Hi! I started my M.Sc in Bioinformatics in 2006 and was supposed to finish in 2007, but unfortunately, I was not able to finish my masters project on time, and so I could not clear it in one go. After that, I did a deferred project in genome annotation, finished it in April, 2008, and got result in May, and degree in July this year. All these phases have been really tough, but I feel its worth it though I have scored only 58 % marks in M.Sc. Now I want to go ahead with my PhD, infact that has been my motivation to go for M.Sc. But the fact that it took me two years to finish my MSc, and that too with less percentage bothers me so much that I have almost lost all hope and confidence regarding whether I am ever going to get a PhD. So thats the question. Is it really going to affect my propects in getting a PhD? I am really looking for some words of wisdom, motivation, suggestions, and advice regarding this.

Doesn't hurt to apply.

PhDs are not exclusively about qualifications; they are about your drive and determination as well. Apply and use your MSc saga as proof that you REALLY want to do a PhD. I know plenty of academically bright PhD students who've dropped out and plenty of distinctly average ones stay on and finish. Tenacity counts!

i agree with verypoor, it is definitely worth applying! as for your msc result, i really don't think the actual grade is all that important, just the fact that you passed should be enough as it is regarded as quite a tough subject (i did a masters in bioinformatics too, and nobody ever asked what grade i got when i was applying for my phd).

everyone has problems along the way so don't worry too much about your deferred project. in fact, in my opinion, anyone with a masters in bioinformatics will be fairly sought after (particularly if you want to stay in that field, as it isn't the most popular subject!). the main thing is to be able to explain to somebody why you took longer, for example if someone asks you in an interview, and be able to justify it (e.g. illness, problems with supervisor, change of topic partway through...)

so try and feel confident about what you have achieved, and find a phd that really interests you to keep you motivated. good luck!

I don't know how i thought about this post today. I am the same person who wrote that post 6 years ago. even my username is archived and had to make a new account to write here. The very thought of the situation i was in and the hopelessness surrounding me in those days makes me cringe. Nevertheless, I am very happy to say here right now that i am indeed pursuing my PhD in computational neuroscience from a very good lab in USA, and doing pretty good. The journey has been difficult and there was struggle but it was all fun. Thank you to all you awesome people who replied and gave me hope. My message to everyone in difficulty is just hang in there and never lose hope.

I love success stories :) Thanks for updating us!