Hi all,

After posting several messages on here and trying to get to grips with putting together a proposal (I am 56 years old and last time I was involved in academia was 1994 when I got my Masters) I have today been made an offer to start a Phd in Law starting next October!!

Be interested to know from anyone already studying a PhD (I will be part-time and home-based for most of the time) what I can expect!?

Also if there is anyone in my area of the country - North Lincs - be interested to make contact...

Finally, anyone studying a Law or law-related PhD out there?

N

Congratulations Bignige!!!

Congrats Bignige!

No idea what to expect from a Law PhD though...

Congratulations on your offer of position, NIge. Best wishes for the journey :)

Congratulations on getting your offer. I am a couple years younger at 54, and hoping to start a PhD in the 2018 year, my funding application not withstanding. Shows us oldies still have what it takes...:)

Hi Chaotic

Where and what are you studying?

N

My research topic is in the Politics/Human Geography/Sociology area, and I am based in the North East.

Hi there I just finished mine - I am on my 40s - My PhD was in history but legal aspects (historical) were present as I studied a series of Acts of the Gladstone Government, including the Settled Land Act 1882, which changed conveyancing. Sp probably nothing to do with what you are doing but do get in touch if you need to vent nevertheless. It can be a lonely journey and sometimes eroding one's self confidence so, in my humble opinion, peers and friends who have been though it/going through it are very helpful.

Hi Chaotic and Trilla

Chaotic: you are likely not based far away from me. What funding have you applied for? Are you aware that there are loans coming out next year for up to £25K for PhD students? Same deal as the Masters loans - start repaying when you are earning at least £21K (or £25K as I think the threshold may just have been increased).

Trilla: I may well take you up on that offer.

I have nobody to speak to who is undertaking/attained a PhD and I think I will not have much contact with other researchers when I start my PhD as I am part-time and the Uni is a fair distance from my home - although I believe I will have to attend a 5 day course there at some point during the first year.

I have been speaking today with a Dr of Law at a University (not the one I have been made an offer by) and he has put a whole new perspective on things - spent an hour on phone and he was largely telling me to research the people who will be supervising me - will they be around for the duration of my studies, what experience have they got, have they supervised PhD's before etc.

Any comments on that Trilla (or anyone else). Was your PhD part-time or full time Trilla - and are you able to say at which Uni?

N

Bignige

Think I am a couple hours drive away. I do know about the new proposed PhD loan, and that was my intended route when I had the idea of doing a PhD back in January, but my then personal tutor (I did an MA at Newcastle last year, 2016-17) strongly advised against the idea of a loan for a full time PhD for various reasons.

I am lucky in that I found a potential supervisor who is really interested in my ideas at Newcastle, and is helping me in my funding application to ESRC for a fully funded studentship. I have also applied to York as a back-up in case the funding application at Newcastle fails for any reason, and might also apply to Oxford as a very long shot due to their good ratio of funded DPhil places, and that would be the only place that I would consider relocating for (there's Cambridge as well, but I do not meet their entry requirements. For some reason, Oxford asks only for a 2:1 + distinction, whereas Cambridge wants a First + Distinction). But Newcastle remains very much my first choice even if I somehow get that unlikely acceptance from Oxford, as its nearly on my doorstep, and my potential supervisors (my lead supervisor has already identified a co-supervisor, with whom I have exchanged emails) seem to be leading experts in their fields.

Which uni are you going to do your PhD? If everything goes well, I shall be starting my PhD at the same as you, and maybe we could grab a beer/coffee for mutual support when the weather is nice enough for a longish drive down the A1.

Hi Chaotic

Great idea. I have been offered a place at UCLAN and I am also waiting on decisions from a few other places - nearer to where I live - Hull/Sheffield/Lincoln to name but three.

Hull or Lincoln would be ideal - but I am pretty sure Lincoln don't have a suitable supervisor - whereas at UCLAN they have a supervisor with around 30 years experience in the field I am researching - in fact they have allocated two supervisors to me (which I believe is par for the course?).

I have the impression that being close to the Uni is not that important as I will be part-time and I believe most of the contact with supervisors will be via email and Skype.

There is also a 5 day course to attend at UCLAN - which is a 2 hour drive from home so not too bad.

N

I think Central Lancaster is in Preston, which quite a journey for you. I would have thought 2 hours might be a little optimistic myself. I know being onsite isn't considered essential, but my advice from tutors is that PhDs can be a lonely business, and face to face interaction and support from peers and the department can make all the difference when the going gets hard, as it inevitably will. I did think of applying to Lancaster at one stage, but that pretty little cottage by the canal went quickly (it was cheap!) , so I gave up on the idea as I want to be campus based.

Hope you have some good news from Hull or Sheffield soon. Have you considered Leeds or York, which are still nearer than Central Lancaster?

Hi there BigNige

of course I can say, it was Manchester.

With my chagrin I did not live in Manchester as I am based in London where my principal archives were (and also I have a family) but I think Manchester is a great city and the university is world class (I have done my undergrad and master at 4 different universities with bursaries etc. so I feel I can compare :)) - basically this is to say you do not have to live in campus at all but try to go as often as you can as oyu really learn a lot from being there, going to reading groups, seminars, bootcamps, etc.

[My wish is to get a good job in Manchester and move there with all my family! Hubby, kids & cat! :D.]

I did my PhD full time, fully AHRC funded but I also kept working - I had 2 consultancies that I wanted to keep, so I diminished my hours greatly (you are allowed to work only 6 hours per week if you are fully funded) - basically in the past three years I had NO social life, and everything else pretty much disappeared too -

I used to be a quite decent marathon and ultra marathon runner (I placed in the top 10 of my age category at big races and once I even placed second outright at a 40 miler!!) but that had to go. Impossible to do 3+ hours training a day on top of PhD+ job + family..

Anyway, I have given up much but also gained much - have published 4 articles while writing my PhD and now just finished my book proposal for my first monograph...

So... was it worth it? I do not know. I miss having friends and I miss running like a lunatic in my lunch break but I also know that writing it's something that it is in me and if I had not done this I would have neglected another big part of myself.

Just to think I thought I was too old at 41 to apply for a PHD.

Hi Chaotic and Trilla

With UCLAN I have to be there for a 5 day block in the first year. Preston is 2 hours drive away. I can't move from my current location as I have 2 kids including a son at special school.

Nearest Unis to me are Hull - 20 mins drive, and Lincoln, around 40mins.

Lincoln don't have a supervisor. I await a decision from Hull.

Nearest after the above is Sheffield which is an hour away.

Trilla: social life won't bother me. Don't have one now anyhow! Lol.

Lets all try and keep in touch.

N