Hi everyone,

I've got a couple of friends who got a third in their undergraduate degrees but have gone on to get good marks in their respective master courses. I know they're interested in PhD study but won't be able to get standard funding. Is there anything you could suggest that I could pass on to them? They've asked me what I think before but I can't really say anything and don't really want to say there's no hope. I've been hinting at part time self funded and with teaching work on the side but I don't really know what else to suggest.
One of them is in Physics and the other Astronomy. My other thought is to maybe suggest they look into different areas of physics that might have more commercial funding.

Hi everyone!

I'm halfway through a masters course at the moment and am applying for PhDs. I only got a 2:2 at undergraduate, however, my coursework marks in masters course so far have been really quite good. I'm wondering where would it be a good place to put these in, in my academic cv or as a 'supporting document'.
Do you think 'they' will be able to see past my undergraduate grade? Some online applications ask for A-Levels too, which I hope should work in my favour since there's quite an obvious dip in my grades in my undergraduate degree when compared to my A-Levels and Masters marks. My project supervisor's pretty well respected and I'm hoping the fact that I'm far more 'trained' in terms of research and general subject matter than an undergraduate would be will really help me.

Thanks for any advice you can give! Obviously this time of year can be quite stressful!

I originally had an offer for an undergraduate place at Sussex with a Bursary (top top A-levels) but decided to spread my wings and go somewhere else in the country to a Uni higher up those useless league tables. Biggest regret of my life by a long long way and I'm not one to have regrets!!

Now is it worth me applying straight for a PhD even though I might not get the grade I need? Say I did get offered a position and then missed out, do you think they'd let me do the Masters and then reapply for a PhD the following year? Would missing out on a grade one year, getting a masters and then reapplying hurt my chances?

Basically I want to do a PhD at Sussex in Astronomy. I've wanted to do so for a long time. For a plethora of reasons, Sussex is the best choice for me. I already live in Brighton, girlfriend there, her job's there, all my friends and due to certain events in my life and being forced to live in lots of different places, I've always been the happiest when in Brighton.
I'm currently on a 2:2/2:1. It'll be touch and go whether I end up with a high 2:2 or a 2:1. My tutor is confident that I'm in with a very good chance of a 2:1 right now but its no slam dunk. I had originally planned to do a masters in Astronomy at Sussex with the view to apply internally for a PhD after that. That was under the previous basis of a 2:2.

BTW Schlu, what BSc and PhD did you do? I can't afford to take time out after my BSc, its either get a real job to earn money, get a part time job and do a masters and live off baked beans for a year or get funding for a PhD. I know 100% that I want to do a PhD and I'll do whatever's necessary to do it. I know it doesn't count for much but I hold about 510 points in UCAS form, Microsoft Qualification and am working as a teaching assistant right now.

PS Sorry for multi-posting. 200 words per post is not enough sometimes!!

I'm a bit worried though since I think I'd be happiest with being at Sussex vs anywhere else since its nearby from home, I already have a nice home in Brighton and I absolutely *love* the city. I know people that have done PhDs with 2:1s in Physics and someone mentioned on here that they knew someone who'd got onto a PhD at Sheffield in Astronomy with a 2:1. However, looking at the sites of the current DPhil students, it seems like the majority have done a Masters and a couple have done a Masters, got a distinction and have a Bachelors degree with a 1st classification. A slight upside is that two of the astronomers at my current Uni did their DPhils at Sussex and one of them is my third year project supervisor. I'll go and see her this week to talk things over and get her input.
Do you think the best idea would be to apply for the PhD and then if I don't get the funded place or if all goes wrong and I only get a 2:2 then I ask if I can do the MSc instead?

I've spent some time thinking about it and I'm generally coming to the conclusion that if I could get onto a funded PhD right without doing a Masters then that would be a better idea. The idea of having all that maintenance money vs living in financial squalour does carry a lot of weight.

Where are you at, what's your degree title and what are you expecting your final grade will be?

I've had a brief look around on here and have spoken to a few people and have heard mixed reports on these matters so I figured I'd put them on here.

If doing a PhD, how rigid are the 'working hours'. I've heard reports of people getting up late and working late, people working at home and actually not so many reports of 9-5 work. What is it like? I'd be looking at a science but a theoretical based one. As it stands, for my research project in my current degree, we're not required to sign off for 6 hours a week in laboratories, we're allowed to work from home (which suits me well).
My reasons for asking are that something that's more flexible would widen my possible institutions due to commute times and I'm also more productive when not stuck in a 9-5 environment.
I'm also interested in regards to societies and clubs. I'm currently a president of one of my Uni's athletic union clubs and I'd be very interested in investing quite a bit of time in an au club / society while doing a PhD. Is this realistic?

H, confidence isn't an issue. Although it won't have come across in my message above because I'm trying to be as honest as possible on here, I'm very confident and usually do well in interviews. I'm an athletic union society president and a teacher aid in a school on the 'worst schools' list so am used to performing under pressure!

Due to financial reasons, doing a Masters at Sussex would be the only real option. A funded PhD would widen my potential places of study to the whole of London and some more of Sussex. I've always really liked the idea of a Masters since I feel I could do pretty well at one. The organisation of the one at Sussex and the way its assessed all sound ten times better than here in my BSc. The biggest worry is finance since unfortunately I don't have anyone like parents to fall back on.

Thanks guys for the advice btw, its really helping!

I'm a final year student doing a Physics and Astrophysics degree. I've wanted to do a PhD for a long time but have had a bad time at this University - some big life 'disasters' etc have caused havoc.

I had planned on doing a Masters in Astronomy at Sussex even though it would be a financial burden and then trying for a PhD. That was under the assumption that I'd get a 2:2. Now things are looking much better and I'm in the running for a 2:1, I'm wondering whether maybe I should see if I can skip the MSc. Although ideally I’d want a PhD in Astronomy/Astrophysics, I’d be willing to bend to funding and location needs to some extent. My current degree is at a “top ten” University but not Oxbridge.

I'd really appreciate any advice on this all, I'm at a loss at what to do right now. Should I apply for both a Masters and a PhD even if they're at the same Universities, should I wait until I get my final mark or should I just dig myself a hole and bury my head?! I'm feeling very lost and confused right now!