Funny you should say this but when I was getting towards the end of my masters I was considering going to Oxford for my PhD and was actually put off this by my supervisor who said that the emphasis there was much more on the undergraduate than the postgrad (he tought there before he tought at my old uni).

I honestly don't believe that at graduate level that there is a university wide difference between Oxbridge and everywhere else because it is much more down to the resources and research strenghts of each department. As far as undergrad I suppose that is more debatable, although not having got an oxbridge degree I wouldn't know if it were harder or not.

A good question and one that I often wondered about when I was applying.

Whilst I think that making an informal inquiry could be extremely helpful, both in terms of showing that you are keen and answering any queries you might have, I don't personally think that you should do it just for the sake of it. In other words, if you can't think of any genuine questions then don't.

Thinking back I made inquiries with some but not all, indeed with the one I actually got I don't believe I made any contact before sending my CV with a covering letter and a few polite questions so I don't think it is a must.

The deadline in Phd studentships usually means that is the real deadline because most are in high enough demand for them to be able to fill them. Or at least that is my experience of all of the ones that I applied for.

Okay I'll admit I'm not the biggest expert on these things but from what I have picked up on over the last couple of years being funded, particularly in those areas where funding is relatively hard to come by (like in Archaeology), being funded can look fairly good on your CV.

That said, I doubt it is a major concern to future employers, after all, often obtaining funding is just about having a project that is a priority for a research body and not a reflection upon your abilities or the validity of the project.

*remembers the level 3 'good project but no cigar' of the AHRC*

Oh and I wouldn't worry about the women thing either, would you really want someone like you describe anyway...there are plenty who aren't as superficial as that.

This might sound a little simplistic but really I think you have to judge for yourself whether you would rather follow a path that you obviously love or have the 'normal' life of a settled career, money etc. As an archaeologist myself I know where you are coming from when you say you feel the financial pressure and the envy at what others have...it's very tempting a lot of the time.

However, as much as the debt and the lack of these things may be the cause of depression have you considered that they are simply the excuse to be depressed that you are currently latching on to and that if you quit you would be equally as miserable about not finishing? I sort of quit archaeology a year ago after my previous funding effort didn't materialize, I wanted to just get away from academia yet a year on I'm back (with funding mercifully)because I felt I was selling myself short.

Btw you aren't at Bristol are you?

For this particular example try throwing in a 'posits' or 'holds that' maybe.

Beyond this I can only really recommend taking a close look at the vocabulary used in the literature of your subject area.

Well done, I had the same news that I got a funded phd a couple of weeks ago, just sorting out all the red tape now.

It will probably depend upon the availability of the external examiner (there are two, one external and one internal). From submission to examination took about a month and a half for me I think.

Well I can't speak for Mathematics but in my experience they certainly wouldn't be worried about a first from Cardiff; I would be very suprised if it barred you on that basis alone.