I've been offered a PhD when I graduate, despite rubbish results for the last 2 years (2:2s) I've got my finals and have realised that i'm not going to get the 2:1 I need for my funding (BBSRC studentship) I'm thinking about degrading and returning next year to repeat my third year. Do you think it would damage my prospects of finding another project next year if i repeat a year, or should i plough on and gamble on getting crap results? My project was excellent and I got very high marks for it.

You should talk to the person who has offered you the place and explain your concerns. They will be able to advise you as to the benefits of delaying your exams and may be able to set your mind at rest about what's expected. If this supervisor (presumably the same person who supervised your final year project) really wants you to work with them they should be able to put together a study regime that will get you through your finals.

Delaying your exams sounds like a really bad idea to us here. If you got 2.2s before because you didn't work hard enough then you've still got time to work harder and improve your grade. If you did work hard in previous years, but ended up with a 2.2 anyway, then delaying your exams will probably just delay another 2.2.

Finally, just to re-iterate the point, go and see your potential new supervisor and talk to them openly and honestly about your concerns.

First learn how to communicate correctly by improving your vocabulary and not using words such as "crap". Then maybe you'll be ready for a PhD.

Why have you been offered a BBSRC funded PhD studentship if you have a consistently lower than average academic record? Are you an expert in a particular area or is it just nepotism? Was this project advertised?

I applied through find a phD actually. I think they realised that you don't need to be good at memorising facts and question spotting to have good ideas and technical skills. I also had good references from my project supervisor and previous tutors. It also helps being a nice person who supervisors want to work with. Maybe you should try it.

Has anybody out there with a 1st been turned down for a studentship because you aren't nice?

There are many hard working students with a 1st, MSc, experience, ideas, skills etc etc who can’t get a funded PhD and may be frustrated and possibly even jealous that somebody with a 2:2 has been offered one. Implying that people have not been successful because they aren’t ‘nice’ will no doubt make them feel worse. If that is all it takes perhaps you could do a module in niceness to improve your average grade.

I'm sure that when panicked mis-used the word 'nice', what (s)he meant was that his/her prospective supervisor (rightly or wrongly) regards him/her as a student worthy of PhD studies. Therefore I think people reading these threads should keep their antagonistic & sarcastic (and pretentious) remarks to themselves - they are not helpful to anyone.

So what (s)he really meant was that I should try being regarded as a student worthy of PhD studies?

Ok …… looking at this logically, there are lots of posts on this site from people with a 1st or 2.1 & MSc who can’t get a funded PhD and some from people with a 2.2 who have been offered one because they knew the right people or were lucky or have some quality that the other candidates don’t have. We can either try to discover what that quality is or accept that the whole process is just a lottery.

I agree, it is a lottery. I've applied for at least 10 funded PhDs this year, for which I am more than qualified - 1st class degree and 2 years post grad research experience, but have had no luck. I would also consider myself to be a fairly 'nice' person, which doesn't seem to be any use to me.

It's all seeming a little pointless. If I'm not successful in the PhD lottery, I'll need to win the National Lottery to do a masters, just so that I can wheedll my way into a desirable department.

Skip, what is your degree in and what sort of PhDs are you applying for? I mean are you applying to PhDs where you have little or no background of the subject?