======= Date Modified 15 02 2009 13:02:23 =======
Hi everyone,

I have a few questions which I would really appreciate if someone could answer - my PhD will relate to history, i am in the process of applying and have discussed with a potential supervisor.

1.The personal statement - can anyone give me any tips, this needs to be really good??
2.Is it hard to get funding/accepted - I am a Masters student with a 2.1 undergrad, but by no means an excellent student.
3.If i were to self fund, how much would it cost? (Edinburgh)
4.What kind of things can I expect, should I get accepted - presentations/conferences etc?
Would really appreciate any advice.
xxx

Hi Lou

1. It needs to be interesting and relevant - something that suggests to a supervisor why they might want to work with you. See if target institutions have guidelines for initial proposals - some do.

2. Yes, it's hard, particularly for social sciences/humanities subjects like history - you'd need a very good proposal to have any chance of funding.

3. Self-funding at my institution for UK students is around £1800 pa part-time, £3600 full-time for social sciences.

4. Not sure what you mean... you can expect to work hard for a long time... so make sure you're interested in what you want to follow. Read the forum, you'll get plenty idea of what it's like to do a PhD - use 'history' as a key word for a search and you might get something relevant to you.

Get yourself a good book about Doing a PhD - that'll answer all your questions. I recommend "The Postgraduate Research Handbook" or "How to Get a PhD". Other than that, just do a google search for 'doing a phd' and you'll find plenty of fodder for the imagination. Good luck.:p

This book looks like what you are looking for: The PhD Application Handbook by Peter Bentley on Amazon

http://www.amazon.co.uk/PhD-Application-Handbook-Peter-Bentley/dp/0335219527/ref=pd_sim_b_1

thank you! x