I just had my second year viva, (only 4 months late!) so thought I would let you know how it went.

It was only 45 minutes long and it was really easy... this makes me very worried about what questions I will be asked in my real viva and how I will cope with difficult questions!

They started by asking me how my second year went and to tell them about the results I had, and then about the results I have got since my report was written. Then they asked about what I thought was publishable work etc but not where I aim to publish, thankfully, because I have no idea!

They asked about my thesis structure and said that I should have sent them a written idea of a thesis structure (which I didn't, since I don't know yet!) and they told me to send it to them in the next few weeks.

They asked a bit about some of the experiments, what I thought were the weaknesses in them and how they could be improved. Nothing too challenging because I think I've already thought about how to improve them.

Finally they just asked whether there was anything else I wanted to ask them or mention, and I just talked about something I'm doing now that they didn't mention.

My supervisor just told me that he spoke to my assessors after the viva and they said I was 'confident and professional' so I guess I did ok :)

An easy viva is a mixed blessing... on the one hand it's not nice to have a difficult viva, whereas on the other at least it prepares you for the real thing.

My PhD is structured as 2 years in the UK and 1 year in the US.

Are you sure you want to put yourself through this change in institution though?? It's hard!

My PhD was already structured like this (and to be honest, there's no point in it being this way), because one year is funded by the US Department of Agriculture. I think it will be difficult to get split funding like this yourself, so I agree with Satchi: you're better off looking for PhDs that already have funding from a UK university, so on findaphd.com.

You could also try the Fulbright website and apply for a US scholarship through that.

I like Mendeley too, although I still tend to print out key papers and keep them because I prefer to read on paper rather than on the screen. Plus I can then move it from the 'new' pile to the 'read' pile and that feels like progress!

Well this is good! Let's keep this thread as a motivator so we can keep track of our progress!

I've just been told I've got to submit an outline of a thesis plan and start thinking about what I can publish... so really need to get working. I've stayed at home today to do some writing because I just get too distracted by lab work and other people...

I think I will balance lab work and writing by taking one day off a week to write, if possible. My supervisor in the US thinks I should be at uni all the time but I'm not happy about that so... sorry supervisor! I think this is the only way I will realistically get stuff done.

I'm kind of lucky that when I started I had to do 2 4000 word literature reviews and I have done 2 annual reports as well, so that's why I've already done a lot of writing and data analysis. I had to severely cut down my lab work whilst I was doing the writing because that's the only way I can be productive (even though my UK supervisors told be that is unrealistic because I won't be able to do that in the future). It will still be a lot of work getting it all together in a thesis though.

I think you just mention why you are interested in the topic, including any relevant skills and experience. It can just be as simple as a childhood interest in the topic or you attended a seminar on it once, if you've haven't done much work in the area; you just need to sound enthusiastic.

I'm the same as you. Funding ends in October but I'm not planning to submit til December - anything else will just be unrealistic for me!

How many years funding did you get? I have three.

I haven't even started writing the thesis properly yet... I have a half written introduction and methods, and then I have analysed and concluded most of the data I have so far, but I still have loads more experiments to do (my PhD is molecular biology) and the introductions for each chapter... I've still got a lot to do.

Nice to know there's someone working to a similar timetable though!

I agree, it does seem strange for the US or Canada to not want to conduct an interview, especially, given the nature of US PhDs, the other applicants probably have more experience than someone with a PhD from the UK.
I guess there are underlying reasons for the lack of formal interview and these will probably become clear in time!

I know there's a lot of competition out there so I'm sure if they've chosen you for the position it's because it's warranted - so well done, and keep us informed of developments.

It's usually very difficult to do a PhD whilst in a different country to your host institution.

You miss out on so much interaction with your supervisors and other students so that you learn less, feel isolated and just get less out of it in general. Supervisors are also very reluctant to take on this kind of student, because they are worried that they may not complete the project I think.

I'm not at the postdoc stage yet, but here's my thought:

You don't say which country you are applying to... some countries will be more that happy to take someone on the basis that they are British (as I'm assuming you are) and have a British PhD I expect.

Agreed. It's not too late - you're only 4 months in! Get on with it :)

First of all, congrats!

Second, I don't think they will take your name off the paper now, since they've included you already. It's unethical anyway and I'm sure they realise that.

I think you should send the email as you mentioned.

Not all UK universities need a 7 in IELTS - there are many where you just need a 6 or 6.5.

The differences between the US and UK system are quite pronounced.

In the UK you tend to do just pure research, maybe with one seminar/training session to attend per week. In the US, you have to take about 20 hours of classes a week for the first 2 years, plus do your research.

In the US system, you have to have a 3 hour viva with your 'committee' of 5 academics at the end of your second year where you state your research proposal, and this is pass or fail. If you pass, it's very likely that you will go on to pass your PhD. In the UK system, you are generally reviewed, pass or fail, every year, until your final viva, which you can then still go on to fail if your research or thesis quality isn't good enough.

A US thesis also can be very short, and include your publications, whereas a UK still uses the traditional thesis format and often you will have no publications until you graduate.

UK PhDs are about 4 years, US PhDs are 5 to 6 years.

UK PhDs tend to be either completely funded, or completely unfunded, whereas in the US you may have to work as a teaching assistant to cover your fees.

I don't know about the structures in the other countries, but I believe Australia is similar to the US model.

Are you sure your PhD would be in Portuguese, even if you were studying in either Portugal or Brazil? Many European universities just use English as a first language for a thesis (I don't know about Brazil).

It's probably better to do a PhD in English... it's a more universal language so there will be more opportunities. Also, it's hard enough doing a PhD in a language you know very well, let alone doing it in another one!

I imagine their student acceptance policies are all similar to the UK: you need to meet minimum grade criteria and language levels.

I agree with the above comments. If you've done the work and the only issue is a technical error, it can be easily sorted.