All the best!

Surely rankings do provide an index of how highly a particular institution or school is ranked?

I think it tends to be manageable... my friend from South Korea basically used to disappear for what felt like months at a time (maybe it was weeks?) very often during her PhD. She did used to have to come back for the sake of paperwork stuff but still seems more often away than not!

Hi there

It is definitely best to consider these two important things. Re point 1: can you get any feel for which of the two supervisors is less into micro-management? If you end up with a supervisor who micro-manages, I promise you, your PhD will be an utter misery and you will regret it! It is hard to ask someone - are you a micro-manager? Could you make a judgment based on the nature of the feedback on your research proposals?

I was in a similar situation to you at the start of my PhD (and I made the wrong decision lol - hence my strong advice now!). I already had a funny feeling that Supervisor A was more wanting to hold my hand and micromanage by the way she commented on my drafts and managed that early part of the relationship. I should have chosen Supervisor B who was more like "yes, this is great" and not bothering to pick little holes in it that were of no great consequence. But I thought Supervisor A sounded like she was more thorough and had more time for my work - and because I was a little uncertain about what the world of PhD was going to hold - I chose her. And, of course, I regretted it!

Regarding your second point. I don't think I would even say explicitly what you intend to do. I think I'd just make it clear that you have family abroad and travel often, and that this has never impeded your ability to work before and you don't see why it should now. Perhaps a negative reaction to this would be flashing lights warning of micro-management! And then you should go with the other supervisor.

Hope this is a bit helpful! Go with your gut feeling and never make a big decision like this based on fear or uncertainty!

Do you mean academic journal papers? You can see where top ones are published (which schools) by looking at the author info on a paper. There must be some better way to choose your school though. Have you googled rankings for your particular area of study?

I don't see why you can't go for the new project/supervisor, and then if things don't go to plan (if you don't manage to pass that exam), resort back to the idea of writing up what you've done as a Masters. Can you discuss this with the supervisors? They will understand that you need to have a back up plan.

That sucks (the reference part). Here is what I would suggest. It may be long winded but worth it. Try and get a research position with your current qualifications - e.g., a part time research assistant post. Then ask your supervisors/the PI in that job to provide references. They won't need to mention the "PhD history". And you can write a personal statement that frames everything exactly how you want it to be framed as to why you decided to do an MPhil at that stage and have since decided to pursue a PhD. This is what I would do. And I'd prepare myself for when questions are asked about the PhD - just have some good explanations ready as to why you decided to (whether or not it was entirely your decision - that is your business not theirs) do an MPhil (avoiding any negative detail about your previous PhD experience).

Hi again Ciniselli
I just wanted to add... you know maybe you are in an awful slump where you really do believe your work has no value. But maybe that isn't actually true. There can be times where it is hard to know whether it is a state of mind or reality... it could be that in a few months or half a year, you see things differently from now. I can think of times when I have felt a certain way and then realised that it wasn't the reality after all.
Good luck

I think you need to speak to a trusted advisor about this. If you do aspire to remain in academia then it is probably important to try and get a publication out of your thesis. Are there some aspects of your work that you do believe in? Can they be pulled together to form a publication? I don't think that a PhD thesis is the be all and end all. I've heard on multiple occasions about academics being mortified at the thought of their PhD theses. The PhD is a training. What have you learn from your PhD? If you do want to continue in academia, what is going to be the best way forward? I don't know what it is like in your field but in mine the normal steps are to do a postdoc and continue to get supervision as an early career researcher. I do think talking to someone in your area and in the know is your best bet. And I'm glad you have all those positive things to point to from the last few years! In addition to successful completion of a PhD once you've done your corrections. Even if you no longer think that what you've done is that great, you will have done it and learnt from it and got your award. That is no small feat.

Hi Ciniselli

It sounds like you've been reflecting a lot and reached this conclusion at the present time. I hope this makes you feel more confident about moving forward. Perhaps you will find a fulfilling role doing something related to your field of interest. There are some people who have doctorates and yet who have research assistant positions that they are overqualified for on paper. Or maybe you will try something completely differently and keep your passion on your topic alive as a hobby. Whatever you decide - you are still young! Don't write off your life or the past few years of your life...! All the best in finishing your corrections.

Tudor

Can a UK national obtain funding to do a PhD in the USA?

You may have to quickly hash something together and get as much feedback as you can from others on it (especially helpful since you don't have a lot of time) or else wait til the next round of deadlines... I'd go for it - you just never know!

Presumably because the deadline is imminent...

Are you able to do some voluntary work in a relevant lab, or else find a job as a research assistant in your field, perhaps one that you are already over-qualified for? Getting a foot in the door somewhere may be the way forward.

Absolutely agree with chantedsnicker and bewildered here. Need to exercise caution and be sure not to reject substantive advice. But also you need to be happy that you have autonomy. Getting the balance right can be tricky!