Hey sorry if you get asked this question a lot, but I am just about to start the whole phD application process and was wondering if any of you nice people had any wisdom you would like to share with a newbie!

Is there any thing you wish you had known when you were in my position, about any aspect of application or phD life however random?

I need you guys to give me the kind of info the uni or the careers office can't!!

Any help greatfully recieved!!

Liz

First thing I will say, is don't expect instant success. It is difficult to get a project, so disappointment is likely. But be persistent, look around for projects you like the look of and enquire about them, email the supervisor, not the applications person they waste time. I found that by emailing supervisors, they took interest and invited to the uni, and i got offers that way.

Have you got a first or upper second? or a lower second with masters? The qualifications mean that experience may be important. In this case, you need experience that is slightly relevent, make it sound good, get the interview and you should be ok. I know that sounds like something Del-boy would do, but making an application look good is not a bad thing. Any experience you have is good, if you have papers published that is even better.

Hi thanks for your help, I am just starting my third year of uni so haven't got a degree just yet, I am borderline first- upper second at the moment, and I have relevant experience I recently did a bursary funded summer research project, the results of which could be publishable (fingers crossed!)!

I am currently bigging up my CV to make me sound great and talking to people in my uni deparment! Good tip about emailing supervisors, thats what my careers service advised too! I am also aware that I will probably not be successful in my application this time round, If not I hope to do a masters or some lab technician work so its all extra experience!

when u email the possible supervisors just add in a few words about how his/her work can relate to your third year project or write few sentences about your possible topic of choice. If u haven't decided on a topic then go for the listed PhDs which already give you what the topic is. It isn't straight forward but the more earlier you start the better it get.

hey Liz. Good that you're thinking about things now, being prepared is always good. Another thing is to have a thick skin - you may get turned down for a place you really want (as happened to me). But persevere and it'll turn out okay ! And don't expect a quick answer necessarily either, it can be a fairly long process.

Keep up the good work regarding grades as it will be easier if you have better grades and thick skin is important. I agree with DanB - it happens more often than you think so don't get too attached to one project otherwise it'll be a big fall but easier said than done. There will always be something round the corner that even better! A cliche but it's true - everything works out for a reason!

Contacts are the KEY to the process! Quite often it's WHO you know and not what you know (to a lesser extent!) Harsh but academia is a very small world so it pays to network!! There is an old boys’ network for elitist unis i.e. the established ones that'll be hard to get into unless you were an undergraduate or know someone! But they are not necessarily the best as they have become too established in their ideas and lost the vitality and spark of newer unis! Alot of it is caught up in keeping the prestige!

Hey Liz, you sound well suited to a Ph.D. A good second is a good grade so do not fret if you do not get the first.

Firstly try and get in a good university. I do not mean OxBridge, plenty great universities out there.

Secondly good supervisor. Ask the people in the lab what the supervisor is like. No matter where the project or how good it sounds if the supervisor is a nightmare it will be hell.

Thirdly do not do an unfunded project. If someone iss good enough to do a Ph.D then they deserve money. People who get poor grades sometimes feel they have to settle but it is rubbish.

You work hard so you deserve the small reward of a stipend. If you have to do a masters to get a Ph.D, then do it.

Something i also highly reccommend is taking a year out. Might not seem what you want now. I certainly had planned to take a year out but it was the best move of my life!

Good luck!

That should read 'i certainly hadn't planned to take a year out but it was the best move of my life'

Thanks for all your advice! i have started asking around my department and they all seem to think I am a good worker so hopefully they might think of me if something comes up! Plus my summer project data is looking significant so I may have a paper pending publication to impress at interviews! I am hoping to stay at my current university or at least one not too far away in the midlands, but my current uni is probably the best in the region for what I want to do!

I was definately intending to get a funded phD as I am poor and need money, I couldnt affort tution fees and living costs else! A year out is a definate possibility for me if I fail in my applications this year.

You seem to have your head screwed on alright. One other thing do not stay at your current University because it is convenient (this does not sound like what you plan to do anyway). You have valid reasons, i.e., best in region at what it does so that is a positive thing. Just do not say 'oh i will stay because my friends are here or whatever'. 7-8 years in the one spot can get very tiresome so the ONLY reason to stay is because you actually WANT to!