Hi,

I have just been offered a fully funded ESRC CASE studentship at a good uni, (top ten in RAE) and I am unsure on whether to take it or not. I have two real problems, the topic is different from one i planned on studying, micro rather than macro economics and the location is a long way from home. I want to do a phd mostly cos i just enjoyed researching in my Msc. Is it unrealistic to think i would only need to be at the uni a few days a week and could work from my home the rest of the time? Would i be foolish to turn this down in the hope my of getting funding from a nearer uni for september on my own proposal?

Hmm..

First of all, congratulations!! Second of all, if your heart's really not in it then even though it's fully funded, you have to really be sure that it is what you want. If being away from home and not working on the topic you want to is going to be a big problem, then I'd explore alternatives. HOWEVER, it is an amazing opportunity, you might LOVE the university and enjoy being away from home. SO, do weigh up all the pros and cons before you decide. Could you start the PHD working from home and see how you get on, and if you'd need to move? M,x

Go for it! With the world around us descending into a frozen wasteland of illegal strikes and youth binge drinking you can avoid it all and taste the coffee of post graduate extravagance!

In otherwords I reckon you'd be foolish to turn down such an amazing opportunity.(gift)

Thanks maria, Ive spoke to a cpl of other people who have said a similiar thing in make sure you will enjoy the topic. I think i will but I'm pretty unsure of how im supposed to know this untill I've spent a decent amount of time reading in to this. I did a lit review on the topic in my msc which i really enjoyed but this was only for a few weeks.
On the second part I dont see any reason why i need to really live in the city. Its about a 2 1/2 hour train away and with it being an economics phd I cant see any reason why I cant work from home and travel for seminars / meetings as necessary, however im not sure how to approach this with the supervisor without sounding uninterested. any ideas?

My parents live 2.5 hours away from where I am doing my PhD, and I haven't secured funding for my second year so am thinking of moving home and commuting when I need to (next year, I have a flat at the moment). I am studying literature and only really need to be at uni for a weekly research class, meetings every now and again, the odd trip to the library/archives etc. All in all, 2-3 days a week. So, I think that its completely feasible to study from home.

It is very tough deciding whether or not you want to do a specific topic, because you're right, how can you know until you get into it? Also, I imagine that since it's fully funded, you might not have that much room to adjust your approach/ideas when you get started. While these kind of things can be scary, I still think it's an amazing opportunity, so don't be too tentative, because as you say you have touched on the topic before, and enjoyed it.

I'm doing a topic I love but there is lots of shit to get through which is very very tedious at times. ALso, I'm not being funded, and this is causing a LOT of stress. So, from what you've told me, I'd be inclined to tell you to go for it!