Come on, guys. Say something! Make a vote. The deadline is approaching! ;-)

I would choose Birmingham or Leeds

From the details you have given I’d say Leeds or Birmingham. How much contact have you had with these prospective supervisors? I advise not going on rank and publication record alone. Some people can be hugely successful but a nightmare to work with. It is difficult to tell initially but I would try to gauge who you consider 'good supervisor material' in addition to their success in research, if that makes sense?

Just as a side note - I studied at Glasgow for four years and had a fantastic time. It is a 'real' city and very friendly with a down to earth vibe. There is a great arts scene but it certainly isn't a 'posers' city which is perhaps why some people don't warm to it. For me, that is part of it's appeal. The local accents (there are a few) often take some getting used to if you are not familiar with elements of Scottish dialect but once you get used to it it's really quite charming. When I finished at Glasgow I got a great job with a 22k starting salary and then a PhD scholarship overseas but I can only talk of my own circumstances - I’m not sure what the stats say re job prospects overall.

Go with what feels right for you and who you think you would most like to work with. It's fantastic that you have this choice.

Hi, Slowmo,

Thank you very much for your advice and sharing your personal experience.

You are right. Publications don't mean everything. Ive made contact to these supervisors several times and the responses are more or less the same. Can't tell them apart just from emails. What I want to do now is trying to find people who used to study at these universities and listen to their opinions. If it doesnt work out, only can I hope that the most prestigeful supervisor could also be the most easy-going and warm-hearted.:-)

Like you said, "Go with what feels right for you". I will and I also admire your job. ;-)

Hi Akui,
Good luck with your decision! It does sound like Leeds is the forerunner for you in terms of supervisor. However, I did giggle at the image of Glasgow that was portrayed by another poster. That's really outdated. It now is full of poseurs 8-). I'm not even going to launch into a full defence (as have phd to write :-) ). The University of Glasgow is in the top 1% of universities world-wide and please google image the main building and the cloisters - built in 1451 and completely enchanting. Anyway, that's me off to get my deep fried Mars Bar...sigh....

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Hi, everyone!

Thank you for the information and advice. I think I'm gonna to Leeds. This is mainly based on the supervisor's research reputation, publication and RAE rank. As for other aspects, I believe that they are more or less the same.

I don't know whether this would be a wise choice, but according to what the situation is now, I think it is the one that would most likely bring me better prospects.

Thank you and thank Postgraduate Forum for providing such a good communicating platform. Wish you every success in doing your PhD.
:-)