Actually there usually is a London allowance on top of the normal stipend for studentships at London institutions. I'm hoping to get one myself, and while it won't be a huge amount (somewhere from 15,500-17,500 depending on where the funding comes from) I think it should be enough for me to manage on for 3 or 4 years without going into debt. I guess it depends where you will be living/studying, as housing and travel costs will be the main thing.

I've been asked about previous project work I've done, so in my case that was my BSc final year project, but if you've done a Master's project or any other relevant experience, then be prepared to talk about that.

They'll probably ask you if you have any questions for them about the department/programme/uni etc, so it's good to have a question or two prepared in case you can't think of anything on the spot :)

In my experience you're very likely to be asked about your project as this will be the closest thing most people have to research experience. In a 30 min interview there won't be time for you to go into huge amounts of detail, but you'll probably be asked to briefly describe the aim of the project, the methods you used etc. Don't think it matters about having a copy of the report, as long as you can remember enough detail to talk about it!

Is there any way you could get a loan to cover the fees in the short term? e.g. career development loan from your bank? I don't know what your financial situation and career prospects are like, and I guess you'd have to think carefully about whether you'd be able to pay it back, but if at all possible it seems like it would be worth it to have your thesis submitted and the PhD finally finished!

Is it possible? I've applied for several funded studentships and it's not looking promising - it's not all over yet but I've had nothing but rejections so far. I'm trying not to be too disheartened by this, but realistically there is so much competition for the places that I have to accept I might not be able to get one :(

I'm thinking about whether I can get a part-time job (or go part time on my current job) and start the PhD part time. If I do this, will I be 'stuck' part time for the duration of the PhD, or is it possible to apply for funding later, e.g. for the start of my second year? It will be in science, where funding tends to come tied to a particular prospective project, so not sure how this would work in practice? I'd be interested to hear if anyone has experience of trying to do something like this.

I would be careful, as you're understandably disappointed and frustrated, not to say anything you might regret later. If you haven't already done so, it might be a good idea to ask for feedback first, just in case their reasons for rejecting you were not what you assume they were, before you complain about the decision.

I think it's pretty normal though that the people on the panel are not the same for every applicant, especially when there are large numbers of applicants to be interviewed and they either do some interviews in parallel, or the interviewing goes on over several days. I've certainly seen this happen. In theory they should be assessing against the same criteria, so it should be fair. Also it's normal enough for the panel members to not necessarily be experts in the particular area you want to specialise in or that your background is in - I've certainly experienced this, and found it difficult too, but that seems to be the way these competitively funded projects work.

I'd go for the supervisor/lab you feel would suit you better, and the research area that interests you the most, especially as you say it's a good university anyway. I don't think the 'Oxbridge' brand matters as much for a PhD as for an undergraduate degree, for your post-PhD career especially in academia the quality of your research, publication record and letters of recommendation from your supervisors will matter more than the name of the insitution. Even for undergrad I'd probably say go for the uni you like and the course that interests you, over a prestigious name, as you're more likely to do well that way.

======= Date Modified 18 Feb 2010 16:31:44 =======
It does seem to be incredibly competitive at the moment - I've had a couple of rejections so far, and the feedback has been along the lines of 'you were a strong candidate, however one of the other applicants was marginally better/had a little more relevant experience'.

So rejection doesn't necessarily mean you were awful, just that when there's so much competition for a limited number or places or amount of funding, plenty of good people are getting turned away. I'm sure your referees will understand this. I know what you mean though, it does start to feel awkward asking for so many references :(

Maybe he's projecting, and it's his own weight he's unhappy about? No excuse for trying to make you feel bad about yourself though.

Seriously though even if you're quite short I can't imagine how anyone can think 8 stone is fat. I would only say anything to my partner if I thought it was a real problem affecting their health, for example, which I'm sure is not the case in your situation.

Did you try findamasters.com? search for a keyword like 'bioprocess' or 'fermentation'?

If you can't find one so specific to exactly what you want, there might be a more general biotechnology MSc where you can choose options and projects that interest you.

I don't think it's silly to be annoyed, I've had similar experiences myself recently and was a bit annoyed/upset that they couldn't be bothered to keep me informed. I think it's just the way these things work, and there's nothing we can do about it.

I was surprised though, because back when I was applying for graduate jobs (in the City), they either let you know the outcome of the interview before you left, or you got a call/email shortly afterwards (the same day or no more than a couple of days later). So to be left hanging on for weeks on end after PhD interviews was a bit strange.

Yes I considered RA positions as well, but it does seem very difficult to get into once you're outside academia and not doing relevant work, especially if you don't already have a PhD/Masters.

The four year PhDs or integrated Masters+Phd are a good idea for people in our situation, I agree - thank you to whoever suggested that. I've applied for a couple of those. Otherwise I might just have to go for the MSc/MRes on its own and hope that gets me somewhere next time around.

I was thinking a little more about the difficulties of being an older applicant - it occurs to me that a major one is that we're usually less flexible in terms of being able to move around the country (or beyond) in search of a suitable place. All very well when you're 21 and single, but if you're a little older, with a mortgage and a partner with a job who you can't very well ask to abandon his career prospects and trail after you...it's harder. We don't have any children (yet - that's a whole other issue when it comes to me going back to academia) which makes things a little easier I guess, but still I can't easily just pick up and move to another city.

I'm also a bit surprised at how hard it seems to be to get a PhD now, and how incredibly competitive it is. I've known so many people in the past who've just strolled into one after their undergrad (with often only a 2:1) and it was a really simple, informal process. I had the impression that it was pretty much the case that if you wanted to do a PhD, and you had a reasonable academic background, e.g. 2:1, you would get to do one. Now it seems at least as hard as getting a prestigious graduate job in industry (which to be fair I did manage to do successfully :)) - the recruitment process isn't just an informal chat with the potential supervisor, it's full recruitment days with presentations and several panel and supervisor interviews, and for every studentship you're competing against a significant number of other applicants for the funding - and almost everyone is well-qualified, so you have to really stand out to get it. Has it got harder, or did I just not realise how difficult it's always been?

======= Date Modified 10 Feb 2010 22:02:01 =======
I think it's definitely possible in science (leaving aside the issue of residency/nationality requirements) - if it was just the 2:2 on its own you wouldn't be eligible for any research council funded studentship, but with a Masters as well, especially an MRes, you should be in with a chance.

You'll need to really show off your research experience in your application/interviews I think, and this should help you a lot, especially if the PhD is in a very similar field to your Masters research.  Certainly potential supervisors have said to me that this sort of experience is more important than top grades in exams etc, and indeed the people who get the best grades in taught courses aren't necessarily the best when it comes to something like a PhD, which is original research with no 'right' answer!

I'd be more concerned about being non-EU as that rules out a lot of studentships unfortunately, though you may be eligible for some, especially as you've lived/studied in the UK for some years, someone at your current university should be able to advise you on how it all works.

Good luck!

I am in a similar situation - I'm 29 and applying for PhDs this year. I'm a bit concerned that my lack of research experience is going to be an issue, I don't have a Masters and my industry experience has been in a different area (not completely unrelated, but still quite different) from the field I want to do my PhD in. If not succesful this year, I'm going to have to consider doing a MSc, which is not ideal because it means 'wasting' another year or two. not that I consider education a waste, but particularly because of my age and the fact that I'm sure of what I want to do, I want to get started as soon as possible. Also I'd probably have to do the MSc part time while continuing to work, unless I'm lucky enough to get funding for it, so it would take 2 years. I already feel like I'd be considered too old!

I know it's not unusual for people to do PhDs in their 30s and 40s and older, but I get the impression that is usually in the humanities/arts, whereas mine would be in science. There seems to be so much emphasis in the program descriptions and so on about 'training promising young scientists for the future' and so on, which suggests that they might unconsciously discriminate on age :-(

I actually see it as being an advantage, being a little older - greater self-knowledge and emotional maturity, more self-confidence in dealing with others, industry experience which even if not directly relevant means you have time management and project management skills, so will be better able to plan and organise your work etc. I just worry in my case that potential supervisors won't see it that way and would rather have a bright young graduate straight out of university.

Mine's been well over a week (closer to 3 actually!), I appreciate academics are busy people and have better things to do than email me, would just be nice to know what's going on. I'm pretty sure it will be bad news, but still, would just like to know so I can stop worrying about it. Also I have another interview lined up, so it would be good to have some indication of how this one went, so I know what to say/not say next time!

On a similar note - has anyone ever asked for feedback after a negative result from a PhD interview? I know it's common to do this when applying for jobs, and it can be helpful, though sometimes not nice to hear.