Also, are you able to take college ( as in the American sense of the word, university to UK posters/readers...college in the US is used to refer to what the UK calls university) level courses for credit through your US high school?

I think the US also requires a Masters degree before you get into PhD programs, although I am not sure if that is true across the board. Finally, do not overlook the possibility of education at a UK or other foreign university for your undergraduate or graduate degrees. The tuition and fees in the universities for PhD work is actually less than at some US universities--so it is worth looking into.

Good luck!

think that most US PhD programs offer some kind of financial assistance, again, some offer Graduate Teaching Positions that help pay living expenses, and may waive or reduce your tuition and fees. If you are able to get good undergraduate grades, then it will help you get into better universities for the graduate work ( the use of "postgraduate" in the US has the same meaning as "post-doctoral" in the UK, I do believe, so do not get confused reading these boards).

First of all, good for you for planning ahead and valuing your education. I am not an expert on the financial aid picture in the US, but there are significant offerings from the Federal Government to lower income families to help fund higher education ( money that you do not have to pay back). Generally US universities if they accept your application put together a financial aid package for you, which may include work study options, scholarships within the university, information on grants from the US federal government, and so forth. There are also tax credits and deductions available in some circumstances for higher education costs, so that might be another financial help in the long run. I

Well done JoJo!

Having said it a few times, but will say it once more...the Flowers Paradigm on writing ( and there is more information about this in the Bryan Garner books)--it gives a structure and process for writing. Don't be lead into thinking by the title of the Garner books that there is no application outside the narrow world of ( American) law--they really do promote writing skills and strategies that work across any field, in my opinion. PhD writing is nothing like American legal practice writing, but I find that the skills that Garner promotes are as useful in this setting as a legal practice setting.

Hey I just looked online and Amazon has used copies of this for £4 plus the shipping costs!!!!! At that price, GET IT!!!!

From my own experience, this is a good guide for academic writing and not limited to legal writing, because it provides a guide on how to communicate complex ideas in a conscise and readable manner--which is what academic writing is all about. I think you can get this on Amazon, which is showing some used copies for £16 or so. Probably the best use of £16 for a PhD! You can preview some of the book as well on Google Books if you want to see what the actual content is before making a decision on whether to buy.

Mokey

What helped me, and long before I was doing the PhD was looking at a book by Bryan Garner on Legal Writing in Plain English. Even if you do not do legal writing of any sort, I still think this is the best book I have ever come across on how to write. He gives excellent ideas on how to edit, but especially on how to write, such as how to keep sentences to about 20 words, how to use as he puts it "parallel phrasing" for similiar ideas, how to end sentences "emphatically", how to make sure there is continuity of ideas from one paragraph to the other, so there is a seamless flow of ideas from the beginning to the end. He gives tips as well on technical and analytical writing, how to use quotes effectively, etc.

This does raise an interesting related question--and that is what the cost of living is for a student--and what living amounts various studentships, loans, etc. allow. Probably the largest cost is housing, and that is probably the most variable cost. Housing aside, what amounts are usually allocated for other expenses in a student type of life style? I have seen ranges from £1,000 per month ( that includes housing) to £650 per month ( which also includes housing) as general guides for expense.

I have seen figures of £110 to £135 per month for food...which is about £25 per week to £32 per week, roughly. Just curious what experiences with this might be?

A lot of universities have distance learning schemes. You might be able to check to see if one such scheme would fit your needs.

I am fortunate because I really do think I have the gold standard in supervisors. Even people who meet my supervisor casually say at a conference always tell me what a good impression he makes and how fortunate I am to have this person as a supervisor. That would sound over the top to say to someone's face, but I do think letting my supervisor know that he is much appreciated is important from time to time.

Yes, I have tried to do this, and it sometimes feels odd to know how to express it, but I think it is important to let a supervisor know if you appreciate their efforts. I know when I worked and supervised people that if once in a blue moon someone said, "I have really learned a lot from your supeversion," or something along those lines, it really felt good. Its nice to get appreciation from someone, and I am sure supervisors like to be appreciated and know that the work that they are doing is helpful!

ohhh....xeno!!!! I hope you are OK!!!!!!!!!! I can easily see how that can happen! I have not had ( yet!) anything fall on my head, but have had things cascade into my lap, onto my feet, etc. I had once to undertake an involuntary clean up of article piles when my darling baby boy puppy lifted his leg on a pile! The darling fellow was also into inventions...he made my computer speakers and my mouse wireless--what a smart boy, but those were already invented, and once he chewed up my USB memory stick. Fortunately his attempts at invention ended there...

I was very puzzled. I said, no, I am still here, and they said, no you left at half past five. I said, well, no, actually, I am here, and I need out,please.

When they came to let me out they acted all cranky, going through this again. I thought to myself, if I dId leave at half past five, how on earth do they think I made it back in through the alarms, the spiky iron fence, the multiple deadbolts, etc! Good grief!