ive been offered a phd at a good uni with 2 years tropical forest field work far far away from home with not a lot of support from back home... anyone had experience of this kind of setup? would I benefit more from a phd based at an institution where i can attend seminars and classes and have more input other than simply finding my own away... any experiences or advice??

I would snap it up..those kind of phD's are VERY HARD to come by, and will give you fantastic opportunities after your PhD.

We can't really advise on the problems you're likely to face whilst based away from your institution. Swapping seminars for two years in a tropical forest seems like a simple choice to us. As Zara says PhDs like this are few and far between, if you don't accept it there's a whole big que of people behind you.

Wow! Do it anyway! If you dont you`ll always be wondering what you missed out on. Sounds amazing

P.s. If you dont decide to do it can you pass the details on to me please?

thanks for advice....im just a little concerned that with this phd I wouldnt recieve training in new skills that would lead to good post-doc work as id kind of be teaching myself as I went along and picking most of my guidance up via email.. do you think this would matter? (i had another offer for diff. phd- good but less exotic- based at an institution in canada i was umming ahing over)- maybe im just a bit nervous about it!!

Is this anthropology or biology or some thing else? I think if you framed your scenario, you would get better advice.

Regular emails is all the supervision some students get no matter where they are based

Go for it - most Phd students over estimate the amount of support they think they need at the beginning. If you have been offered this then they have confidence in your ability to do it and I am sure you can. Off you go - have fun

Definitely good for it! Wow - this is a really good opportunity to do what you want. A once in a lifetime opportunity so you might as well enjoy it! They obviously think you have what it takes so you just need to sum up the confidence and courage to go for it! Good organisation is essential so you'll probably feel more confident once you actually start planning it! Good Luck! :)

its an ecology phd - collecting leaves and soil and such - i think some of the work might be connected to the smithsonian in panama

I wish my supervisors would send me somewhere exotic! ...

... so far I`ve been to a conference in Brighton!

I think that the exotic bit is a great opportunity. Not just to visit a foreign country, but to have field research under your belt. Field research as a PhD student looks very good indeed when you apply for post docs and jobs. It also gives you fun stories to tell in interviews and such

Hi, I will also be spending 2 years of my PhD farfarway in Africa doing some fieldwork! my supervisor thought it would be a good idea if i went there for a week intiallywhen i started my PhD just to get a feel of the place, and to be honest i loved it!!!looking forward to going back soon. So don't worry, all will be well, just enjoy this rare chance!

Your work would be connected with the smithsonian in Panama?? You would be completely insane to turn this down. Also during my year out I travelled to Panama..it is an amazing place, definately a once in a lifetime experience.