Hi verdinfloy,

Honestly, I can't recommend any courses but "accessibility in videogames, apps or any digital media" sounds like a dissertation project to me, mainly because it sounds niche. You might find that no university offers a degree specifically in that area but you could always do your masters dissertation on that topic if you can find a willing supervisor. There is no guarantee that your masters supervisor will let you or be able to help you. Though you could possibly apply to an MRes degree where you solely research that specific topic.
I hope that is helpful.

I agree with eng77, solely chasing prestige is the wrong approach and the quality of the course matters more. Saying that a degree from Cambridge is a degree from Cambridge. I have never heard of an Mst degree before but looks to be just another way of saying "masters degree" which everyone knows.

Never experienced this problem but you might be able to get a guest account. I know several universities have accounts for unpaid research associates, placement students and visiting researchers. You would need to ask your supervisor to create a fake role so you qualify for a guest account.

Is anyone else interetsed?

Yes.
Quite a lot of people post surveys here for people to complete, so I don't see why not.

I understand that you are frustrated but everyone is in the same boat. I don't think finding like minded PhD students is easy.

Although we could start a postgraduate forum discord channel?

Chemical sciences and chemical engineering are completely different subjects.
Chemical engineering is about fluid flow, heat transfer, reaction kinetics and optimization of chemical processes (among much more). It is very math heavy and the chemistry is usually well-defined to the point that you barely need to know any chemistry.
I am assuming chemical sciences is a lot more chemistry focused with probably more lab work. It is probably more akin to a Chemistry degree were understanding the reaction principle and developing reaction pathways than optimization.

Can I ask are you a PhD student or Masters student?
If you are a PhD student, I would be immediately on the phone with your supervisor asking for an update. However, master's vivas results are usually part of the internal review process and can take this long.

Honestly, it is hard to say. Do you know how many PhD places were offered? If there are several you might have a chance but you could email your potential supervisor for better advice.

Hi JennySawyers,

I agree with Jamie_Wizard. A PhD in itself is a massive success and don't let people put you down. For your PhD you would have had to do data analysis on a large project that puts you above non-PhD students. For post-doc roles I can't give you much advice other than fake it until you make it. There are surprisingly large number of post-docs who exaggerate their CV to get roles and if you aren't doing it you are at an a disadvantage. Jamie has given some good advice on how to build your skills and I would add that you could try to reanalyse some of your old PhD data and possibly get a paper out if to reinvigorate your academic CV.

Goodluck

Hi sdtonnar,

I wouldn't do a PhD for the job prospects. Honestly it is hard to predict if a PhD will "pay off" financially. Some jobs require a PhD but they are limited and you can sometimes do them without a PhD. I personally think that a PhD is worth it if you enjoy the topic, then it is definitely worth it. A PhD is a chance to do 3 years of work on topic that you want and you will never get that in industry.

Hi NewbieSE,

It sounds like you have second year blues. I think nearly every PhD student loses their motivation at some point, I certainly have and most people on this forum. So you are not alone. There is a lot of good detailed advice available on the internet to help with second year blues.

I wouldn't quit your PhD unless you have something lined up already. A stable income is more important than having a passion. You can treat your PhD as a job and only do the bare minimum. If you want to regain your passion, I recommend taking some time off in order to distract yourself from your PhD. You might find that a few weeks away helps you deal with your anxiety and gives you a new clearer perspective.

Hi Sllona,

I am in the same spot. I am a research group of one and my supervisor isn't that helpful. I can't give you any advice on how to find collaborators but you can still socialise with other PhD students. I was fortunate enough to become friends with a few PhD students in another research group and became an unofficial member ( they invited me to their Christmas Meal). I understand that lockdown has made socialising a lot more difficult but I know my university is hosting coffee mornings for postgraduate everyday that could be useful.

Also, I know lockdown is difficult for this but conferences are amazing. Personally I prefer internal postgraduate conferences or early career researcher conferences. The few PhD students in my field at other unis that I know well were all because I went to the pub with them at a conference. Unfortunately conferences are the by far the best way to collaborate with other unis but online conferences are not that great.

With the current lockdown, I am just focusing on managing my mental health with the assumption that I can network/socialise after coronavirus.

Student finance counts as self funding. Generally if you aren't receiving a bursary it is self funding.

Hi Lorenzo213,

Your question gets asked a lot but I don't know the definitive answer.
From previous posts postdoctoral loans are capped at 60 (on first day of the course) and that there is no limit on UKRI funded because age is a protected trait. However, I could be wrong and hopefully someone else knows more.