You forgot the union jack shorts. They'll go down a storm.

Hmmm. Age is not a criteria per se, and I'm not sure camper was trying to say this anyway. I think he is alluding to what other experiences you can bring to the table in your application. Hence, a few years managing projects in the commercial world can be used to impress a potnetial supervisor who is trying to decide between 50 applicants with Distinctions in their MScs.

Obviously, many things are taken into consideration but gaining useful experience and transferable skills takes a few years so by implication age can come into it.

From personal experience, I don't entirely agree on academic ability alone. As I've postulated on here before I am just completing my UG degree but was able to successfully take on Masters grads with Distinctions because my years in the commercial world had given me a whole load of skills that the stereotypical Masters grad woudln't ordinarily have. And also because my proposal happened to be very good.

My point is that a whole range of criteria come into it, academic ability merely gets your application through the first round.

I can see where you're coming from camper6. I think when you get that bit older (I'm 32) you become much more aware of those "now or never" moments and that the clock is ticking. Sounds a bit morbid but you get an appreciation that you're not here for very long and that these sorts of opportunities don't come along every day. I've had to endure a further 4 years of a second UG degree to get me in position to take on a PhD in a subject that is close to my heart.

It's just up to you to stay the course. Good luck with it.

Good luck mate!

I think it depends on the university and their policy. Mine is in a pretty remote location and is a long way from where I live, so they do not have an interview policy. I wouldn't read too much into whether it's a phone or face to face but rather what sort of impression the sup gives you. At the end of the day, it's a two way process so a chance for you to decide whether they're right for you.

We spoke for about 45 minutes, although we spoke again on a couple of other occasions. I wouldn't worry about the time, it will fly by. I should imagine also that once it gets underway you become relaxed very quickly.

One word of advice. Write a list of bullet points you want to cover and questions you want to ask. The last thing you want to happen is to finish the conversation thinking to yourself, oh I wish I'd mentioned that. It's the one good thing about a telephone interview, you can have some pointers in front of you.

Yes, be honest. I said because I want to make a career in academia and research (which happen to be true). Nothing wrong with an answer from the heart!

I wouldn't read too much into it. I got offered my position without an interview. I wasn't exactly interviewed over the phone per se, but the long phone conversation I had with the supervisor went a long way to getting me there.

That said, when I called them I knew I had to make a good impression, so being warm, friendly, chatty, ENTHUSIASTIC and appearing knowledgeable really help to get off to a good start. Ask lots of questions, e.g. the topic, the dept, the university, previous research, research groups. You could say to them that you've read a couple of good articles on topic X, but you'd really like to read some more, what do they recommend?

The biggie, of course, is highlighting your achievements and why you think you're suitable. The questions they will be asking themselves are, does this person really want to do this topic, are they likely to stay the course and can I work with this person.

Dan B - I'll store your money for you. That way, I can get a PhD from Belford University and forget this 3/4 year malarkey.

It's natural, especially if you have been at it continuously for some time. I'm in FT work at present (quitting over the summer to start the PhD in the autumn) and feel drained and motivationless. It's probably just that your batteries are low and need refreshing (I assume you're still interested in your topic!).

How about taking a week or two's holiday, get well away from the university and do something active that involves nothing to do with your PhD.

As who is about to start out (and having seen the long list on this website), what books do people recommend for a Science PhD?

To complete the story, I editted it over the weekend and had a final draft ready. At the time I had the pre-weekend draft with my supervisor, expecting only having to make a few final tweaks before hand in. My supervisor came back with comments on the day of submission with a bit more than a few tweaks. Hence, I asked him for an extension. I already know it's a first, but I'm being pushed to make a clear First. The other problem is, the longer I drag this out the shorter I cut my revision time so there is no advantage for me having an extension.

Sounds promising, get in there!

They are also aware how much my dissertation means to me. I am trying to get it published.

In reply, they tend to be flexible with us on deadlines because we are part time students (i.e. work commitments). They're not exactly marking them anyway at the moment!