This is the advice my uni gives PaR PhD candidates:

If practice-based research is proposed, that it’s clear what you mean by this. The University of London Regulations state: ‘In the field of Drama and Theatre Studies, a candidate may either register to undertake research leading to a thesis submitted in accordance with the normal provisions, or register to undertake original research in performance practice on the understanding that the material is submitted concurrently and is examined as an integrated whole. In the latter case the thesis should include evidence in the form of practical performance which exemplifies and illustrates the ideas contained in the written part of the thesis. However presented, this work must be accompanied by an adequate and approved form of retainable documentation.’

The role of practice in research depends on each individual project and its critical aims. If you intend to pursue your project through practice, please ensure that the research imperatives driving this practice are clear. Reflection on one’s own practice usually achieves greater critical efficacy when it accounts for a broader repertoire of related practice as well. If you intend to include your own performance work among your case studies, how would you situate it in the context of other bodies of performance work? Finally, identify any material requirements your practice would involve (e.g. space, technical equipment, access to particular people).

For a number of our PhD students, their past and ongoing bodies of performance practice inform their thesis research very productively. In most cases, though, this practice is neither the main case study within the thesis nor the mode through which research is conducted and findings articulated.

I'm not doing PaR but know lots who are - and the best thing I can suggest is asking the department you're interested in for advice - lots of uni's use the guidelines for PaR in different ways.

Hope that helps a little at least

I was having a conversation with my MA dissertation supervisor and mentioned that when I got my first scholarship payment I'd need to buy a new laptop (after the death of my previous one while writing my PhD application!)

She said not to worry about that as universities give PhD students an extra £1500 ish as research money and you can use that for new equipment/conferences etc. I was her student at a different university to the one that she now works at but both my previous uni and her new London university have this 'policy'.

Does anybody know about this? Or received a small lump sum at the start in addition to funding?

Thanks

======= Date Modified 19 Jul 2012 16:33:58 =======
Basically: I have 1 scholarship at a London university. It will cover rent plus bread and water for the year but nothing else.

Lucky me - I have been offered a part-time job (0.5) within a research department at the British Library. The job is admin based so it shouldnt be any more taxing than the part-time job I anticpated getting, however it is with such a prestigious instition it will hopefully be great for my cv and future employment.

The issue: I'm not research council funded and so am not aware of any restrictions (ie AHRC - only 6hours work a week). This job is perfect and will let me gain new skills so I really want to make this work. I'm wondering if I should keep quiet about the job to my uni, or if its not a problem to work and have a scholarship. I'm worried they'll tell me I have to quit althought I had always intended on working on the weekend to get some extra money - now this would just involve a shift in days off.

Anyone who has any advice or experience with this issue - I'd be delighted to hear from you.

Thanks :)

Lkpitt,

Given that the money on offer is QMUL principal studentship I think its the proposal that's of the utmost importance when applying, rather than the actual research summary which I was under the impression was more for any AHRC funding.

I'd take any advise that your proposed supervisor has given you and really focus on knotting out all those issues in the proposal. Some prop. sup. are happy to look at a draft of your proposal which is really invaluable in terms of working out what QM want. Although with the deadline this Friday it might be a bit late for that. The good news is that the advice/issues raised by my prop. sup. came up again in the interview, so you can be sure that these are areas that they will be looking to see how you have interpreted and considered their hints/advice.

I don't know how wide ranging your proposed idea is or if it is particularly suited for QM (e.g. my study will be on postlesbian performance - and a quick look at the staff page, you can see that it was very relevant to QM so it wasn't necessary for me to spell out it's suitability for the school) but perhaps if your looking at something 'wider' such as British theatre in 1957 I would stress why QM is THE place for you to undertake your study rather than say RHUL.

Those are just a few handy tips, but given that the prop. sup. has suggested your material is too broad -this is really what you'll need to work on. QM love clarity and specifics. Their application process is a lot more intense than other drama depts, for example while I proposed looking at contemporary performance between 2012-2015 I was pressed for a list of performers/performances I would see! Which is near impossible to predict, remember QM is at the fore of contemporary theatre scholarship, they know their stuff and they expect applicants to as well. The more precise you can be about the scholarship and performances you want to engage with the stronger your proposal will be.

I'd think of it a bit like a formula - put an idea/performer/theory forward - then back it up with who/where/why. Write the proposal and then try to pre-empt the problems QM might see in it. Then try and fill them in, or acknowledge them and detail an approach you've considered around the issue. It can seem impossible but it will stop them from scrapping your proposal for being too general.

As for giving a sense of how your project contributes to the intellectual field into which it intervenes, you need to SPELL THIS OUT otherwise they'll wonder why would they pay you to do the research?! I'm researching a completely untapped area of scholarship which made it obvious how this would contribute to academia but I also widened my scope and detailed how it would overlap and contribute to other areas of theory.

I set out to make my proposal interesting, engaging and also to make the idea as appealing as possible so that QM didn't want to let it get away to another university. While QM are very aware of how desirable they are to students, you as a phd candidate still need to make your idea desirable to them. I know there's a fair bit in the application to do but the proposal is the first thing they look at and what determines who gets to the next stage - so this is where you need to focus your energy.

Good luck, (up)
Let us know how you get on

I found this quite interesting reading. As the start date of my PhD is looming I've been thinking a lot about what kind of writing style will fit my with my drama PhD - as much of the writing in the area is fairly anecdotal. Just some food for thought!

http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2012/05/14/stylish-academic-writing/

Perhaps they mean tricky in the same way my PhD interview was - albeit I my interview was at QMUL.

During my interview I was faced - well more barraged - with several "problems" within my proposal. By which I mean areas that I would need to carefully negotiate rather than massive gaps in my knowledge. I had anticipated this, and was well versed in how I would approach these issues -given you'll be facing an expert panel, the sheer number of questions and picking apart of your answers can be intimating.

I'd recommend sussing out the challenging elements of your proposal and knowing how you can defend/show you've considered your proposal from all areas.

Update:

The good news is the other university offered me a scholarship.

The better news is a week later Queen Mary offered me a full scholarship!

Nothing can even convey my delight!

Hi HaloChanter,

Exciting news - Queen Mary have offered me a full scholarship! I found out a week after receiving a scholarship offer for Royal Holloway!

I am super excited. Thanks for your advice, I kept a little hope alight but had almost given up the day before I got the offer.

Dear all,

Exciting news, not only was I offered a scholarship from Royal Holloway but a week after receiving that offer I got a letter from Queen Mary offering me a FULL SCHOLARSHIP.

I am beyond chuffed and very excited about beginning my PhD journey.

What area are you studying? I'm always on the look out for books to help out with the PhD process but as a humanities student I find that very few are relevant. I have a great one at home, geared towards humanities/social sciences that I can't remember the name of right now - but can look up later if you'd like. It was recommended by my dissertation supervisor, who used it to complete her thesis but much of the advice was easily applied to my M.A. dissertation.

I've been offered a place on the drama PhD programme I've spent the last 4 years working towards. The problem is I'm only the funding reserve ...which I presume means someone needs to not take up their place (unlikely, I'd guess).

The university has offered me the opportunity to defer and apply for funding next year

or

Start part time and apply for AHRC funding (starting means I cannot apply for school scholarships)

I have an interview with my possible supervisor to discuss the options tomorrow - but wanted to get a feel for what other people thought/any questions I should ask the department/funding suggestions/ anything really. I assumed I'd get a yes or a no- not be left in this situation!

P.s. I'm still waiting to hear from another university I'm keen on, who has funding, but in the event that doesn't work out...this is what I'm dealing with.

I've been offered a place on the drama PhD programme I've spent the last 4 years working towards. The problem is I'm only the funding reserve ...which I presume means someone needs to not take up their place (unlikely, I'd guess).

The university has offered me the opportunity to defer and apply for funding next year

or

Start part time and apply for AHRC funding (starting means I cannot apply for school scholarships)

I have an interview with my possible supervisor to discuss the options tomorrow - but wanted to get a feel for what other people thought/any questions I should ask the department/funding suggestions/ anything really. I assumed I'd get a yes or a no- not be left in this situation!

P.s. I'm still waiting to hear from another university I'm keen on, who has funding, but in the event that doesn't work out...this is what I'm dealing with.

Dear all,

I got slaughtered at the interview- they had taken apart my proposal and had a list of questions based on the holes in it.

But somehow I must have pulled it off -they've offered me a place!!!!!

Unfortunately I'm only the funding reserve - so I've been offered the option to defer ( and apply for the funding next year) or start part-time and apply for funding as a student (which eliminates me from school scholarships).

I'm still waiting to hear back from another university about funding, but now I have a tough choice to make.

Hi,

I have an interview in a drama department on Friday. They have 4 funded places, 2 arts council and 2 university studentships.

I've read a lot on this site about advise for science PhD's that already have a project - obviously for my humanities interview I have proposed my own research area.

Has anybody else had a similar PhD interview experience? I don't know if it is a panel interview or not, only that it will last 20minutes. I'm getting very stressed as this is my PERFECT university.

I'd really appreciate some advice from anybody that's been in a similar boat to me?

Thanks in advance.:-)

Hi everyone,

I have an upcoming interview with Queen Mary's Drama dept and was hoping for some advice!
I have submitted my own proposal, which has the interest of a couple of universities but QM is my dream place to be. I think the proposal must be strong given the interest, but how do I seal the deal???

All the phd students I know have has phone/informal interviews. I only know mine will be 20mins but I assume it's formal...possibly panel as I'm competing for one of 4 scholarships. So if you have face to face interview experience, I'd greatly appreciate your knowledge!

Thanks for any advice in advance.:-)