak for a writer who “flies by the seat of their pants,” in other words, writes without a plan; while a “plotter”(sometimes also called “planner” by WriMo’s) is a writer who plots the outline of the project (or book) before beginning. I seem to be a pantser in nearly all aspects of life but I greatly admire plotters/planners (in theory, at least ;)).
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Louis, thank you for reading my posts! ๐ Just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate your positive feedback.
I’m very excited to hear how things went after YOUR last post! (Also about your super-cool robot! AI is fascinating!)
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Got very confused over the idea of the clocks going back in February, but sort of guessed you’d written the post in advance. Hope all goes well with your studies.
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Yes, I am roughly 2.5 months ahead.
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I’m so glad I found your blog! I’m prepping to start my Grad journey next year, too (but in a Master’s Program). Looking forward to seeing your next post! ๐
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Thankyou, good luck with the Masters I hope it is enjoyable!
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Hi, this is the first post of yours that Iโve read but I love your writing style! This all seems so exciting for you!
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It’s fun reading a post written several months ago. More power to you! Greetings from China. ๐
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Good luck to you!
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