Thesis survival box

becky170

Hi,

I want to put together a thesis survival box for a friend, has anyone got any ideas what I can put in it? So far suggestions have been chocolate, bubble bath and coffee....

Cheers

clairec79

A small notebook for when that perfect sentence comes into your head while out and about

A ream of paper for printing it onto

Alcohol

Voyager2002

Telephone card (or sim card with credit) to make contact with a friend when it all seems too much. Perhaps with your number written on it, and a note promising to be there for him/her whenever they feel like calling.

Rikki

What a lovely idea. :T

celyn90

That's so sweet I've just handed in and would have loved it if someone had done that.

I would include: a coffee mug, coffee, something small and personal like a photo for the desk, headache tablets, chocolates or energy bars, vitamin tablets, burn a couple of CDs of different sorts of music, blank CD's or a USB flash drive for moving files, something to make her laugh (I have a giant microbe on my desk, my OH had laminated copies of some of the PhD comic strips).

If you can get access to the University forms needed for submission, printing those off and having them to hand for her would really help. I also needed a couple of very large envelopes to put the thing in in order to hand it in, which I didn't realise until right at the end.

I know it sounds silly, but I wrote up in my department at night as I had no net connection at home and it was freezing - fingerless gloves would have been very useful! I also had an ergonomic mouse and keyboard which helped.

melancholly

how about a picture of friends/family so that when all they do is work in their final year they can remember what they look like?!

i also agree that every phd student should have phd comics as one of their favourites... some are just too accurate! here's the link with the stuff you can buy, but a couple of apt cartoons would be great (second link!)

http://www.phdcomics.com/gear.htm
http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive_list.php

(and i just read the latest one which is on impact factors - too true!)

REE

That's a really lovely idea!

I def agree with the coffee, maybe a caffetiere (sp!), my OH and I are both writing up at the minute, and find only the real stuff hits the spot!

Also include a trashy magazine (Heat etc), the longer I spend reading research journals, the more I appreciate the other end of the spectrum...

REE x

westferret

Apples (sounds weird but they do keep you awake and give you energy)
Coke
Thermos mug for the coffee/tea

zkw29

Some coloured post-it notes. I use them all the time to write ideas down and stick on the walls around my desk.

cupid_s

I can't think of anything that hasn't been mentioned but I just wanted to say you are such a lovely friend!

linni

What about a booklight, some batteries and stamps.