======= Date Modified 31 Oct 2008 09:50:04 =======
Hi again,

If you want to find the actual ratio of applicants vs. places then it's best to just email the admissions officers. Getting an offer isn't really a one-off opportunity, there is no reason you shouldn't apply/defer for other years. However, if you get offered funding, this will be something that you shouldn't pass on, or expect you'll necessarily be offered it again.

It's unfair that you cannot find out about your success for funding until after registration. IMO, this is utterly poor practice (and an attempt to hook in students). Generally, funding will be offered to students before they embark on their PhD, and it's much more difficult to get any type of funding once already into your PhD (any money is then normally from ad hoc teaching positions). It is common to get some funding during your PhD but this is normally smaller amounts which may not cover 3 years, and are usually linked to teaching duties. Impressing your department once you are in situ is not likely to attract solid funding as these things are linked to application processes.

If you are planning to pay the fees, I would strongly recommend that you are very bold with the admissions people and demand to know your chances of actually getting funding, and also ask your prospective supervisor(s) about this too.

Twist

£8k should give you a good start, but with a family of 4 and all the set up costs of moving to Britain, it won't last more than few months. You can benefit from the property crash at the moment, rents in Manchester's regeneration areas are very cheap for quite plushy apartments. The City of Salford is also particularly cheap at the moment. However, cheap rents are somewhat offset by the big increases in food, fuel and utility prices (expect to pay at least 25% more for most things in the UK cf. to the US). You should also consider the fact that unemployment is rising to record levels in the UK, so it may be quite difficult for your husband to find work (we are suffering the same economic problems as the US).

The average car mechanic (not running their own business) will get something in the region of £15-25k a year (after your tax free allowance, you'll pay 20% tax on this, and an additional 11% for national insurance on any income earned above approx. £100 per wk). This type of salary, plus money you'll get as teaching assistant, should be enough to live on.

I would strongly recommend that you come over here and check everything before making a 3/4 year commitment, particularly with respect to finding decent school places for your kids.

Slam

Tryst

Well done Jade (a 2.1 and a merit means you're bright!...but also have a social life, or in your case, kids). :-)

Well I'm not (not my discipline), but a few days in Newcastle sounds very nice (although all you scientists may freeze in this weather). Have fun!

MS Onenote (not to be confused with endnote) is also a good tool for note taking, and making links to other material.

This question was raised on the forum not so long ago. The time frame depends on your subject and how much research you have put in before your write-up year. Sciences tend to take a shorter time, while arts/humanities/social sciences can drag on (obviously due to the higher word count).

It's definitely not normal in my experience....but embrace it!

======= Date Modified 26 Oct 2008 13:26:48 =======

Phdbug, my words were tongue and cheek (...a running joke amongst British students, with the parentheses attempting to contain the serious comment). I'm not knocking LSE, and of course any university is what you make it.

Although I have to say, it is undeniable that LSE generally charges fees that are much higher than most other British universities, and therefore, attracts wealthy students and admits a very high proportion of wealthy international students (LSE is highly reliant on international fees). It is, and has been for a long time, a very elitist university. This is no better evidenced by its attempts at lobbying the government under the auspices of the Russel Grp to lift the cap on UG fees. Of course, there are students who have to work and stuggle to pay fees, but a great deal (and in my experience, a disproportionate number cf. to other UK universities) do not.

Having studied at LSE (at Masters level), and other London colleges, I personally haven't found anything that really sets LSE apart from the likes of UCL or KCL, and therefore, I always say to anyone applying to LSE, and facing much higher fees, to seriously weigh up whether it's really worth the money (frequently 2/3x the cost of other unis...including Oxbridge...and LSE is certainly not Oxbridge). Obviously, the ability to pay these high fees is a real factor when applying. In many respects, I find one pays for the international 'brand name' at LSE, and not necessarily a superior educational experience (relative to other top UK unis). Obviously, this is my experience, and yours and others may differ.

For my sins, I am considering a further degree possibly at LSE once I finish my PhD, so do not think in anyway I am 'anti-LSE'...but in my opinion the heavy branding and marketing of LSE doesn't necessarily reflect the reality of the place.

======= Date Modified 26 Oct 2008 09:29:24 =======
Well for me, writing-up has led to lots of comfort eating, impatience, and a general cynicism with all aspects of life.

I've sort of adopted a Larry David'esque mentality. Upon submission I hope to revert to a decent human being again.

As for vivid dreams, too much coffee and eating late is probably the likely culprit.



Just to add, as for your pirates Olivia, well that's not stress, that's just plain insanity.