Ah bless, your post made me laugh (I mean the bit about eating your own toes!). I am in a similar situation, ie post doc hunting hell, but my problem is that I can't find suitable/enjoyable looking post docs- and on top of that I just feel really under confident and miserable :-( I keep wondering if I should leave science completely, but then that makes me feel like doing my PhD was a waste of time...
Anyway... PI's are busy people, you could just send a quick reminder email to prompt them into replying?? esp if you need to move on if they say 'no' You have nothing to loose, Good luck!!

x

I concur with Golfpro. Infact, I sometimes think certain MSc courses are invented and run solely to make money for a university. Sorry it is not more positive news.

It may also be good to realise that a phD is not necessarily a golden ticket to a great well paid job either!

I can understand your nerves! but just ask the uni!!

Best of luck!
x

Hi there,
I submitted after 3yrs and 10 days :-) and my viva is in Jan... so I may still fail or have lots of corrections etc!! But hopefully not, and in that case I should be done in 3yrs 3 months. While it may be unusual it is not impossible to finish in 3 yrs ( I sometimes wonder if the people who finish in 3 yrs perhaps just don't post on forums!! because everything is going so swimmingly ??)

3 to 4 yrs full time is the norm in the UK. Although it depends how much funding you get, if you get funding for 3 yrs, then my advice is to take 3 yrs - why work for no money?!

personally my funding came from a charitable funding organisation for animal welfare studies, but my friends have funding from BBSRC , NERC - we are doing PhD's in the biological sciences (mostly animal behaviour). It may be very different for Arts and Humanities etc...The uni's you mention are difficult to get into because competition is high...but I really doubt you would be ruled out because you have a 2i
Best of luck
x

I got a 2i and Edinburgh uni accepted me! I also have many friends who got 2i's and also have fully funded positions. (as long as it is a good 2i, ie >65%)

It might be best to ask the universities themselves - they should be able to give you an estimate of when you should hear.

There are also posters who already hold a PhD - and these posters give great advice based on their experiences.
(Which is the best anyone can do...since there are often no right or wrong answers to a lot of the threads that get posted)

Hey - it feels great doesn't it? But I also know what you mean about feeling flat! Everyone says ' wow it must feel great' and yeah, it does, but you also feel slightly weird because now it is all over, you have the viva looming and it is time to get a job!!! arhgh!! BUT, forget that for a wee while, just ENJOY the moment and try remember when you were writing up how much did you just want to be finished??!!

xx

Really good advice from Juno- ie speak to students in the lab that you are interested in joining- they are the best source of advice/info/help etc and can let you know if the supervisor is a 'hands on' or 'hands off' kind of person. These students should also be able to tell you how much personal input/control you will have over the direction of your PhD. Bearing this in mind, every project is different, even under the supervision of the same person. For example, my project was really well structured and thought out before I even started,whereas other students in the same lab start with a fuzzy kind of vague idea but no real plan of action... it really does depend on a lot of things... And it depends if you will be field work based or lab based, and how much you already know how to do- e,g a lab based project will involve a lot of training/help at the beginning (which will most likely come from a Post doc)...

hope this helps!

Thanks everyone!

My head is sooo sore today! I reckon I must have mixed grape and grain and all manner of colourings (think various blue and green cocktails!)

xx

I JUST SUBMITTED !!! I just needed to share that with this forum!
reading the posts on here as kept me sane over the last 5 months or so.
To everyone writing up- keep going cos this feels so nice :-)
I haven't been very vocal on here, but I wanted to say A BIG THANK YOU! to all the posters/threads esp the accountability thread! and all the advice that I have sneaked in on!

Just have to survive the viva now!
But for now, I am off to drink a bottle of vodka BYEEEEEEEE!
XXX

Hi Vicky
PhD's are not just for 'rich' people!! Money does not stop someone doing a PhD (you get paid certainly enough to more than survive, perhaps not raise a family of four but...it is adequate) And I don't see why you should be any less eligible for a studentship. If you did well at uni (got a good 2i) then you have as much chance as anyone else. I definitely don't think you should self fund - that will bleed both your wallet and your soul dry. Studentships are the way forward..

On a personal note, although I don't like distinguishing by class, I guess I am 'working class' or certainly I have come from a working class background and it did not stop me. Having said that, I am in loads of debt now, but this is from my undergrad days.. I would n't let it stop you. GO FOR it and stop worrying about money!