This question may have already been posted, however...does anyone want to venture a guess on how difficult it is to be accepted for a PhD program ( at Bham and Nham School of Law) approx. 60 and 45 students respectively in each at present I am told. I have no idea as to the approx. # of apps submitted from which they choose, therefore should I approach my offers as a one time opportunity, or might I take the chance and wait, until?
I am a US student and am concerned about the economy (as are most people wherever they reside) and will not know about any funding help (STA/other) until mid Nov for Bham and for Nham, I was told I would not know what I would be eligible for until after registration. Is it uncommon to not be offered any outside assistance in advance, or does it infer that my thesis, (although in an area of interest or no offer would have been made) or total app package not rate high enough on whatever scale is used? I know it is a money game to attract overseas students for the fees, but I am hesitant to carry the entire 3+ yrs of costs alone ( Staffords, private loans). Lastly, if at the start there are no extra funds offered/available, is it possible to be considered for same once you are better into your program and can prove your work worthy of...?
At 43 you could say my career clock is ticking and to add to the mix, I have a daughter who is now in her freshman year, whom I must support to some extent so she is not debt laden at graduation :-(
PS-do the uni's expect that you will take the 2 months granted to accept/decline, or does that put one at a disadvantage?

Thanks in advance for the advice! :-)

======= Date Modified 31 Oct 2008 09:50:04 =======
Hi again,

If you want to find the actual ratio of applicants vs. places then it's best to just email the admissions officers. Getting an offer isn't really a one-off opportunity, there is no reason you shouldn't apply/defer for other years. However, if you get offered funding, this will be something that you shouldn't pass on, or expect you'll necessarily be offered it again.

It's unfair that you cannot find out about your success for funding until after registration. IMO, this is utterly poor practice (and an attempt to hook in students). Generally, funding will be offered to students before they embark on their PhD, and it's much more difficult to get any type of funding once already into your PhD (any money is then normally from ad hoc teaching positions). It is common to get some funding during your PhD but this is normally smaller amounts which may not cover 3 years, and are usually linked to teaching duties. Impressing your department once you are in situ is not likely to attract solid funding as these things are linked to application processes.

If you are planning to pay the fees, I would strongly recommend that you are very bold with the admissions people and demand to know your chances of actually getting funding, and also ask your prospective supervisor(s) about this too.