I have applied for the AHRC. Some people got their reply a week ago, but I am still waiting...I was told that it is a good sign, but more likely it depends on the geographic area you are in. I think letters are sent in batches, so it probably means that our unis are last in their list! Last year I got my letter of rejection in early September!Patience, patience...and good luck for yours.

Thanks Shani for your nice, encouraging words. I agree entirely with your answer to BHC. You are right: do not compromise! I think that achievers are successful because of their passion, drive and commitment. I doubt that you can reach anything if you work only for the money aspect. You will be successful, because I can sense your passion for what you are doing. I feel that the rejection you have got now will strengthen your determination, and this is exactly how it should be. Your thoughts are empowering!

Hi Shani, sorry to hear about the funding. I have applyed to the AHRC, but results won't be sent before early september. However, I am not very hopeful. I was rejected last year and actually no one in our department got a scholarship from AHRC in the past three years.
I think that you are right to go ahead and cryogenics is right. You can have your fees paid by the dept. if you are member of staff, although it's not guaranteed. I din't get funding from mine when I was staff and doing my Masters. I have got fees paid from dept. now, but only for next year, so no much better position.

I understand how you feel, because I have been there. I knew that my objective was the PhD and unfortunately that meant to be supervised by my supervisor! I cannot explain here what I had to go through. I often thought: 'this is enough for me!', but then I realised that it would have meant to give up my dream. No chance!!! Especially because I have very positive feed-back from everyone else! I know only too well that I will never get the support that other students have, nor I will be encouraged to do anything. However, I realised that I had to shift my attention from that person to my project. Do you think that your supervisor would gamble his reputation by taking forward a student who is not capable? I don't think so! I don't think it would reflect very well on his spotless CV having one of his PhDs failing the viva.

It's only you that knows if you can deal with the pressure and the stress of a PhD project. I understand that the relationship with your supervisor is far from idyllic, but you are in charge of your project! People like your supervisor take pleasure in undermining other people's confidence, but a PhD is comprised of many different things. You are not expected to excel in every aspect.
Personally, I seldom had any positive comment from mine. It used to affect me deeply, but then I started to look out of that narrow circle and I got in touch with other scholars in my field, presented at conferences, etc. I always got very positive feedback and that increased my self-confidence. I think you need to strengthen your confidence muscles if you want to go ahead. It's normal to feel demoralised, but self-commiseration will do no good to your PhD. Courage!!!

The good thing about teaching seminars/ tutorials is that your students are expected to contribute. I don't know which field you are in, but I used to prepare material/ activities that would lead to open discussion. Sometimes it works very well, other times it doesn't, so be prepared with a plan B or C to avoid staring at each other for the session! Obviously it also depends on how many students you have in your classroom. It is difficult to engage an entire lecture-theatre! When you prepare for the sessions think about what you would expect to learn if you were the student and be aware that you need to use a variety of methods/ approaches because every person learn in a different way -e.g. I am a 'visual learner' completely useless with anything else! Teaching is a fantastic experience and you learn to be a good teacher along the way, so good luck! I am sure that you will enjoy it.

Hope you are not serious golfpro. I don't think anyone would embark on PG studies with the idea that he/she was accepted only bacause can afford to pay fees. Perhaps I come from a different world. People like Jamie, who put a lot of effort on their studies and get good results without help should be encouraged. Talent needs to be cherished and I don't think your comment was appropriate to the situation, even as a joke. Just my opinion.

Hi there! when I applied to the Uni here in the U.K, they took care of the matter. I know that they have a convention with an institution called NARIC, which evaluate degrees/marks etc. and can tell you to what it corresponds in the U.K. You can also apply to it individually. You find details at :http://www.naric.org.uk/
It is essential that you get that, because even within the same country different universities have different marking scales.
Hope it's useful.

Hi Jamie,
don't be concerned. I am a foreigner and none of my parents has a degree. Nobody has ever enquired about my family's academic background. I applied for my Masters and later for my PhD around February/ March to start in October, so I would say 7-8 months earlier than your supposed starting date. I suppose you will also apply for funding, so it may worth to enquire the Uni you intend to go to first. As far as the interview is concerned, mine was mainly centred on which skills I had and what training I needed, what I intended to focus on and why. I felt I was hopeless at everything, but clearly that wasn't the case because I got my place and here I am ! Good Luck with yours!

Hi Krashty. Thanks for your advice, which is very welcome. You don't find this things in books or websites.

I think you got to the point Shani. You are both talented and with an outstanding academic CV. The point now is about motivation. The rest can be worked out. It may take longer and go through difficult moments, but still you can make it if this is what you really want.
I don't agree with the idea that you cannot have a career after 35. I know several members of staff at my uni - two of them in history - that got their PhDs while in their 40s. Of course, nobody can guarantee that you will find the position you want behind the corner, but again, I think that determination is key. Good Luck to both of you and ...to me!

As far as the funding is concerned, it is very competitive and sometimes unfair. Often there is also a lot of politics involved, department wise. Continue to apply, do not be demoralised by the comment of colleagues who want you out of their ways.

Hi Gamba, and welcome to the forum. I wouldn't get depressed about other people's stories. Every story is different and what is suitable for someone else may not be appropriate for you and vice versa. You are clearly clever and talented. You got a distinction for your Masters which is brilliant. Of course you need more time and energy to dedicate to the PhD, even if part-time. I did my Masters part-time working part-time. I am at the end of my first year of a PhD full-time and do some translation-interpreting only occasionally. The reason for this is because my project requires a substantial amount of travelling and researching abroad, which would be difficult to handle if I had a job here. Have you tried to look for an administrative job at your Uni? They are usually more sympathetic/ flexible if a member of staff want to pursue higher degrees.

You are right, the MPhil registration is for two years. At the end of year 1 you can choose to produce a piece of 'original research' - as I said at my Uni is 10000 words - and sustain an interview. If you do not upgrade you go on to do your 2nd year at the end of which you submit a dissertation - length requirements may vary, at my uni is 70000 words including footnotes. Then you have a viva.
I didn't do the upgrading personally, so I am not aware if after year 1 you can decide to upgrade by your own initiative or carry on to do the 2nd year and write the dissertation. I think you usually agree this with your supervisor well beforehand and schedule your work accordingly. I am not aware of anyone who has decided either ways at the last minute.

As far as I know the two things are different. At my uni, if you want to upgrade you need to submit a 10000 words essay and have an interview. If you decide to graduate of course you need to submit a dissertation and have a viva, which is not a walk in the park, you are right. As far as I am concerned I did my Masters part-time - because I had no previous experience of studying in the U.K and was scared - but it felt more like a full-time to me! This said, it was the right thing to do for me and I know other people who have done that. Of course you need to check with both your supervisor and Registry office what the options at your uni are, because there may be substantial differences.