Usually very easy to defer - talk to the dept

Look into other options than the CDL - I was told I didn't qualify because my course was not 'professional' (social sciences), but took out a standard loan which still gave me a repayment holiday for four months and the monthly loan repayments were a LOT less. I am currently doing a PhD and the repayments are manageable - ironically, I think the CDL monthly repayments would have been too high.

I studied FT and worked PT for my Masters. It was tough and a lot of work, but I could have done a lot less and still passed IYSWIM.

It differs depending on your circumstances and the uni

Some unis have a min. registration of six years, but others have different regulations - in my dept you can complete in as little as four years and can take up to seven. I know someone who completed in 4.5 years (with a FT job) and someone else who is completing major corrections after submitting in 3.5 years. Saying that, my other friend just completed after 10 years!

Cost is typically half the usual - probably around £1,500 a year, but it varies and you can look around for a 'bargain' where the fees are less than half

My friend gave up chemistry because he was colour blind - couldn't see the difference in the experiments

What is the area?

I had to save up and then work at the same time as my Masters. femogbangba is right - start reading NOW. I completed a massive chunk of the reading for my dissertation in the summer before I actually started - a lot of which I used in essays for my course - and it made a real difference

Private accom probably won't have locks no

Oh dear, just split a chapter so now I have eight - I was doing so well before with seven!!!

Join the club! Feel EXACTLY the same way. Trying so hard to write, but it just doesn't seem to be happening. Have outlines, notes, everything...just no words! It doesn't help that I've rewritten the chapter structure twice a day for the last three weeks!!!

I'm another that was out 2 years between my Masters and PhD; like Tricky says your undegrad won't have covered a fraction of what you'll need for the PhD. Even if you remember the material, you're going to be using it in a much more sophisticated way - it's like starting from scratch even if you think you know it!

I know people who have got funding with a good 2.1, but they also did very well in their Masters - if you can get a Distinction Masters then that would really help. The LSE have a lot of internal scholarships that you should look into.

In my field (social science) no one really takes you seriously until you've submitted

Check it out with your supervisor and see what the rules state. Usually they will turn a blind eye to a few thousand over, but don't risk it. I know it is tempting to not mention it, but you could face problems if your department is strict. Technically you should apply for an extension of the word limit and if you don't do it properly you could get caught out.

The gut-renching fear of failure?

My friend studied journalism there and loved it - she now has a very successful career in communications/PR