Hi guys

I successfully finished my MSc in applied parasitology in 2006 and went straight into full-time employment in an unrelated field (partly due to having to pay off the loan I took out to fund the course). I've always wanted to study at a PhD level, now even more so, however, due to being out of academia for so long and having no practical experience to speak of, I feel that an application would fall flat on it's face! I do keep up to date with the currently literature however, I feel that my lack of experience would be a barrier to a successful application.

I'm just wondering if you've any general tips on how to make a potential application stronger, in particular for funded studentships. Do you know how admissions departments view applicants who've been out of education for a number of years?

Many thanks

J

I worked in industry for 3 years after my MEng degree (2007) before returning to academia (2010). You actually have a lot of advantages compared to others. You should be able to highlight:

1- Ability to work hard with a good work ethic
2- Experience managing things (projects, your time, others time)
3- Desire to do it - you will probably take a large pay cut to do it, you wouldn't do that unless you really wanted it.
4- Maturity and experience, you will have handled tough situations more often than most applicants

and probably more things I can't think of right now.

I applied for a PhD at the uni I am at, and wasn't actually offered it. Instead, the professor interviewing me offered me an RA post doing the PhD at the same time. Better pay, actually slightly less required time to complete, more responsibilities (good for CV after). The reason he offered that was due to my industrial experience and I think I've got a better deal than I would've done.

What practical experience do you expect someone who has gone straight from undergrad to masters to PhD to have that you don't? You've done exactly what they have plus more!

Basically I don't think you've got a problem, assuming your original qualifications weren't gash, I would expect the applications department to view your application very positively.

Agree with the previous poster with regards to having worked in industry, related to the field that you're applying for a PhD in.

But you said that you've worked in an unrelated field. Things may be slightly different because although you have more transferable skills you may be a bit out of touch with things like lab techniques. It helps that you've stayed in touch with the literature and so can put together a good application. You may find returning to the lab a bit frustrating but that's not to say that you should be put off by the idea. Go for it!