I'm here, working on a manuscript, not sure if I will finish it today or not, but I will try!

Good luck with your work and enjoy your biscuits!

Yes try to have a list of small things to do when you find you can't do the big things you planned, then tick these off as you go and you should find you feel like you have achieved something.

It's going to be difficult to transfer the studentship elsewhere. I know a student that left his 4 year program after the MSc year and the university kept the money and took on another student.

Dropping out of a course is always going to make it a bit more difficult to find funding, but there are people on here that have done it, and I know one other person as well that quit a PhD after a year, got a job as a technician through her ex supervisor's contacts, and then after 3 years started another PhD in the same that lab she was working in, so it is definitely possible.

Can I ask why you want to leave? Many problems experienced on one course are experienced everywhere else.

So yes, to get on to a PhD it's slightly better to have a MRes (same as MSc by Reseach), if the two masters were very similar. If you have a very subject-relevant MSc, then that may be better than a MRes in a less relevant subject area.

But really, I actually don't think it matters that much for a PhD application. The interview is far more important - where they are going to be assessing you on ability to learn, resilience, enthusiasm, likeability and how you will fit in with the PhD group.

If there are exceptional candidates, maybe the choice of masters comes into play, but I don't think it's the most important factor in the majority of cases.

I think research masters are better because they prepare you better for PhD research. I think supervisors know this. On the other hand, I had a taught masters and it didn't stop me from getting a PhD,

Generally people would have a MSc or MRes, rather than a MPhil. MPhils are sometimes awarded when a person doesn't finish/pass their PhD so submits for an MPhil instead.

I would say do an MRes if you can, but if not, a taught MSc is fine.

Also bear in mind that you don't need an MSc to get on to a PhD, but it will strengthen your application and make your PhD easier as you will be more knowledgeable.

What field are you in? In Biology it's quite usual to have 0-2 papers when you apply for postdocs. I just had one paper submitted at the time when I was applying for my postdoc. I think as long you have something, and you have other papers in the pipeline, that's ok.

List your article as 'in review', because it hasn't been accepted until the referees agree with your revisions.

List your other one as 'submitted for publication'. Actually that's what I put for mine, but I don't know if there is more correct terminology for this instance.

I don't know about the book proposal.

http://www.postgraduateforum.com/thread-40161/

see the above thread

Not quite sure what you are asking Cullen123. Can you clarify?

I see what you mean, because it doesn't say annual?

I expect it's four years of funding, because it would be very unusual for EPSRC to find a PhD project for only 1 year.

Apply and ask at the interview if you get one.

Hiya,

A lot of posts are forums are about negative aspects of PhDs, because people often don't write about things they like, so don't let that put you off. Many people love their PhD experience.

You will have work sometime of course, so also consider what you are going to do after a PhD to decide if it's really something you want to do.

And don't forget, extroverts work well in science too - a lot of getting postdocs etc is who you know and networking is a big thing - it's not all working in solitude researching a problem.

Are you looking for PhDs on jobs.ac.uk and findaphd,com?

I think it's because you haven't been very proactive with writing the paper and then making the revisions that they asked, so I understand why they have made the decision to move you from 2nd author and I don't feel that you should query it. If you had written the paper, or made the revisions required, you would have been higher on the author list.

I think there is a lesson here - you have to prioritise publications otherwise someone else will. I know how difficult it is to find time, but you have to find it.

I finished my PhD in August and started a postdoc straight away. When I left, I had 4 papers still to write from my thesis/other collaborations (I already have 1 published). In two months I have written 2 of them and I'm planning on writing drafts of the next 2 by the end of the year. I've done this by working 2 hours every evening on them and 1 day on the weekend. It's not easy or desirable, but I know I have to do it if I want a career in science. I will be first author on 3/4 of these papers - if I didn't write them and another student added to work and wrote the paper, or if my supervisor wrote the paper, I wouldn't expect to be first author.

ah, I was talking about doing work at the uni rather than the stipend. Students still got their stipend irrespective of whether they had an NI number.

At my uni they wouldn't pay people until they gave them their NI, but they could do the work and get paid for it later.

I don't think it's very common in the UK. I didn't do it for my PhD or postdoc, and no-one has ever told me they've done it either.

Personally I wonder what difference it makes. Whenever I've interviewed people, I knew within the first few minutes whether I was going to give them a job or not (and the people I have employed have been good employees, and the ones I advised other people not to hire have been terrible!), so a follow up thank you would make no difference for me.

If it was difficult to choose a candidate, then I guess it may be beneficial, but I would imagine they have made up their minds by now anyway.

I doubt it can harm, but there's only a slight possibility it may help, IMO.

I think it's a quite a common thing, especially in the US, and maybe once you have a had one of their 2-3 day interview things, rather than the quick one hour for a PhD/postdoc interview.

http://www.jobs.ac.uk/careers-advice/working-in-higher-education/2266/sending-a-thank-you-note-after-an-academic-interview