Hi,

I was supposed to start in Sept this year, but because of health reasons, I have to defer admission to January 2012. My supervisor suggested this, and says there's usually a sizeable contingent of candidates beginning then, so I don't need to worry too much.

But I'm still worrying a bit about getting to know people, course-work etc that. The important methodology courses seem to run at the start of the academic year (not sure if they run one again for the late-comers).

It'd be great to hear from those who started in January. How was it in terms of classes? And how was it socially? I find it's important to have a support network because doing a PhD can be very lonely, and frustrating, which is an awful combition from an emotional point of view. Did you have trouble meeting people, especially since most of your peers would have met and made friends months earlier?

Thanks

I started my PhD in January. I had the choice between October or January and I went for the latter cos I wanted a break after my masters and also it involved moving somewhere new and I didn’t want to have to rush everything. I certainly wasn’t the only one and I was fortunate that there was another student starting in my group at the same time.

My course doesn’t have any formal taught components, but there are sufficient numbers of mid-year starters at my uni that they run the intro to PhD courses at the start of each term. Some of the specific methodology courses do fit a more Sept-June schedule, but look outside of your uni to see what else is available. If your department is reasonable they should be amenable to funding you to attend training if no locally run courses are available.

It is a little more difficult starting in the middle of the year but it doesn’t have to be a big deal. My main issue was that I found it difficult to motivate myself to get out and explore my new environment in the middle of winter! Take advantage of any welcome events that occur at that time but don’t worry if they don’t lead to lifelong friendships – just be open to opportunities to meet people and see what happens. I’d also recommend finding an activity/hobby outside of uni life to give you social contact and help you meet new people. Actually I’d recommend that regardless of when you start – life should not revolve entirely around uni and your student friends. It’s good to do ‘real world’ stuff to keep you sane.

Don’t get too anxious about it. It’s good to acknowledge that it might be more challenging than if you had started in September, but there’s nothing you can do about it, so focus your energy on positive ways of preparing to start your PhD.

January does not so bad to me and now. I tend to agree with your sup in that I have seen quite a lot of new students starting in January. In my university the welcome week  is twice a year in September and in January. Having said that, I have to admit that I have not seen many funded PhD students starting in January, however if one is  self-funded or the studentship time frame is different, it does not matter. The health reasons are obviously top priority. You could possibly now get the list of methodology courses from your department to find out which methodology courses are run and in which semesters and ask your sup which ones he/she would recommend for a start. As for the how the rest of the start goes, I would say, it depends squarely on your particular university, department, supervisor situation, and also whether or not you are relocating to another city/country for your PhD, do you need to find accommodation, etc.  If all of this components work well to support you, it does not matter imho when you start. So make sure you have all these boxes ticked before you start, from accommodation to immediate expectation of you as a student, so that you don't panic trying to sort all these things at once when you arrive on the spot, and let the life will sort out the rest. Get well and good luck!  
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P.S. I would say for a start it'a good sign you already on this forum.

I started in Jan this year and had no ill effects from doing so :) I'm quite lucky in that my uni repeat many of the introductory courses for those starting in January. (although not every single one!)

I've found it quite useful actually as those who started in Sept/Oct were able to advise me on the silly little niggles you tend to spend a lot of time sorting out when starting something new, e.g. how to get a key for the office, who to contact for fees, stipend, tips and tricks for the library... etc! (by this point most of the 2nd years have forgotten all this info to tell you as they start worrying about data collection instead...).

Had no trouble meeting people, I guess with a PhD it's not the same as a taught course when it's seen as more important that everyone starts off on the same foot/level... there's so many different student projects, topics, plans etc that it's more like starting a new job in an office in that sense.

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Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences. I feel better now.

I've actually already relocated to London. My wife and I had planned to start grad school together, but she couldn't defer her admission. So I've already sorted out accommodation and all that. Which is great, because I can't imagine having to do that in the middle of winter!