I agree with Starshine's comments about you already being qualified anough to do an MSc. They will be lookng for academic aptitude and the ability to get to grips with scientific concepts, both of which can be demonstrated by your degree result. Nonetheless any more relevant extracurricular experience you can glean between now and then would enhance your application, particularly if you hope to be offered a studentship. See if there's an oncology seminar series that you can attend at Oxford - ask permission from the organiser, get networking and you might find that you build up contacts who can either give you a few small bits of work to do, or point you in the direction of some appropriate reading, or maybe even write you a reference if you cultivate good academic relationships with them.

Regarding distance learning courses, I have absolutely no idea how these are regarded. But for an area such as oncology, where a subsequent PhD would be lab based, I would be very reluctant to embark on a course that didn't have a decent amount of lab time built in, given that you haven't had the opportunity to build up that much relevant lab time. I imagine those courses (which will be lecture/exam only, no research project) would be best for someone who is a confident researcher but needs to suppliment their factual knowledge, so they may only partly meet your needs.

Good luck! :-)

I agree - a Masters is the way to go. I'm about to start a masters in a different area to my undergrad - not quite as much of a transition as some of those you discuss, but different nonetheless. In my case I reckon I probably *could* skip the masters and start on a PhD, but I would only end up learning the bits pertinent to my PhD and I think I'd be worse off the other side than if I do an MSc and get to find out the range of topics that someone in that field should be well acquainted with.

It's also a good opportunity to get to know other people in the field etc, and would make the transition into PhD far easier for you.

I'm sorry to hear about your situation and the stress it is putting you under.

I would suggest that you don't make any hasty decisions regarding not completing your PhD. When was the last time you had some time off? It might be a good idea to take a week or two off, do something relaxing, and then give some thought to the issues.

Have you spoken to your supervisor about any of this? Or a graduate tutor/welfare officer at the university? Getting advice from at least one of these people would probably be wise. They may even be able to arrange an extension for you, given your circumstances, which would take the pressure off. It also would be entirely reasonable to get some counselling support as well. You are not the first person for whom a PhD has caused mental strain and if you talk to other grad students you might find a lot of empathy.

Whatever you do, try to break it all down into small manageable chunks. There's no point in worrying about the viva yet - when you get to that point you will have had a break from the actual construction of your thesis and will have a lot more knowledge and understanding under your belt.

1. Are you a 'Home' student? If so, your funding should also include coverage of fees. But you'd be better off checking the terms and conditions of the award. Also check if you meet the eligibility criteria.

2. Some halls of residence are catered, some are self catered. They range from a twin room sharing with another person, to studio type flats. Most commonly they will be single rooms. In all case, you would have access to bathrooms, kitchens and laundry facilities on sight, but how many people share those will vary from hall to hall.

UCL has limited places in its halls of residence. If you want to get a place then make sure you apply by around January/February if you are starting the September of that year. UCL students are also entitled to apply for places in the University of London intercollegiate halls (http://www.london.ac.uk/accom.html). The UoL Housing service is a good place to start looking for non-halls types of accommodation (http://housing.london.ac.uk/cms/)

3. It's not true that most people try to avoid travel because of the costs - quite the opposite, as it's usually the rental costs that force people to travel! Yes, travel in London can take a long time, but it's not always best to live as close as possible. Firstly, to live close to UCL will cost a lot more than living a bit further out. Living somewhere in zone 2-3 will give you somewhere nicer and more spacious. Secondly, unless you never plan to do anything social, you will probably end up getting tubes or buses at some point, so it will probably work out cheaper to get a student travelcard (http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/faresandtickets/seasontickets/2913.aspx).

Also be aware that distance and journey time are not exactly correlated. The best thing to do is live somewhere with a good direct bus/tube root. You might live somewhere that isn't that many miles away but if your journey requires you to make 2-3 changes, it will take ages. Use Journey Planner to work out possible journey times from different parts of London to campus (http://journeyplanner.tfl.gov.uk) or Walk It to estimate times on foot (http://www.walkit.com/cities/london/).

4. If you're a UK student, you don't need it. If not, I have no idea I'm afraid.

5. Ha ha haa. Ha ha ha. No. *IF* you have any money left over, I would suggest just putting it in regular savings. You never know when you might need it.

6. Rules depend on the department/group in question. It's hard to get fired - don't try it! Entitled to holidays yes. Research council funding often stipulates up to 8 weeks/year, but the reality is that rarely do people take more than 3-4 weeks. Otherwise you might not finish your PhD in time.

Wow! What a lot to juggle!

Many congratulations on all your achievements. I hope you now get to have a rest!(up)

What's your BSc in? That might guide which course would best complement your existing skills and knowledge.

Having said that, if you're not sure at the moment whether you definitely want to do a cancer based PhD, I would go for the Genetics MSc. Genetics is highly pertinent to cancer research, but has other applications as well. I can't see why that would hinder a PhD application - I was doing a cancer-oriented PhD and none of my fellow PhD students had an MSc in Cancer science - in fact a number of us only had Bachelors degrees. Ditto people I know who have done neuroscience PhDs. I cannot imagine that a Genetics MSc would weaken your application in any way.

Congratulations! Enjoy your well-earned rest!

I've never known anyone finish a lab based biomedical project in 3 years. Most seem to take 3.5-4 years

======= Date Modified 28 Jul 2009 12:25:14 =======
Don't use Word as a grammar tutorial. Even if you set it to English (UK) it is very patchy. It kept correcting something I was doing where I was sure I was right, and eventually I switched to Word's way of doing things. But I subsequently checked in grammar books and my original choice was perfectly acceptable in UK English.

If you're staying in academia, or plan to pursue any job involving writing, it's worth developing your writing skills - I'm sure the vast majority of us here still have room for improvement. I'd suggest getting some kind of grammar/style guide for reference - always handy for resolving those tricky bits. Personally I like "New Hart's Rules: The Handbook of Style for Writers and Editors" (although this isn't a grammar book) but I'd suggest going to a bookshop and browsing to see what fits in best with where you're at and how you'd like to develop.

[Edited to add - these days I actually switch off the grammar correction function in word as it is just too darn annoying]

I have no answers to your questions as I've never submitted, nor known anyone who has appealed.

It worries me, though, that you're having to give serious consideration to these issues before you've even submitted. Is the situation with your supervision/examiners such that needing to appeal seems likely? If so I would get someone else in on the picture asap - a graduate tutor or someone in your department who is independent of your research group. If you haven't made them aware of the potential problems and the first they hear about it is if you need to appeal, then they might be suspicious about your motives. Make sure made someone aware of all these issues before you submit.

I do hope this all ends up being hypothetical for you. :-S

======= Date Modified 24 Jul 2009 00:57:00 =======
Re: money. Depends on the funding body and your location. In London stipends range from ~£15K (e.g. MRC) to ~£18K in the first year (CRUK). Stipends are usually tax free. Rates outside London may be £2-3K less. Most are paid quarterly in advance so you need to learn good budgeting skills

You can either apply for a pre-defined, funded project (such as you might see on findaphd.com or any of the other obvious places) which is a little akin to appplying for a job. Or you can work out your own proposal, locating a suitable supervisor, and then apply for funding for the project. Option 1 is a lot faster. Option 2 gives you more freedom.

Re: teaching - policy will vary from department to department, even within the same institution. Some make it mandatory. Some don't. Some pay, some don't. Some actively discourage you because it eats into PhD time (this is particularly worth thinking about if you are lab based as experiments dictate your schedule in a way that reading and writing doesn't). If you want a career as a lecturer then definitely aim to get some teaching experience, but be smart as to how you integrate it into your PhD programme or else it could end up being counter-productive.

Hope this helps.

Hazy