Hi Bewildered. Thank you. I mentioned that the other candidates had BSc as well.
I didnt say I was better, I said we had same qualifications and I actually had more experience than them because they didnt have the year in industry I had or the summer placements. Their experience was a research project in their final year which was in both cases completely unrelated to the PhD project.
I did asked for a feedback, got told no feedback will be given by 3 places and "you were so great but the competition is very high this year" at the other places.

I think the world of application has changed significantly over the last few years, maybe due to the number of candidates to the point where even proper feedback isnt readily given.

Eds :)

Hi DrJeckyll. Thank you very much for your advise.

I am a BSc so no masters but I do have a publication.

Thank you Weetzie for your kind words.

I dont give up. I am prepared to work twice as hard to get one:) I will make sure my child (if suited to an academic life) dont make the same "mistake".
I wasnt born in the UK and Unis in my country are at same level really (there is "the best" and the rest basically but nobody looks down at people from a certain Uni). I just went to the nearest Uni because of my commitments with the course I was interested in. Oh boy.
I dont dispute the fact the intake of student is not as selective but I believe that a student with first is a good student.

Thank you HazyJane.
I would normally email but these interviews were for Wellcome Trust projects where you can't really email supervisors. You only see the panel and they will decide. PI's don't have any input whatsoever unless you have expressed an interest in somebody at the panel.

I am not quite sure how would that negatively affect my approach to future interviews thought. Obviously I am very positive about the projects.

awsoci:
Thank you for your answer.
I have not memorised the answers, I was just ready. I was not robotic. I am quite smart and have had my share of interviews so I know I perform well. I was not expecting to be accepted everywhere but I have been to 5 interviews and the same scenario repeats everywhere. That cannot be a coincidence.

The other candidates have only done undergrad and they didnt have any relevant experience. I know this because we talked.

I also dont think I appear as a know-it-all. I dont know it all I just want a chance to study for a PhD. This post is a result of few months of rejections and a massive outburst of frustration. Please do not assume I havent put my interview skills under scrutiny. I have, I have also spoken to academics at my Uni about my answers, I did the presentation for them.

The reason I am applying to these Unis is their programmes and the facility. In my field I need to have an access to some very expensive equipment and again, these Unis have it.
I just feel disheartened because I worked for this very very hard.

Why do they even bother inviting me over when they have no intention of making an offer? They are just wasting my time and money.

Sorry about the rant, I am not even sure what answers I am expecting. I guess I want to hear a success story and that it is going to be ok

I need to have a rant. I am a really good final year student (science), have a publication, year in industry, got a research summer grant from prestigious society to work on a project. Have a academic prize for every year, basically the highest ranked student in the department. I am applying for PhD's and some Unis wont even look at me (Cambridge, Oxford, Edinburgh). Some invited me for an interview for a prestigious studentship so I thought hooray! Later got turned down anyway and people with no experience but from the best Unis were offered places. I thought long and hard about this, went over the interviews in my head and I truly dont believe I was bad at all.

In one of the interview we had to do 10 min presentation followed by questions. I did this, answered all the questions right. Then had a 20 min meeting with the supervisor where he asked the normal questions. Why do I want to do PhD, why this project. That was basically it. Then proceed to tell me about the project and I did ask questions. I had direct experience with the techniques. Anyway, later I found I was unsuccessful and the position was offered to someone with no experience whatsoever but a Cambridge degree.

Another one.... I knew the questions because someone I know had the same interview the day before me. Sat down with my Uni lecturers and prepared perfect answers, showing knowledge way above an undegrad level. That someone had a degree from Imperial and told me he didnt know he should have picked a supervisor from each rotation and couldnt even name 2 out of 3. Guess what. He got offered the PhD.
Whilst I am genuinely happy for both of them I am really pissed of with the fact they cross me off because I have my degree from an ex-poly. I cant be anything else. I am very dishearten. I have worked so hard for this whilst looking after my family, working days and nights, working every summer in a lab.

She doesnt. Let us know what happened.

Hi, sorry neither do I. Wanted to mention that I will always email to the author and you would be surprised how many times they actually send the paper to me.
Also, sometimes look at their university web pages, many times it is accessible through that.

Yeah, I mean its done. Just act normal. She will be fine:)

I am sorry I cant advise but I wish you all the best. Hopefully you will get better soon

Just do very brief overview. Intro, so they know what you are doing and why. Methods you used and the results. Just the main ones. Not everything. Say one sentence at the end what is the ultimate goal.

We got given tenner:)

Haha:) Sorry, didnt read it was a mixture. Yeah, your method sounds good