Hi

I have just finished my masters and really want to do a PhD but can only afford to do this with funding. My plan is to try and get a funded place at a local uni over the next year but if this is unsuccessful I will apply to more distant unis. If the unis are far I will sleep in halls for four nights per week and go home every weekend. This will mean only seeing my wife and son at the weekend :-(

Has anyone done something similar and is willing to share their experiences (good or bad)?

Thanks in advance

Shaun

a friend of mine did it (south west uni and north east home) and it didn't cause that many problems as far as I know

Hi Shaun

I didn't do it, but I can definitely see the pros and the cons, based on the experience I had.

On the one hand, I have found over the past few years that I have had so little time to spend with my family, so i'm not sure I would have wanted to live away from them...

But on the other hand, perhaps living away would make you more boundaried with time, and when you did see them, you would spend 'quality' time with them (instead of being in the same house all week but stuck at your computer - like me!).

Not sure that's really helpful, but in anycase, good luck with your decisions

PG

Although I can't offer a personal perspective, I did used to live with a guy who came from SOuth Korea who had a wife and kids back home! That's a long time to be away, but I think it's a case of adapting plus , the reason he kept sane , was that you know it's for a fixed amount of time. Plus you'll have holiday time together in the year (which isn't insignificant) and ask about the option of working from home if your subject allows it - I did a non lab based subject in sciences and worked from home most of the time anyway. So you may end up being able to spend even more time with your family than you think!

Thank you for all the brilliant replies. They really helped a lot.