How about you find out that one of your referees ingored reference request for your dream programme?

No wonder they were not replying thinking my referee doesn't want to send my reference.

In fact she didn't notice the request among other papers.
I don't like to blame anyone for my failure, but it really feels like that was the reason.

Do you think there is anything that can be done to fix it now, after the deadline and interviews?

Thanks for the replies. And for cheering me up:)

I realise there are people who may have more experience and be more suitable, I just don't get why it is so hard for them to write: we have chosen someone who has more experience, try to do something about it, or we preferred the other candidate because he/she wrote more passionate statement, we perfer somene who has qualification from British university, you could try to do an MRes here....Whatever, anything... I just get the feeling there is no particular reason for rejection and that's why they just ignore me.

I know they are busy and all but, please, most of those people emailed me regularly before I sent that feedback question.

I am aplying to UK institutions being an EU student, all of the projects I have applied for were for home/eu/overseas students, none of them was strictly for non UK students.

I am quite unsucesfull with my applications, hence I decided to start asking about the feedback (as H and others sugessted).
The thing is I am getting no feedback. People who used to email several times to say/ask/inform me on the stage of my application don't reply to my question about the reasons of rejecting my application.
The only feedback I got from the interview was: everything was fine, keep applying, no need to improve anything.

What would you think?

foxy:

it sounds like you are really not in the right subject.
i get what you have when i try to do something that truly does not interest me.
i can't advise you on what to do. i wouldn't know myself.
it's a hard decision to make, time is quite precious (at least i see it this way).
but being happy about what you do is also very important.

one of my tutors said to me that PhD is a way of learning how to do research not about the subject really.
i try to remember that when i am not sure about what i do or what i plan to do, but hey can anyone do something against their needs/dreams? if yes, is it worth it?

if you are really not satisfied then it's better to change it now not when you are half way through.

hope you make the right decision

sounds like you are in biological sciences.
waiting for primers or cell lines? sounds like that.

it's mostly waiting, all the time, 30 mins here and overnight there.

try to use that time for something useful. 2 weeks is much better than 10 mins coz you can't do anything in 10 mins...

as already said enjoy the break, go and see your family... learn something new in that time. just don't sit and wait:)

i guess i am using the recent one 1.5.0.1

can the operating system have anyting to do with it?
coz i am on linux and it's still pre relase version so I am quite used to things not working properly yet

smileys are good

thank you

And again I can't see them.

It seems I can only see them when I click on view my message button.

ok somehow I see them now

false alarm then

hello, same here, I can't see the smileys.
I am using Mozilla Firefox

I can see the smileys and shortcuts to choose from while adding the message but not in the actual posts

I am just saying that I didn't say my mum is my model because I love her and she is my mum.
I said that because my mother happens to be good at business. I prefer to have a real life example, who I know, I see what she is going through making decisions and dealing with everything than look up to Anita Roddick who I don't know at all.

Maybe we are subjective but I always try to look at people as objectively as possible.

I think I am objective about my mother.
She is a great business woman but a crap mother.
I admire her for what she did in her life but I have someone else to be my model of a perfect mum.

The postdoc I work with is someone I could't be frieds with but still I think she is a great example for others.

I don't know... didn't think of it.
I think you could get away with it if you had good reasons to support your choice.

And I also think that finding models in everyday life is quite importatnt. I would appreciate someone giving me a real everyday life one more than a known one. Think about how media (biography writers) are not always objective. You can never know what was the real story, while with everyday people you just know...

I would say Marie Sklodowska Curie. Brilliant woman and close to my heart because of the same nationality as mine.

What about not very famous women? There is a few in my life I admire and take as an example. Namely my mum for business, PhD student and a postdoc I work with are also brilliant women.

I think it's more about good qualities, not just a known name.

make sure u get rid of everything that reminds you of your relationship. just close that chapter.

by get rid of i mean put it in a box and hide it somewhere.
u need to clear your environment but with time you will be fine with all those things and then you may regret throwing something away.

it really helps.

i also tend to start up new things. new hobby, sport, it is a good way of meeting new people, who don't know the situation and if you don't tell them you can hope to spend your time not going back to what happened.

and time is a healer, it will be ok eventually

fingers crossed

thank you guys for great help:)
any more comments still appreciated:)

I am paralised to even start writing this statement.
this offer is just perfect and I just want it to go right.

I guess I should email the coordinator, what kind of emails I could exchange with someone who coordinates such a thing?

Is it okay to write informal letter on how I want it?