Hey there Zoe! I am in a different discipline to you (Psychology) but I have some comments that probably extend to other disciplines too! If you know fairly specifically what you want to study for your PhD, I would look for the best people to supervise it, and contact them to see if they would be willing to. This way, you get to research exactly what you want and hopefully with some researchers who are at the top of the field. The difficulty with this type of approach is that you then need to find the funding for it. If you can find people who are keen to supervise you, then they should be able to help you out- after all, it's in their best interests to have a good phd student on board too. There might be funding going within their department or you might have to apply to an external funding body, although this can take quite a while to sort out. Alternatively, you can look at advertised projects, some of which may already have funding. Whilst it is probably easier to get onto one of these PhDs, be aware that you may have very little say in exactly what you do and how you go about it. So if you go for this type of project, make sure that it really is on exactly what you want to do. On the plus side, if you go for an advertised one, a lot of the background to it (defining research questions and methodolgy etc) may already have been sorted out, meaning you can get started much more quickly than if you had to go through all that yourself. Hope this makes some sort of sense!

Hi there! I'm not sure how relevant this is, because I'm in Psychology, which is clearly a different field to yours! But anyway, a friend of mine graduated with a 2.2 and went on to get a place on a funded PhD, and another friend who also obtained a 2.2 has just been offered a funded place to do a PhD here too. Both of these friends also have a pass at MSc, but both have managed to obtain their funding through where they were working, and contacts they made through the workplace. How vital the MSc was, I don't know, but the point I am trying to make is that a lot of funded places are gained through making contacts through research positions, and the MSc wasn't a requirement for either of the positions that my friends were working in. So that could be a way forward, or at least worth thinking about! Good luck!

Hey Dave! I guess really I want to say what everyone else has said...you really shouldn't give up without a fight given that you have worked so hard for this. But something about your post strikes me as being different from the usual PhD blues, which I think most people do get at some point (I have spent a lovely afternoon having my work torn apart by the university statistician!!). I guess it's important to think about whether it is the place, the people, the nature of the PhD, or your actual PhD topic itself that is getting you so down. If your topic isn't really doing it for you, then I guess it will be really hard work to drag yourself through it. If the topic is fine, but the other factors are getting you down, maybe you need to think about how you can change things- it really sounds like you can't deal with much more of this. Or is it just the comparison between you and where your pals are up to that is getting you down? I know this probably sounds unappealing, but is there a university counsellor you can go speak to? Sometimes just talking honestly to someone about how things are can help you at least to work out what the problem is and where to go from there. There are always options and choices, even though they might not be easy ones to take- anything must be better than how you are feeling right now. Best of luck sorting things out.

I think we all get those days! It depends how severe the non-engagement of my brain is! If it's just having a really lazy day or is plain tired I try to do something useful but mindless, like referencing or filing so I can listen to my ipod at the same time. It's boring as hell but at least you get some sort of sense of achievement and don't feel like your day has been completely wasted. If it's just not happening at all I go distract everyone else from their work and then bugger off early and go have a workout or go shopping or whatever...there's nothing worse than hanging around achieving nothing!

Most academics in the dept I'm in seem to do the 9-5 thing really, it seems to be the PhD students who are running round at all hours of the night and weekend! Having said that, I know that some of the profs put in a lot of extra hours in the evening and take few holidays, usually related to research proposals/grant applications and writing up of papers/presentations for conferences etc. I guess there are more hectic times and more chilled times....tho I swear my supervisor is having a permanent manic episode, I honestly don't know how she fits everything in- I guess some people are just super-people!

Hmmm...my supervisor likes to give me lots and lots of feedback and sometimes it drives me mad, but she doesn't actually re-write it for me. But she will change words to other words which mean exactly the same thing because she 'doesn't like' particular words and ask me to change something only to change it back on the next draft with apparently no recollection of having asked me to change it to start with. I guess this is a different situation really because it isn't re-written for me, but sometimes it is hard to take so much 'feedback' without feeling a little down-hearted/offended/frustrated. I deal with it by telling myself that I am a relative novice and that she really does know best (dammit!) and that she knows what she is doing/how to get stuff published etc. But I really don't think your supervisor should actually be re-writing it for you, and I am sure it is not down to any inability to complete the work on your part. Perhaps it is actually easier and quicker for supervisors to re-write stuff and be done with it than exchange draft after draft with their students with suggestions for how to improve it? Sorry- that doesn't really actually answer your question....what do other people think?

Hi Poubelle! I am currently doing a PhD in Clinical Psychology in a large psych department in the UK that is well regarded. I have to say, I don't know of anyone who got onto a PhD in this department without either having a masters, or having spent a few years doing psychologcial research as a research assistant. I know that people in other disciplines can get away without doing a masters but I think you will struggle in Psychology, especially for a funded place. I guess if you got a first class degree it might make a difference, but I am not convinced...I have a first class degree as do a several other PhD-ers that I know, and still all have done an MSc (although having a first might make the PhD funding issue a little easier!). In addition, it is often through making contacts and developing interests in specific areas of psychology through the masters degree that people tend to choose their topic and supervisor. I am only in the first year of my PhD at the moment, but I would not have been well-equipped to deal with the demands of a research PhD without the experience of doing a research-based MSc beforehand. Having said that, I don't wish to discourage you- speak to different departments and check out their requirements, maybe some will not ask for a masters. However, I absolutely love my PhD and if you are really enthusiastic about Psychology and research- and it sounds like you are- then it might be worth investing in the extra year to make sure that you end up where you want to be, researching what you want to research, and with the people who are at the top of their field. Best of luck!!

Hi Camara! If the project is right for you and you get on with your supervisor, I would absolutely take the offer. Funded PhDs (I assume this one comes with funding?!) are getting more and more hard to come by, and there is nothing to say that you will find an ideal PhD with an ideal supervisor anywhere else if you leave it for a year or two. I have done my BSc, MSc and PhD at the same uni, and it is actually very common to have the same supervisor for your masters and PhD, or at least it is where I am studying. Good luck with it all!

I guess it depends on where you are applying and whether you are looking for funding or are applying for PhDs that are already funded. If you are applying for your own funding for a project which you have devised yourself then it is extremely competitive and you will probably struggle with anything less than a 2.1, even if you do have an MSc, although it would no doubt help if you could secure a distinction! You probably have a much better chance if you are applying for projects that already have funding and are being advertised by the university. A friend of mine with a 2.2 and a pass at MSc level recently obtained a place on an already funded PhD, so it can be done! In your applications make sure you highlight any other relevant skills and experience which will help you stand out from the other applicants- I think it often helps to speak to the potential supervisor too if possible, just to express your interest and enthusiasm in the subject and get your name known. I would definitely keep trying- you have nothing to lose- but your application will probably look stronger when your MSc is completed. Good luck!

Hey Twomules! I was in exactly the same position as you last year- I did my undergrad degree and my MSc at the same uni, and now I am doing my PhD here, despite hearing the same rumours that it's not good to do this. But at the end of the day I am in a great department with the best facilities for my PhD, and the best person to supervise it (and I got the funding to do it here). I had a look around whilst doing my MSc and there simply was no better place to do it. I think if you are happy where you are and they can support you with your PhD in the best way possible, then go for it!

Hi Taramarie! I am in a different area to you (Psychology) but did an MSc and am now doing a PhD. I don't think that the PhD is necessarily more difficult than the MSc in the academic sense, it's just very different. In one sense there is less pressure because there are no exams and your work is no longer graded etc (you just get feedback- lots of it!) but then there are other abilities which become more important i.e. research skills and the ability to plan your work and be self-motivated, and other pressures such as submitting work for publication and possibly teaching commitments too (depending on where your funding is from). It is easier (in my field) to apply for a project that already has funding, in which case a 2.1 and an MSc is enough at least to be considered for the position. If you have devised your own research/project and then look for funding for that (as I did), it becomes much harder to find funding and the higher your grades the better chance you have. But note, this is in Psychology, it might be different for English or History- I don't really know much about PhDs in those areas! With regards to applications, either look at the vacancies website for the uni- funded PhDs will probably be advertised there, or if you have your own ideas for your PhD then look for potential supervisors who specialise in that area or a related one and make contact with them. It is never too early to get in touch with these people and bounce ideas off them! Edinburgh is awesome (I did undergraduate studies there)...I'm not surprised you want to stay! Good luck!

Hi!
I think the best thing for you to do would be to contact different universities to ask for their opinion. I have done a BSc, MSc and am now taking a research PhD in Clinical Psychology (although this isn't really classed as a social science). I know people in my subject area who got onto an MSc with a 2.2, but only if they had had a 2.1 in their undergraduate research project. I also know people who have got onto a PhD without a masters, although these people tend to have other research experience such as research assistant work etc. I suppose the other issue is whether you will get a place on an MSc in Sociology when your undergrad degree is in Environmental Sciences- again, you would need to check this out with the relevant universities. I think as far as the PhD goes an MSc is a very good route into it...many people manage to obtain funding for their PhDs through getting to know their prospective supervisor and subject area through a masters project. Good luck with whatever you decide to do- where there is a will there is a way :)

hi Bluebird!
I'm currently studying for a PhD and although I have had no problems so far with this, I had to take a year out in my undergrad degree and return the following year due to severe mental health problems. I appreciate this is a bit different to taking time out from a PhD due to the different demands of the course, but if you really are unable to cope at the moment then I think your only option is to take the time you need to sort yourself out and feel better. There is no point in exposing yourself to the pressures of PhD life right now and interviewing participants can be quite intense, especially because it forces you to put on a 'happy' face all the time when you really don't feel up to it- this can just make things worse. Perhaps it would be good to just keep doing a bit of reading round the subject or something just to keep your brain ticking along if you're up to it. I returned to uni following my year out and went from strength to strength, so it can be done. Good luck and keep your chin up!

Hi! I did BSc Psych, MSc Clinical Psych, and am now studying for a research PhD in Clinical Psychology. I guess it depends on what kind of posts you are applying for. Your MA is quite specific, and many research jobs/PhDs require a Masters degree that has a large research component....if your MA was not research based then this might be contributing to your difficulties. If you want to pursue research in Psychology then I think your best bet would be to either try to find relevant find Research Assistant work or to do a research-based MSc and then think about applying for a PhD- this seems to be the typical route into psychological research from what I know of the other PhD students on my department. Good luck!

Hi Frogs!
I also did Psychology as a first degree and then went onto an MSc in Clinical Psychology. I guess it would depend on how much neuroscience you did in your psychology degree- these degrees vary massively in content from uni to uni. My first degree was BSc Psych (as opposed to BA Psych, which is apparently less biological) and we covered a lot of neuroscience stuff, although some of that was because I opted for these modules in final year. If you have covered a reasonable amount I think you would be fine- I know from some of my friends who did a medicine degree that we did far more neuroscience than they did! I guess the best thing to do is to contact the universities that you are interested in applying to- they should be able to help! Good luck!