Hallo everyone! I hold an offer from a prestigious university that nomited me for the ESRC (1+3) open competition as I hold a MSc which is not ESRC accredited (including though substancial research training) and as an EU student I'm eligible for a fees-award. For this reason my department will also consider my application for their advertised stipend (research council equivalent) (for direct entry to their PhD programme)(which will be announced in the next 2 weeks)..

As the deadline for both applications was in March and I've been nominated for ESRC competition do you think that I may stand any chance in getting the studentship. I'm really anxious as this would be my alny chance to get actually any funding (ESRC competition is pretty fierce and my previous degrees are not firsts or distinctions!).
(Otherwise, I'll go down the self-fund way. Ok my family can provide me some financial assistance but.. things will get tough though). However, not doing at all my PhD is just not an option...

Thus, have you heard or know about any situations where departments have chosen to award a stipend to someone that has been already nominated to ESRC open competition (fees-only) before ESRC results?

Hi! I'll embark on my PhD this October, as I have some funds available, but I'm not sure which offer I should choose (with regards to my professional life after the PhD...). I have a background in Psycholology (BSc Psychology, MSc Occupational Psychology) and my PhD will basically be an organisational psyschology project (as an application of positive psychology: examining work-engagement, psychological capital and staff retention) either in the educational sector (e.g. schools, school districts) or some type of organisations in the public sector. I hold offers from Warwick (Education)-where some extra funding may be availalbe-, Southampton (Management) & Nottingham Trent (Psychology). My long-term career goal is to build a career in positive organisational psychology primarily as an academic (but potentially-in the long run-as a practitioner as well..)

My dilemma lays in the fact that in NTU (last RAE:50) I have established a very good working relationships with two academics in the Psychology that would serve as my supervisors& have been realy supportive during my efforts in the last 6 months to construct a string proposal. And I will get a PhD in psychology after all...

On the other hand, in Warwick (RAE Education=15) there will be more research training opportunities for me not only in the Institute of Education but in the greater university as well. I'm afraid though if this decision limits my professional development (as in my BSc & MSc dissertations I examined teachers as well).I wonder if a PhD in Education carries me away from organisational psychology, increasing though the possibility of pursuing alternative careers beyond academia-if Ι need it in the future or if I have significant difficulties working as a lecturer in academia(e.g. consultancy in education:teachers' mentoring, school leadership,teachers' recruitment etc).I have made some contacts with my supervisors there&they seem very friendly and eager to help.

My last offer comes from Southampton in Management (RAE=20), having an occupational psychologist as a supervisor with a great "match" in our research interests (& with the research group where I will belong) that gives me the possibility to carry out research in public organisations the experience of which I could even use as a "path" towards chartership and of course be able to apply later for positions (e.g.for a postdoc) in organisational psychology/behaviour.However, when I got the uni's offer and I sent an e-mail to my prospective supervisor there about my thoughts on my project and my general research interests (as I was also familiar with his previous work in the field)he never replied back...That doesn't feel good.

If I want to pursue an academic carreer&relative positions in my home country (Greece) the lower in "ranking" is the uni where I undertook my PhD the more (double or triple or more..) should be my publications record to stand a chance for even a short-term position in a public university!