I think that's all you can do really: state the reasons why you are worth the extra cash. Good luck!

If I were you I would email the supervisor and see if there are any other people she can recommend, and if she says no, then contact the referees and apologise and say that you will need to reapply next year

You can send it to me if you like.

My supervisor told me the other day that it's fine for me reuse material from my thesis in publications and vice versa as long as I'm first author on the paper so it's clear it;s my work. I have three chapters and I am planning to have 3-4 papers in total. Basically, my whole thesis will be published as papers.

I think the reality is that it needs to be substantially rewritten to avoid plagiarism though.

Are you in my lab? :P

9 hours to write 500 words doesn't sound very productive, does it?! But they are 500 very good words for the introduction to my first data chapter, and the points that link the other thousands of words I've already written for it, so I am very happy! :)

I'm a molecular biologist but there's too much jargon in there even for me. Can't help, sorry.

It's mostly UK people on this site so we don't work on the basis of CGPA and therefore it's difficult for us to help you.

In many cases, having a 2.1 (or a B grade) with a MSc of any grade is sufficient to get a PhD scholarship from the UK. Some people have 2.1 and no MSc and they still get scholarships.

Try applying for funded positions in other countries. Or can you get your government to sponsor you?

The two UK ones are fine, Leeds is probably better though, and I don't know about the Austrian one. Depending on your career path it might make a difference if you choose a specific MSc, but in many cases courses are called different things but cover broadly the same material. It depends on the research specialities of the academics.

There's really no private services on how to write a thesis. Honestly, I think that an undergraduate degree should prepare someone enough that they should be able to write a thesis without too much difficulty using the guidance of their supervisors, colleagues and advice available online and in books. If someone can't do this, then one should question whether they should be awarded a Masters at all.

The person just needs clear guidance on what needs to be changed and proceed from there. The university should have given them this already, if not, then they need to ask for it. The university are best placed to provide advice because ultimately they are the ones awarding the degree and know what they are looking for.

Mmm yeah, good point!

I don't know for sure, but I don't think you are. I think lecturers are employed directly by the university, even though I know they get paid according to a national pay scale etc. This might be different for US researchers for example, who might work at a university but be employed by a federal government body such as the US Dep. of Agriculture. Maybe the UK has an equivalent if you work for FERA etc.

I've got a taught masters. It didn't hinder my microbiology PhD application at all, although with hindsight, having a research masters would have made it much easier for me in the initial stages of my PhD. It does depend on the supervisor though, and some are looking for PhD students with previous lab experience.

This all sounds totally normal to me! Also remember that a PhD is often a lonely task and many people get very limited support from their supervisors. Having said that, a fast or slow response to emails doesn't really tell you anything about the type of supervisor a person would be,

Lack of expertise in the subject makes it more difficult, but not insurmountable. You will just need to do a bit more background reading than others.

Keep persevering and good luck!