Ok thanks. The course and college fees together are the same as the minimum amount for Manchester. The fees I could afford over three years if I save, it's the maintenance which concerns me....

Hi thanks a lot for the link. I couldn't find that info on the website.

Just to make sure: minimum maintenance fee is without the course fee and minimum annual cost is with it?

Hi ignore the name. I registered when I really was very poor. But now I think it might possible for me to fund my own PhD. Has anyone had experience with this? Has anyone ever taken out a loan to fund it? I'm considering applying to Cambridge as it's near to my mum, whose health is deteriorating, and I really like the city. It's for the far future, like 2011 or 2012.

The reason I'm considering self-funding is because I got a 2:2 and a pass for my MSc. Although I also have a lot of lab experience from a studentship, my MSc dissertation and 2 jobs, the Cambridge explicitly states a candidate must have a 2:1. So I don't think I have a chance at applying for a funded project, but I have read about someone who got accepted onto a PhD at Cambridge with a 2:2 and good work experience. I don't know the fees for Cambridge(have sent email) but if they're like Manchester,I might be able to arrange it.

Has anyone funded their PhD at Cambridge or anywhere else? If so, is there anything I should know, as this area is completely alien to me.

Thanks in advance! 8-)

======= Date Modified 20 Jun 2010 11:56:05 =======
Jenn for different reasons, sometimes I sometimes felt isolated and lonely during my MSc but it was worth staying on until the end, so I'd advise you do the same, as you're already half way through, getting good results and this is only one year of your life that you'll be able to put behind you.

But, your boyfriend could make an effort to meet up with you at lunch and invite you out with his friends or allocate more time for you. Have you talked to him about how you feel? He has an obligation, it isn't like you're just housemates.

Also maybe you could join some socs or take some sport courses/language courses (like German) as this would allow you to meet more people. Even if you don't become friends with them, at least it'll mean more social interaction and activity.

======= Date Modified 29 Apr 2010 21:55:13 =======
You're too sympathetic towards this bastard, he doesn't deserve any of it. No offence, but he sees you as a weak character and is taking advantage of this. For starters you should have agreed for your supervisor to have a word with him. Now it's become so bad you need to complain. He's clearly a complete weirdo and a pervert and only sees women as good for one thing and was probably friendly to you in the beginning just for that purpose. You should record everything he does and says in your compliant and insist the situation changes before you are prepared to continue with your work. You shouldn't let this weirdo get away with trying to destroy you for being a woman (this wouldn't have happened if you were a man).

You should go for what is best for you, not live your life for other people.

404 that was a close call, luckily you found out the the supervisor's true colours before it was too late.

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When I was interested in a science PGCE, I was told at the most half the tuition fee is paid and therefore the bursary would have to contribute to the rest of the fees. I know language PGCEs are more encouraged due to a shortage in teachers. At most unis lecturers don't need a PGCE to teach. Certainly in my field, unless it's a school post, I've never seen it asked for.

Employers always want to know about gaps in employment, particularly long ones. Applications often ask about these and it is asked in interviews. Like for the position of the postdoc I work with (at uni of Birmingham, I'm British), a person was interviewed who left a huge gap in his CV. They did ask him why this was the case and he didn't get the job. I don't know about you, but I've worked in many sectors, in academia and outside of it and a major pet hate of employers are gaps in applications without good reason. They will ask.

Edit: I missed the bit about Jojo having other work experience to cover that period. Well that's ok then, but if they ask you in the interview if you done a PhD, you know what to say now. :-)

Pinklady you need to relax and concentrate on preparing for your viva. People normally make mistakes in their thesis and are allowed to correct these after submission. It's very common. As long as your viva goes well, they'll see you simply made mistakes and might allow you to correct. Good luck and let us know how it went please. :-)

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It sounds like you got most of the book done and you still have a month left to go over it again. But after reading it once and having made notes, you could use these to recognise parts of the book of more importance and this may save you reading all of it over again. As for the deadline tomorrow, just try to read as much as possible tonight and say tomorrow you just have a bit left, like 50 pages. Surely that should be acceptable? Books, particular academic books, take time. Your supervisor should understand that. :-)

======= Date Modified 10 Jan 2010 19:53:55 =======
jojoegypt I understood this was the case from your original post. You can't leave out the PhD because employers are going to want to know what you've done for the last 3 years. You can't rename it because, as I and others pointed out, it looks dishonest. It's tough finding work now as there's a lot of competition due to high unemployment, it's not as simple as if you put PhD or not on your CV. It's like this for everyone. You just have to keep trying. Maybe you'll have better luck with finding work within your uni. I wouldn't advice a PGCE, as it doesn't pay, but rather costs and it is a full time post-graduate course for people interested in teaching. So unless you want to continue studying to be a teacher, it's really not worth it. It'll look a bit pointless on a CV without further teaching experience afterwards.

======= Date Modified 09 Jan 2010 23:11:49 =======
You quite clearly looked like you're trying to hide the PhD by changing the title and trying to avoid giving a straight answer in the interview, which can make you come across as untrustworthy. You should be honest. If they won't hire you because you have a PhD, you're better off not working there.

Ask permission of your supervisor in case they're want parts of it published in journals.

======= Date Modified 06 Dec 2009 23:11:43 =======
I was told supervisors shouldn't let a person submit if they have a chance at failing, so you'll probably be fine, if you haven't already had it.

As for living among those of different ethnicity, it'll only enrich your cultural understanding and it's a big city, so there's probably many different ethnicities there. If you have an interview, you could always check the city out.

Why do so many people expect templates/past examples? I think employers would want someone who can compose an email on their own.