Thank you so much for your detailed response!

With regards to PhD community and academic network in general, how much does that stretch beyond your supervisor? My understanding is that if your supervisor is well respected and connected in their field, they could offer you better chances at networking in academia. Would you say this is actually the case? Or is it more important to join the PhD community comprising graduates who are doing well in their career?

It seems like the lower ranked university has the advantage of having supervisors with great connection in the field whereas the higher ranked one would offer PhD community with graduates performing well in academia. Also it seems like recent PhDs from the former are doing quite well in the industry and the latter more in academia/research field.

Hi,

I am currently trying to decide between two PhD offers.

The first one is from a higher ranked university (60-65 worldwide and 5-10 in the UK, approximately). The university also has a great reputation in my field, which is one of their strongest research areas. However, my research fits much better with the supervisor from the other university. Also, the supervisor in this university is an early stage academic and thus has not published a lot yet.

The second university has a lower ranking (200-205 worldwide, 60-70 in the UK) and is not particularly well known for my field. But the supervisors’ (first and second supervisors) expertise fits very well with my research and their publications are well received in the field.

Obviously these university rankings are all relative and they are not everything. But I also understand that prestige does matter especially for an academic career and that higher ranked universities tend to have more fundings and resources. On the other hand, the research fit with the second university is excellent that it is difficult to disregard that.

Please give me some advice on this! Should I go for the university with better reputation or better supervisor?

Thank you!

Hi,

I’ve been offered a place for PhD but without funding. From the advice I got here I understand that self-funding is not really an option. So if I were to defer and apply for scholarships again next year, I want to know what I can do in the meantime.

I received 2:1 and Merit from my previous studies and I have about 2 years of relevant work experience. My research topic was a good fit with the supervisors and they said my proposal was very strong.

What do you think I can do to build a stronger application?

Thanks so much for your advice!

I understand that self-funding is not a plausible option.

In that case, does anyone have experiences with getting scholarship from year 2? The uni I want to go to allows first year phd students to apply for some of the scholarships. If I start my first year and then apply for that, would I have a better chance of getting the funding?

Hello!

I desperately need advice on self funding a PhD as an international student.

I currently hold unconditional offers from three universities but didn’t get to receive the scholarships I applied for. I don’t want to defer my offers so I’m looking for ways to self fund.

I have some money saved up that can just about cover the first year’s tuition fee and living costs. I’m thinking of using that money first while looking for further funding opportunities or part-time jobs.

So my questions are:

1. Are there many funding opportunities available once you start your phd? My first choice uni does allow first year phd students to also apply for certain scholarships but I am not sure how realistic it is for me to get that.

2. I understand most unis offer some tutoring or other on campus jobs to phd students. Are these opportunities also available to first year phd students? Also, how much do unis usually pay for these jobs?

3. If I were to take on other part-time jobs outside of campus, how plausible is it to work (potentially more than one job) and study full-time?

Thank you!