I recently lost my studentship and I'm devastated. I'm wondering if anyone has any advice/ideas on how difficult (or even plausible) it might be to find another studentship opportunity. Below is the story on how I lost my previous studentship:

I was awarded a studentship within a biomedical engineering department at a university in London.The studentship was partially funded by a corporation.

The studentship was set to start in October of last year. I was late arriving as a previous visa application for marriage i had submitted 6 months earlier caused problems when I tried to return to the UK as a student. After a lengthy appeal process I was granted my student visa and arrived about a month late for my studentship.

Soon after beginning, I became very sick. I loved the work and supervisors but I had a terrible living situation and an illness. On top of everything, I had a boyfriend back home who couldn't join me in the UK until the next autumn.

Come the summer of the year following my start date, I was so sick and stressed I had to take a last-minute leave of absence that was barely approved by the university/corporate sponsor. I returned back home for 2 months, intending to return with my boyfriend who was also starting a course in August.

Unfortunately, my boyfriend could not get the funding to join me and when I returned to London I was still sick, exhausted and extremely lonely. I asked for a further leave of absence to return home.While my supervisors seemed understanding, soon after I returned home I was informed that my studentship funding was pulled due to the corporate sponsor not wanting any further delays in their project. I was devastated!

My question at this point is whether you all feel I may stand a chance of finding another studentship, even with this mark on my CV. I'd prefer to move back to London, but I'm so worried I screwed it up big time!

I think you will struggle finding another studentship, because it is difficult to explain why the first one didn't work out and how you will be able to avoid similar problems in the future. There are people on here who have gained a second studentship, but this was usually achieved with a change in field.

i don't know how well phd students are qualified to answer this question, considering we are not the ones awarding the studentships. relatedly, i have never known anyone to get a second studentship. to be honest your experience does make you sound flaky in my very personal opinion. not specifically that you got ill, obviously, but that you accepted a phd clearly knowing that it was in another country, and clearly knowing that definite funding hadnt been sorted out for your partner, and knowing, well, that you were in a new place and probably would be lonely. it sounds like you hadnt really thought through the realities of this at the time. also going home when you are sick. it doesnt sound good - i'd hazard to guess that sponsors don't want someone who leaves the country two months at a time - and if you were really sick to justify absence then this sounds even stranger.

i think its also strange that you were devastated - surely you must had some inkling that they wouldnt be ok with this? i feel that thats a further sign that even a second phd wouldnt go well. again, in my very personal opinion.

maybe, if possible, a phd in your home country with your family and partner close by would suit you better.