Also think of good questions you can ask them, and show ethusiamsm. All the best.

Cheers people!!! I forgot to mention that they are both PhD interviews - not job interviews.

Thandi - lol at your suggestion to not pay attention to one particularl gender. Easier said than done if one of them is a bit tasty eh?? Me thinks that is very, very unlikely.

Thanks for the congrats, its been extremely hard work to get these interviews as they are both 5* and both have excellent reputations. Im just trying to keep cool.

Well done on your interviews. There is some good information on the FAQs bit about interviews. Good Luck!

I have been accepted for a phd conditional of funding, how regualarly should I check with the supervisor if he has got funding & doesnt forget about me?

i have been having the same problem. i have 18mths research experience and no one will commit. i have just received today one rejection and i dont understand why i cant get anywhere. They turn their noses up at my 2.1 bsc but I have experience which should help but isnt. I am getting seriously hacked off with the situation but a phd is necessary for my field. I think its about time academics behaved a little more professionally. Maybe this countrys science research wouldnt be in such a mess if they did.

Hello Steve
First of all congratulations for being selected for the interview. Look them in the eye as you answer them. There will be male and female interviewers in the panel and I'll suggest that you don't pay particular attention to only one gender. This can be intimidating but be yourself and try to accommodate all of them equally. If there is a tricky question ask to tackle it at a later stage Most importantly know what you wrote in your CV and do a thorough background check on the companies/field you applying for....... Good luck

Hello everybody!! I have two interviews coming up in the next two weeks and i am after some good sound advice about what to expect. I appreciate that they are all different but they are essentially variations on a theme surely. I am particularly interested to hear from people with advice on 'panel' interviews, as both my interviews will be in front of quite large panels. Thanks people.

Hi Bruno

If you are interested in pursuing your research in South Africa I'd recommend the Univesity of the Western Cape. Their URL adress is www.uwc.ac.za. The department is called SANBI and the research is multi-disciplinary. A friend of mine has recently graduated from the institute and is now working in the States. Good luck..........

apply to the University of the Western Cape (South Africa) and you won't go wrong. It's the best instution for Bioinformatics and the reserach team is lead by a world renowned bionformaticist for the States

Helen, while doing my Masters at Imperial College (I had a 2i but no-one wanted to know when I applied for PhDs then) I had next to no advice about getting a PhD. I've now been looking for 2 years on my own steam and still haven't found anything but apparetly it's my fault! My advice, don't give up.

Why is it so difficult for some people to get a PhD, while others can seem to walk into one? I have a 2i in Biological Sciences and an MSc in Virology and Molecular Biology, yet I can't seem to get a PhD and have been looking for 2 years. And I need one for the career I wish to pursue. It is getting increasingly difficult for me to get one now. Yet there are some of my 'friends' who only just managed to scrape a 2i in their BSc yet have walked into one. What must I do??

I'm studying Chemistry with Pharmaceutical and Forensic Science and hopefully I should get a First or a good Second. What benifits are there from doing a PhD? I am confused... I understand that you get to expand your knowledge and concentrate your expertise, but what type of jobs can you get at the end? Are you more employable? I get the impression that for a lot of jobs you can be over-qualified. Also, how much different would the pay be compared to someone with just a degree?

Helen, you are not alone. Some so-called supervisors haven't got a clue about up-to-date research. How they get the funding in the first place is open to question, especially as there are others who could do so much more with it. Have you considered getting legal advice? Lack of support (for 15 months!) and experience are problems that the department/university should have dealt with at an early stage. Sounds like some form of professional negligence.

Helen,i too experienced isolation when i did my MSc in Biopharmacy project at Kings College London and although i passed the MSc i decided not to pursue furthur with a PhD for this reason.I felt nobody was interested in what i was doing and there was no way that i could face another 3 years if isolation!!

I've decided to leave the PhD that I'm currently doing due to a lack of support and experience on my isolated project.

I really want to do a PhD and have been applying for studentships but have only had one interview so far. I don't know if the fact that I have decided not to continue with my current PhD is reflecting badly on me or if it's because I have a 2ii and an MSc. Surely the 15 months experience of postgraduate research is an advantage.

I'm grateful for any advice.