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Reply 380

not the red one muppet :p:

www.grad.ac.uk

Reply 381


oh god, its the uk grad scheme. im supposed to go to these things and i keep getting letters to kick my arse - apparently its sort of (?) compulsory for research council funded phd students - i think.

anyway, the stuff they do is highly rated, incredibly so. i havent heard a bad thing about it,. if you get funding from a research council they will throw cash at you to attend courses around the country and special seminars at your own uni. are you funded?>

Reply 382

No, I applied to the Wellcome Trust. They commended my application as being of a very high standard and that they thought my proposal was well thought out and viable and I am a strong candidate for obtaining a PhD. Then they declined to fund it because I "don't have the necessary experience in ethics". Hmm, I only wrote 20,000 words on ethics in my final year of undergrad! I think I was turned down because I didn't do a Masters - I'm going straight to PhD.

Reply 383

Ethereal
No, I applied to the Wellcome Trust. They commended my application as being of a very high standard and that they thought my proposal was well thought out and viable and I am a strong candidate for obtaining a PhD. Then they declined to fund it because I "don't have the necessary experience in ethics". Hmm, I only wrote 20,000 words on ethics in my final year of undergrad! I think I was turned down because I didn't do a Masters - I'm going straight to PhD.


Seems the likely reason. I don't know about the Welcome Trust, but the AHRC make it clear that they expect a Masters:
http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/apply/postgrad/postgrad_details_d/eligibility.asp

Any reason you chose not to do one? I'd have thought that they'd be a prerequisite if you wanted PhD funding (unless you took some time out, or were a 'Special Student' at Harvard / on some scholarship that didn't result in a degree).

Reply 384

Da Bachtopus
Seems the likely reason. I don't know about the Welcome Trust, but the AHRC make it clear that they expect a Masters:
http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/apply/postgrad/postgrad_details_d/eligibility.asp

Any reason you chose not to do one? I'd have thought that they'd be a prerequisite if you wanted PhD funding (unless you took some time out, or were a 'Special Student' at Harvard / on some scholarship that didn't result in a degree).


I am going on to train as a solicitor so don't really have the time to do a masters and then a PhD. To train as a solicitor you have to do a psot-grad diploma first, so I've effectively done a masters even though it isn't called that (the workload they cram in to 9 months is about the equivalent of a masters). Also, I wrote 20,000 words on medical ethics at undergrad and got two firsts in my dissertations in the area, so I don't see how a masters could add anything.

I had invitations to apply to do a PhD from Manchester and Durham and also Hull. I chose to go to Hull because I have a good working relationship with the superviosr I'll have as he supervised my undergrad dissertations and I think a good working relationship is important.

Reply 385

Sounds like they've not given you're app full attention, then, and you're a victim of bureaucracy. If they've had so many, and are just looking for excuses to reject candidates, then I can understand their simply scouting for a box you haven't (exactly) ticked.

edit: of course, by "understand", I don't mean I support that kind of process. Quite the opposite.

Reply 386

I went on a 5 day residential UKGRAD course which was good fun and a little enlightening, but to me it was just a nice free holiday with a few team building exercises. I'd recommend going because I had a great time and perhaps came out with a bit more of a positive outlook (although that wasn't hard given that I was in the midst of the second year blues), but it didn't make me into a super-professional go-getter with bags on 'soft skills'. It is nice to realise that being on the road to getting a PhD means you are an intelligent and talented person and doing the exercises does that.

Reply 387

Da Bachtopus
Sounds like they've not given you're app full attention, then, and you're a victim of bureaucracy. If they've had so many, and are just looking for excuses to reject candidates, then I can understand their simply scouting for a box you haven't (exactly) ticked.

edit: of course, by "understand", I don't mean I support that kind of process. Quite the opposite.


Me too. I understand why they did it, I just thik it's a bit harsh. I suppose in a way my thesis proposal doesn't fit squarely in to their "biomedical ethics" bracket.

Reply 388

ChemistBoy
I went on a 5 day residential UKGRAD course which was good fun and a little enlightening, but to me it was just a nice free holiday with a few team building exercises. I'd recommend going because I had a great time and perhaps came out with a bit more of a positive outlook (although that wasn't hard given that I was in the midst of the second year blues), but it didn't make me into a super-professional go-getter with bags on 'soft skills'. It is nice to realise that being on the road to getting a PhD means you are an intelligent and talented person and doing the exercises does that.


I would have liked to have dones stuff like this, and conferences too - but 25 days PA annual leave means I won't have time to do that and make it home for family birthdays/xmas/easter etc. :frown:

Reply 389

Ethereal
I would have liked to have dones stuff like this, and conferences too - but 25 days PA annual leave means I won't have time to do that and make it home for family birthdays/xmas/easter etc. :frown:


The grad school should not count as part of your leave as far as I am aware.

A point in your other post, a PGDip isn't the same as a master's I'm afraid.

Reply 390

ChemistBoy
The grad school should not count as part of your leave as far as I am aware.


I'll be working on a government department not a university. That's why I'm doing a PhD part time. Apparently any time I take off to do PhDy stuff has to be my leave. Boooooooooooo!!

Reply 391

Ethereal
I'll be working on a government department not a university. That's why I'm doing a PhD part time. Apparently any time I take off to do PhDy stuff has to be my leave. Boooooooooooo!!


Part-time PhDs are a pain in the arse as far as I can see. You presumably get some study time though?

Reply 392

ChemistBoy
The grad school should not count as part of your leave as far as I am aware.

A point in your other post, a PGDip isn't the same as a master's I'm afraid.


In most cases I'd agree, but the PgDip I have done is the professional course and exams required by the law society. My average week's work was about 70 hours a week, so in this case I would say it was the same workload. In fact, some universities give you a Masters for it.

As for the study time, no, I won't get any because the area doesn't relate to my job :smile:

Reply 393

Ethereal
In most cases I'd agree, but the PgDip I have done is the professional course and exams required by the law society. My average week's work was about 70 hours a week, so in this case I would say it was the same workload. In fact, some universities give you a Masters for it.


It isn't about workload, its about course structure (i.e. a Master's degree contains a large-scale dissertation/research project and a Dip doesn't). I presume you are talking about the Graduate Diploma in Law? Which universities offer this at master's level out of interest, are you sure you're not getting this mixed up with the LL.M?


As for the study time, no, I won't get any because the area doesn't relate to my job :smile:


So you are working full time and doing a PhD? That's crazy!

Reply 394

ive eaten a burger the size of a house and had too much to drink. ooooooooooooooooooh my. :frown:

Reply 395

The Boosh
ive eaten a burger the size of a house and had too much to drink. ooooooooooooooooooh my. :frown:


What kind of house? A bungalow or a mansion?

Reply 396

more like a palace, with onion rings and cheese instead of the queen and her corgis. oh my goodness. heart attack before i'm 30 surely.

Reply 397

Mhhhh burgers. It was too hot for anything but tapas today. 40°C in the city is just not on! Someone get me a private pool over here asap.

Reply 398

40? argh not good!!!

Reply 399

Indeed. A bit lower today but argh. I'm supposed to read research books.

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