Hi,

I know that I really want to do a PhD. However, some questions are coming up at the moment with respect to funding.
Basically, my topic would be in the life sciences (evolution of biodiversity). As the situation stands now, I have found potential supervisors. Now I'm having to find the funding!

Obviously, the ideal situation would be to find a studentship to last the full PhD (eg NERC etc...). However, that failing, I was considering self-funding in my first year (that is the maximum amount I can afford!) and then finding smaller awards and studentships to complement. I was wondering if there is anyone out there who has done something like that? Is it actually realistic? Or is it wiser to wait until finding a full studentship?

Thanks for any advice!