======= Date Modified 05 Aug 2010 10:45:33 =======
I'm NOT recommending this course of action... however...

I'm about to finish an MA which I have done over two years part-time. I got made redundant last year and signed on, and simply kept my mouth shut about the MA.

In my experience, trying to reverse the decision of an anonymous "decision maker" is almost impossible. I had a very stressful time when they stopped *all* my benefits for several weeks after I simply decided to be honest about some unpaid website and editing work I was doing for an academic journal. It was very awkward and it's only because my landlady is a friend that I wasn't turfed out of my house. It was truly Kafkaesque - they made a decision of "assumed earnings", and I had to prove that I wasn't getting paid. I didn't want to get the journal involved so I told the dole I wasn't doing it any more due to budget cuts on the journal (a lie).

After that debacle I decided simply not to tell them a thing. Just turn up every fortnight, apply for some jobs every now and again, be nice and middle class and co-operative, and things will be fine.

Hello Jill

I started my MA last year aged 44 and although I was accepted onto the course, and I'm very much enjoying it, one difficulty I had was finding referees who could comment on my academic ability. I got one reference from my undergraduate degree 20 years ago, who, miraculously, remembered who I was immediately; the other one was from a well-meaning theatre director I know who went out of his way to help me but who did confide that he was struggling to comment in the way the form wanted, since all he knew was that I go to lots of experimental theatre and am always sticking my oar in at teh post-show talks :)

Re contacting prospective supervisors first: that's crucial I'd say. That's what I'm doing now with a view to starting a PhD in October, and it's been very helpful finding out early on what are the weaknesses (and strenghts of course) of one's proposal. And you need to suss people out professionally and socially as well: it's quite an intense relationship and you need to click - as far as you can tell. Good luck

Great, thanks for that. Sounds like the social side won't be a barrier then. Better see if they'll let me in first I suppose :)

Hello people

I was wondering if anyone who had been or is at Durham would care to say how you found the place. I'm in contact with a potential supervisor there with a view to applying to do a PhD, but one of the reasons I don't want to stay on at my currrent uni is that the department is too small and hardly has any research students, and, for me personally, as someone who's a bit of a chatterbox and a socialite, we don't socialise or do enough things together.

Obviously I know *perfectly well* that the main point of going somewhere is for the degree itself. But for me, I don't want to be in a place where you spend the evenings looking at videos of newsreaders making mistakes on youtube. Did you find the uni a lively place? I'll be in the arts area.

Thanks

Hi Lopaka
I'm in the same situation. My present supervisor suggested a couple of people to contact and I sent them a brief (about 200 words) outline of what I hope to do. They all wrote back really quickly with useful comments. I think it needs to be pretty concrete and precise. You know, the question, how you're going to do it, and what you hope to find out. One potential supervisor who wrote back said "You say you're going to 'build' on the work of x y and z.' But how? Can you be more precise." So I don't think vague outlines go down too well.

By the way, on most universities' websites, it suggests contacting the postgrad administrator first. Both my supervisor and the Postgrad Admissions Tutor at my Uni suggested contacting potential supervisors from the outset. That certainly worked for me.

Good luck!

Hi Sinead
I live in town but I can really sympathise with that feeling around this time of year when it's just the postgrads and foreigners left. I wonder whether you've thought of moving into town? Where I live in the NW of England, the campus rents aren't very competitive and it can often be cheaper to move in town. Especially at this time of year, there are some good deals around. You could move into a shared house and at least have a little social toehold then. And from there you could join in various activities in town.

Or, if you're brave enough, what about putting a notice up in your college or sending an email round on your pg mailing list asking if anyone is in the same position or fancies going down the cinema or something one night. Or maybe you might be interested in a book club? I joined on at Christmas and I love the socialising ad the fact that there's something to talk about rather than standing around at awkward parties asking people "What they do".

Whatever you decide...best of luck and I hope it improves for you soon.

Thanks everyone - that's very helpful. I am a bit worried about working alone. I don't thrive as a postgrad being by myself and I've found the MA much more socially isolating than I'd expected it. Everyone else is younger than me and some of them live together. I was looking forward to the informal socialising that I thought would accompany the course but I suppose they don't particularly want an older man hanging around (there are two men and six women on my course). I know that situation might not be repeated at the new Uni but I think the theme of isolation which comes up in the replies is something to bear in mind.

Thanks again
looby

Hi

My Master's supervisor was saying the other night that I should be thinking of applying for a PhD in a Uni 70 miles and a 2 hour train ride from where I live (I don't drive). I've got three school-age children. Although we don't live together any more, me and my ex get on very well and I see my children often as they only live five minutes walk away. I don't want to disrupt the happy modus vivendi we've all worked out together.

Has anyone had experience of how pratical it is to do a PhD at a distance? How much time do you actually have to spend at your institution?

Thanks
looby