Thank you both. Do you definitely think its best not to mention the past. Not even to say something like 'hope we can put it behind us'?

Hi all,

Thanks in advance for your help.

I'm returning to a university where my relations with my old supervisor are not too good. I can't go into much detail, but trust me, they weren't good. Anyway, I just found out that she will be teaching some of my classes next year. I can't avoid her basically. I'm just wondering how to phrase an email to her, that basically says something along the lines of:

Hi, I'm coming back. Just wanted to warn you and to ensure in advance that there are no hard feelings between us, or there certainly aren't on my part. Fresh start, clean slate tabula rasa, all that stuff.

She has no idea (i don't think), that i'm returning. I feel like I have to contact her before I see her again, to save us both from a very uncomfortable meeting...

Any tips? Al.

Yeah, it's not very impressive at all. Especially not for the university I'm hoping to stay at. My honours years grades are: 72/63/60/59/59/59/57 and 68/68/65/63/65/63/57. and my pre-honours grades are very low. Do you think that's okay? I'd love to do a phd. I completely regret being such a slacker at uni! How are you supposed to know when you're 19 that all those nights out will come back and haunt you?

Hi all, thanks for your replies. In my field, I need to do a masters (at least, at this particular uni I do). I wouldn't want to do a phd without the MA training any way. I'm just worried that when it comes round to applying for phd i don't get a look-in because of my shoddy undergrad grades, and then i'll have wasted a lot of money on post-grad training which is effectively not good for any thing other than a career in academia.

Hi everyone.

I am about to start a taught masters at a top university in the UK in a humanities subject. I want to then go on to do a PhD at that university in a related topic. I stated on my personal statement that this was the case. However, admissions to the programme depends only on whether you have a 2.1 equivalent (which I do), and I do not think that individual grades are taken into consideration (mine are quite poor).

My concern is this: I am about to spend a lot of money on a masters, which I am happy to do, but only if I am to be accepted onto a phd afterwards. I am sure that I can get the grades necessary for my masters, but will my past academic record prevent me from getting in to do the PHD? I scraped a 2.1. It's just that I don't know if I can afford to take the risk!

What would you do? Thanks Ali