Ask the department where you did your PhD whether they can offer you a couple of hours tutoring a week and allow you to do at least a lecture or two. If you do this for six months then you've got some teaching/lecturing experience on your CV and it'll put you in a better position. Most universities these days allow their PhD students to do some tutoring and lecturing whilst they're studying so that they can have some experience by the time they finish and come to apply for jobs. This means that the market is competitive and there are quite a few people who've finished their PhD and have at least some experience. So to compete with them you need to gain some teaching/lecturing experience.

It would be in your current department's best interest to allow you do some teaching experience to help you get a job-placement. Lots of departments are judged on their placement record so talk to them first and ask them to help you.

======= Date Modified 20 Jul 2010 14:42:22 =======
Hi Harishvasta

Most universities (though not all) register students first as MPhil students, and upon satisfactory progress (usually after being enrolled as a full-time MPhil student for 2 years) will transfer the student's status to "PhD Candidate". So anyone who applies to do a PhD will first be an "MPhil" student, and if their supervisory committee decides that their work is up to the PhD standard, then they will be transferred (after the 2nd year) to the PhD programme (i.e. the 3rd year). The reason behind this is that universities are judged by the success rate of their PhD students; if the student enrols to do a PhD but doesn't manage to finish, or comes out with an MPhil, then it doesn't look very good for the university. So to make sure this doesn't happen, the student's progress is monitored yearly, and if their progress is satisfactory, then can transfer to do a PhD (usually) in the 3rd year.

As I mentioned earlier, most universities (for Philosophy anyway) will expect more or less the same degree of qualifications from both those applying to do an MPhil and those applying to do a PhD. The only difference would be the actual research proposal (the originality requirement is much higher for the PhD than the MPhil). If you are enrolled onto an MPhil programme (depending on the university) they might allow you to continue to the PhD if you want to and if they think the work meets the PhD standard.

To increase your chances of getting accepted at a good university why not also apply - as Bewildered and I had suggested - for their MRes (Masters by Research), MLitt or 1 year research track MA? Fro what I've heard (though I might have heard wrong. @ Bewildered, correct me if I heard wrong) it is easier to get onto an MA Research Track/MRes programme than an MPhil. That way you can have a plan B in case you don't get accepted to do an MPhil at the universities you've applied for. This will also give you the opportunity to do work under better circumstances this time round, get better grades and better references. With good grades and good references you would be eligible to apply, in furture, for PhD scholarships and funding. If I were you I'd talk to your referees and tell them you'd like as a plan B to apply for a few research MA's because last time you had problems; tell them you want to get back on track, get good grades and increase your chances of future acceptance on MPhil/PhD programmes. I'm sure that if you explain things to them you'll find them supportive. That way, if you get rejected for the MPhil's you've applied for then you're not left at a loss - you can do an MA that improves your reserach and philosophical skills and puts you in a good position for future PhD applications.

======= Date Modified 10 Jul 2010 13:15:23 =======
Hi Harishvata,
Don't be too hard on yourself! My flat mates are both doing their PhDs in Philosophy and I must say that it's a much harder subject than I had imagined (and harder than most people imagine), so 52% in Philosophy MA at a good university, for someone who had done an MBA before that (had no background in Philosophy), and under your personal circumstances is quite an achievement!

I agree with the posters below - if you had not notified them of your personal circumstances, then you should do so immediately. Also, talk to your referees before asking them to write you a reference (i.e. check the pulse, if you see what I mean). Once you've told them that the reason you had achieved 52% was due to very difficult personal circumstances, and that you're confident you can do better under your current circumstances, ask them if they think you could do an MPhil or whether they recommend you do a second MA or an MRes. If they give you encouraging remarks then ask them to be your referees - you'll find that different people in your department will have different opinions about your abilities, so you need to find out who are the ones who think highest of you and then ask them to be your referees.

Some departments offer MPhil as one year taught modules and one year research, but these type of MPhils are rare - but they'd be great for you since they combined taught modules (that'll boost your confidence) and contain a large research component. Most MPhils require that you do a minimum of 2 years full-time research. They will expect you to have a high level of technical skills & expertise in Philosophy, similar to someone being admitted to do a PhD. So If you don't feel that you've polished up on your technical skills yet because of your personal circumstances, may be apply to do an MRes or a second MA in Philosophy. But if you're confident that your technical skills are good enough for an MPhil, then don't just stick to your current Uni - apply to other Uni's too. Check out hotcourses.com - you'll find a list of all postgrad philosophy courses in the UK.

First things first though, get chatting to a few members of faculty where you did your MA in Philosophy, explain your circumstances and find those who believe in your abilities, ask them for advise and then ask them to be your referees.

Don't give up! Keep us posted on how things go! (up)

Hi Ems84. I can totally understand - my first year felt lonely too. I found out that there are Postgraduate Associations for nearly every discipline in the UK. I joined the one in my discipline and we are quite active: we maintain regular contact, meet at least once a year, organise postgrad conferences and workshops, etc. We also provide academic and emotional support to each other. I've managed to meet other PhD students in my field at other universities around the UK. May be do a search online and try to find websites, associations or blogs dedicated to potgrads in your field. Best of luck with your PhD.

======= Date Modified 05 Jul 2010 14:57:37 =======
======= Date Modified 05 Jul 2010 14:57:06 =======
Sorry to hear that you failed your Master's thesis; but you didn't give enough details in your post, so it's hard to respond to your situation. For example, is it a research masters (MRes, or MPhil), or is it a taught masters (MA or MSc)?

If it's the latter, how well did you do in your modules - i.e. was the MA experience OK on the whole, or have you struggled even with the material you covered in the degree modules? If you did well in your modules but not on your degree thesis, then the problem might be your thesis topic. In which case you can either take the PG Dip (if that's an option) and do another research masters - once you've settled on a suitable/do-able topic - perhaps, if you aspire to being an academic.

If, on the other hand, you're already doing a research masters (MRes/MPhil) and you've already failed it three times, then this particular project needs to be abandoned - especially if you've tried finishing it at two different uni's and hence had two different supervisors, which means that the problem can't be stemming from a mismatch between you and your supervisor(s). It might be that you're just not cut out for research; or, it could be that you're not cut out for the particular field/discipline you're working in; and/or, it might be that your research project is not doable, or just not right for you.

Don't lose heart though: it might not be the right time in your life, or it might just be that you're not suited for the subject-matter you're studying. Failing in one subject doesn't mean you'll fail in others, and failing this time doesn't mean you'll always fail.

Keep us posted on what you decide to do.

All the best.

======= Date Modified 12 Jun 2010 20:37:20 =======
Good point Jepsonclough. Chrisrolinski, may be it would be a good idea to ask your supervisor what's standard practice in your particular discipline. The format I have offered below is commonly used in my field so it might not apply to yours.

======= Date Modified 12 Jun 2010 20:21:30 =======
I'm in the humanities. I usually use the below format for abstracts:

"Chapter 1 gives an analysis of___________. It will be argued that_________. This then leads to___________, which is explored in Chapter 2 where the focus will on ________. Finally, Chapter 4 draws on recent___________ in order to/with the aim of __________."

For your actual intro. you can use the above, but if you think it'd be too repetitive to have an abstract and intro with the same format, then you can replace 'In this Chapter' with the actual 'concepts', 'issues', 'focus', 'problem', etc. that each chapter deals with. So:

"I will begin by giving an analysis of X. This will then lead to Y where it will be argued that Z. I will finally discuss the implications that this has for criticism of X such that A", or something along those lines using 'sign-posts' to indicate the next step in your argument (i.e. your next chapter) such as "this will then be contrasted with...", "following this it will..", "this ought to bring us to....", "finaly, ....".

So instead of saying chapter 1, 2, 3, etc. Just give a summary of your steps (i.e. your argument) and try to show how your chapter division follows a logical structure: that each concept naturally or logically, a) flows from the previous chapter, and b) leads to the one discussed in the next. This should give your thesis outline/plan a matter-of-fact feel.