Transfer to Ph.D. status: check!

Soon after the family left, I had a minor cold but this was a good enough excuse for me to stay at home. I always think it is best to stay in bed and not do too much work in the event of illness, and in 1 day I was back on track. Only to find in my inbox an email from my supervisor asking me if it was fine to do my transfer in 3 days' time...let me explain.

When I started my Ph.D. back in October 2009, I was registered as an M.Phil. student; this is normal University procedure and the norm is that after the first year, one sits for a viva exam and produces a document - the transfer report - outlining the work which had been done in the first year. After passing the transfer, then the student would be officially of Ph.D. level. My report was completed back in December 2010 (only 14 months after enrolment) but the logistical requirements meant that my transfer was scheduled for March 2011, almost half a year late. Anyway...

I put together a couple of slides describing my (boring) work and proposed plan of action for the remaining 1.5 years and come Friday, I set up the projector and all and presented my work. The examiner was surprisingly impressed and he said that normal procedure was to ask the student to leave the room and deliberate with the supervisor on whether to pass a student or not. In my case, he asked me not to leave and that he had nothing to deliberate since it was obvious I am of Ph.D. level and that I would successfully complete my Ph.D. on time. Quoting.

I said to myself, I am not so sure that all will be done in the remaining 19 months, but all that matters is that I am now, officially, an Imperial Ph.D. student! Yeah!