I have been trying to get on a PhD for one year and six months, with no success. I feel in the depths of despair, could anyone give me some advice?

hattie, could you be a little bit more specific? I understand it sometimes hurts to describe "bad" memories, but mature mentality will help the PhD study.

I'm not sure what 'bad memories' have to do with this question (maybe it relates to another thread)...

...but Hattie, if you've been applying for a PhD place for one and one half years without success may be you should come to the conclusion that either your research proposal is inadequate, or your general credentials are not good enough for a PhD place. So my advice would be to stop looking for a PhD and do something else.

i am confused. so you have been applying for a PhD for 1.5 years with no success.. what did those rejections say?

Well the last one I was rejected for - didn't have enough research training and not enough of a science background. (Even though I have had research training at masters level from a top five uni plus the PhD was in the social sciences).

Before that - lots of applicants, huge competition.

Before that - no supervisor to supervise, I submitted my application. The person I thought could supervise is still employed at university but by some freak incident and with little notice they will no longer be teaching and have disappeared off to work for industry instead.

The time before that I was trying to do interdisciplinary research (in a science department) and the department I approached is prejudiced against the discipline I come from (in social sciences) and will only work with one other non science department in the university. Plus the supervisor I approached who has matching research interests, didn't want to take me as I didn't do my undergrad in his 'science' discipline, and talked the head of the research group into not taking me. (Plus I think it was also the case that he hadn't supervised the last two students in that topic all that successfully).

The time before that I came second and one candidate beat me at the interview stage.

The time before that, I was practically promised one, but at the last moment someone with an extra degree applied and the gave the place to that person instead. I was considered for another PhD at the same time, but the supervisor decided that I wasn't good enough at research (my good graded masters from a top five uni wasn't good enough) and also I had the feeling that the supervisor didn't like me as I wasn't her 'mini-me.'

The time before that I couldn't have one because I hadn't finished my masters and they wanted to know my full set of grades.

In my experience (so just that, not generally) if you have a good Masters and are failing to get on a PhD there is a SERIOUS problem with your research proposal. Almost anyone with a Merit in a Masters (Pass even) can get on an unfunded PhD - they're glad to take your cash and have you on the books. Can I be very rude and ask what your research is in?
Btw I too have a very good (distinction) Masters from a top university - but that doesn't mean its research council recognised - some aren't. Mine had some research training but not loads and was not recognised by the ESRC, that could have something to do with it (re lack of research training).

hey hattie,
are we talking funded PhDs only, or do you mean you aren't being accepted even for unfunded PhD places?
the funding issue is hard to deal with. it depends on so much more than ability and grades. much of it is just luck. i'd say if you are talking about funding here, then it might be that you were simply unlucky. if there is indeed a "flaw" in your proposal, it's possible that it isn't "sell-able" enough, rather than not of high enough academic quality.

it sounds like you are trying to work at the intersections between sciences and social sciences. that's where i'm at, too. i found that no matter what i did, sciency funding agencies didn't like my proposals - even if their stated purpose was "to fund projects that bridge the gap between the sciences and the social sciences". i was never sciency enough. social science agencies, on the other hand, didn't see the value of looking at science stuff from social science perspectives. i had to dumb down my proposals to make them "pure" social science (or even, to keep anthropology aspects out when applying to more sociology like places and vice versa).
what i'm saying is: although everybody is calling for more inter- and transdisciplinarity, effectively it is very hard to get funding for such projects. funding-wise, you need to be firmly rooted in a discipline. it's dissappointing and frustrating, but there are only very few exceptions.

the good news is: after just about 18 months (during which i self-funded) i did finally manage to get funding. my successful proposal is not very interdisciplinary at all. but that doesn't stop me from doing what i want to do anyway so there is hope...

Hey Hattie,
Why don't you email your proposal to one of us for comments? We might be able to help? There are loads of PhD scholarships around. Have you thought of applying for those? or have I just lost the plot?

hairui - that sounds like a very good idea!

Hattie, possibly you will need to adopt a new research area altogether - and put yourself in a position were there is less competition.

Agreed Shani - I'm also in the twilight zone where science meets the dark side. No research council would accept my proposal but I did get funding from another source. Crazy though, that interdisciplinary projects are so hard to fund.

If it's unfunded places you are having trouble with then you need more feedback on whether your proposal is sound and matches the interests of potential supervisors. Most supervisors are very happy to take self-funding students unless thier actual research cost are too high to cover (which is often the case in science).

hmm, some of you might only want to study in U.K, but in case you don't mind going abroad, there are way more opportunities out there. Just find the professors you are interested in and send your CV to them.