Hi Everyone I just signed up to this as was hoping I could get some advice! I'm just finished my final year at university and I have a massive decision to make in the next couple of months, I really am so confused and each time I think I've made a decision I seem to change my mind straight away.

The situation is that I have always planned on doing a phd at some stage but had originally pictured myself doing a masters first. I have had an interview for a phd recently that is based on the topic I did for my dissertation so I have a really good grounding in it and have loads of experience with the supervisors who are really keen for me to work with them and have a lot of faith in my ability. There are a few things holding me back though
1.) I'm not sure how difficult it will be to make the jump from undergrad to phd level?
2.) Although I have been interested in the topic until now and still am, I feel like I have a doubt in the back of my mind whether I will be able to maintain interest in it for the next 4 years...I don't know if that is just fear or if I am going off it.
3.) The topic sounds like it will be quite theoretical with limited room for practical fieldwork. My field of interest is geography and development for which I feel practical "ground" experience would be a must.
4.) There are other topics which really interest me which I am afraid of leaving behind if I was to continue with the project proposed.
5.) One of the supervisors has a very busy academic life of his own and has been described as "intense" to work with and am I worried about how I will be able to work with him as he is frequently travelling.

Saying that however the supervisors are well respected and have built up a brilliant reputation and I have no doubt that they be great contacts to have. The project is also very current and is off wide interest.

I feel more than anything I am afraid of committing to a phd and in a years time not being interested in the topic, I don't know if that would actually happen or if this is just a fear. I think it would be easier if there was the opportunity for international fieldwork but it is a matter of funding.
I am wondering if it is normal to have this doubt or if it would be a mistake to take it on without being 100% sure.
I have thought about it a lot but really can't decide as m other option is to choose my own topic that I would do as a research masters which would allow me a year to figure out the exact field I am interested in as I would like to explore some other interests that motivate me as well. The main problem with the masters choice is financially it is very expensive and then I'm worried of turning down this phd, with respected scientists and maybe not getting this opportunity again.

Hopefully some of you can share your own experiences with me, that would be great!! Thanks xxx :-)

Is the PhD you've been offered fully funded? If it is it would be very difficult to turn down in a financial climate like this!

Saying that I don't think I would have been ready to go straight into a PhD after my undergrad course, but that was just me. Maybe you could ask them to defer your entry for a year and go and do a masters? State that you think you would be better prepared for a PhD that way? They might understand and allow you to start next year?

Good luck deciding!

Hiya thanks for the advice! The phd is fully funded so financially it is really attractive! I think the supervisors are trying to get research going on the topic asap, but it would be a good idea to ask if it was possible to have it defered anyway, thanks again!

Let me try to answer your questions in short!
1). Firstly, whether you have a masters or not, a PhD is an independent programme. Most academics in Britain are those joined PhD programmes straight after their first degrees. So a masters is neither a requirement, nor it matters. Besides, you will be qualified with a PhD before your friends with Masters start to look for PhD positions. Consider you are lucky!
Secondly, if the subject is familiar to you, turning down a scholarship is not something I would advice. They don't come easily nowadays!
2). Nobody can predict whether you will like it in 3 years time, but if you get into a programme, you will see how much interesting stuff is there in this world that you don’t know and that you can learn. You can choose between interesting and uninteresting stuff and make the programme interesting. You have the choice in an independent programme . Also,your prof will only like very interesting stuff.

3.) If you know the practical side, you can try to develop theory or find it in books and compare them. But you will only know what you found practically and how to interpret it. But if you learn and develop theory, you will know everything about it first and then whenever you find practical applications, you will know how to interpret/describe/explain and solve them. Acquiring theoretical knowledge is a way to rule the world!

4.) By choosing one topic, you will not isolate/forget anything else. This PhD will only be a passport for you to explore the entire universe. Once you have a PhD, you are free to do whatever you want. Before you do a PhD, going to study other branches is a struggle. My advice is, get your PhD from where you can and then the world is your Oyster as they say!

5.) If he is frequently travelling or busy, you will have more work to do, tight deadlines to meet. You will be driven to work ontime because you will be prepared to discuss your problems whenever he is around.

All in all, you have nothing to worry, but just to take it up and get on with it. Good luck!

It sounds like you want to do it! Sometimes life too short to overworry, maybe you should say 'sod it' and do it anyway :-) if the people that matter have faith in your abilities then you should too! if you've got the support emotionally and financially, then your in a great position!

Ive gone the masters route and am currently applying for a scholarship for PhD. The more i think about it the more i want it and the more gutted i'll be if i dont, even when i try scaring myself out of it it doesnt work lol i still want to do it!

You have a great opportunity staring at you in the face!! Good luck with what ever you decide.

Hey Keyz! A masters is important or essential in some subjects- in my subject (clinical psychology) is essential to obtain an MSc prior to starting a PhD, and I would have found the jump from BSc to PhD extremely challenging without the MSc. It does also help to focus your interests. However, many people in other subjects are not required to have a masters (I know it is less of a requirement in the pure sciences, for example), and if you have an offer of full funding which is not dependent on completing a masters first, then your subject is obviously one of those where it is not a requirement. Even though your focus on a very specific topic in your PhD, that does not narrow your entire career down to that topic- the research skills you learn will be transferable, and you will be able to switch topic some time after your PhD if that's what you want to do. It's really hard to get an offer of full funding for a PhD at the moment, so I would not throw away the option lightly- you may be kicking yourself in a year's time if you defer and are not then able to win funding for the project when it sounds like you don't really need the masters anyway. Personally I have found that my topic has become more and more interesting as I have gone along, but it can be hard to tell right at the beginning how 'into' it you are going to get. If you are pretty keen on the topic already then it's probably a good sign. Good luck with your decision, whichever one you make! KB