well I had the interview, 30 minutes... asked a few questions, don't think i said anything too stupid... i do have a tendency to put my foot in my mouth when speaking to anyone with authority, the rebelliousness just slips out... he informed me, he's willing to let students make mistakes and learn from them and gives a lot of latitude, which was great to here... i may have been too honest about my needs for funding though... but it seemed alright in general...

now i have to decide what i do with the other supervisor, who said he thinks my project is great and he's willing to work with me... we're corresponding by e-mail, but i'm not sure if i should respond every time, as he doesn't necessarily always want a response, but leaves it open for one... i don't want to annoy him too much this early on...

i just hope that having found potential supervisors, who are excited about my projects, will give me a step up compared to other applicants...

Thanks for that reply. I actually contacted him through looking at some of his interests as listed on his website, it seems that there would be considerable overlap between his interests and my project. I still have to somehow get a hand on his articles, but not having access to academic journals makes that a bit more difficult. Hopefully I'll be able to read up on his works a bit before we talk. Thanks for the advice.

I've been looking for a phd for a while now, and yesterday I e-mailed a few potential supervisors to gage any interest before shelling out the $$$ for each application... within about an hour I got a response from one saying he's very interested and would like to talk further on the phone about what i want to do... my problem is, in the past, i've really screwed up on phone interviews (for jobs)... i have a tendency of saying something stupid, and not realizing what i've just done... so basically, i'm interested in doing some preparation... what usually happens in these interviews, what should i look out for? and am i right to think things are looking up?

Okay, another question, seems financially Surrey will be my only option. Let's say Surrey does accept me and I manage to get a studentship through a teaching assistant programme. It says I'd be working 180 an academic year, does that mean during the summer I'd be able to do additional work on the side?

Thanks. It just seemed as if everyone on this board were high flyers when they did their undergraduate work. It amazes me how under served most normal students are when it comes to finding academic guidance. The smart ones are pointed towards ways to get the funding they deserve, while the poor students are basically shut out. The rest, and the majority, is left to figure things out for themselves.

I think I'll take the risk and go for UCL and Nottingham, they seem to have individuals who are conducting and seeking to conduct in areas that I'm interested in. I guess the question is how to approach them.

Oh, is that it?! Well then, I'm set!

I'm just a bit worried about my lack of distinction worthy grades.

I'm currently in the process of completing a masters in European Politics at Surrey, and have been thinking about going on to do a PHd. Having talked to my supervisor and some of the other faculty in the department, they've recommended that I should make an attempt at a PHd. Although Surrey is an option, and those that I've talked to have given me a positive response, there isn't that that much research going on in the area that I'm interested at Surrey (trade unions). I'm also worried about my grades. For undergrad I completed a BSc in Business Adminstration and Management at Boston University (US) and got a 2.78/4.00 (however the grades for my political science minor was 3.30/4.00). Clearly, I was studying in the wrong field. At Surrey I am more probably than not going to graduate with a merit (probably at around 65% +). I was wondering, how likely is it for me to find placement and what range of universities should I aim for? Thanks.