Thank you all, those comments have really helped. I think I have been rather confused lately about what career path to take. I wasn't quite sure what I was doing! Earlier this wk I decided to just go for the phd as I know now (thank you) that I probably would be able to get one with the qualifications/experience I have. However in the last day I have decided I'm going to leave it for a while, and instead, apply for research assistant jobs to find out whether I enjoy research enough to do a 3yr phd etc. And that on my CV itself will help me if I do apply in the future. This way I feel I'm not wasting time, and I'll be more sure in the long run. AND, I won't have to worry about funding for a Masters :)!

Sorry to blab!!!! But thank you once again.

Julia

Thanks Juno. I will.

My final year project was based on looking at Drosophila under a microscope. I enjoyed it but I feel like I have missed out on learning a lot of techniques. Most the people I know who have just graduated obtained a number of practical techniques from their projects which they have listed in their CV.

As I would be applying for a PhD which does not involve looking at drosophila, I feel a bit lost. I can't afford a masters in research, and most aren't funded.

Is it stupid to apply for a PhD with out that much lab experience? Did anyone else find that their degrees did not supply them with enough of it? I mean, I did all the typical 1st and 2nd year lab sessions, but is that enough?

Sorry I have to apologise for the spelling mistake in the title of that post. Great start hey!

I am about to apply for PhDs but I'm worried I haven't got enough Lab experience. People have suggested me doing a Masters (Mres) first, but most masters are unfunded, and the ones that are I am not interested in.

If a masters is not advertised as funded, can you apply for funding? And how do you do this? Is it before or after you apply for the masters?

Help!