The Student Room Group

PhD school choices

Heya,

Hope you're good.

I'm looking at unis to apply to for a PhD in London and would been keen to have some frank insight from those who have attended schools in the capital at post-grad level.

My academic background: I have a first class law degree from Man Met and a Master's degree in International Humanitarian and Security Law from the University of Ottawa in Canada (graded 'A/CGPA 3.88/87.5%' - no idea what the equivalency is).

My main research interests are transitional justice and the right to adequate housing and therefore I would be directing my PhD research into these areas - looking at the application of the right to adequate housing in post-conflict transitional justice processes).

So far I've been looking at UCL, Kings, SOAS and Queen Mary as potential choice. People who have PhD (or Master's and Undergrad) experience at these unis - what do you think? A few friends have done graduate degrees at SOAS and UCL but none attached to the law school.

Another question I have which I am sure is covered in other threads but maybe if it could be answered specifically in relation to the law schools of these unis - what is the potential for TA/RA work? Not sure I can live on the stipend so would be keen to supplement it with research work in particular.

Also if anyone has any experience with Canadian law schools - I enjoyed my Master's there although the system is brutal and would consider a PhD there too - anyone know anything about Canadian PhDs?

Looking for any advice really!

Many thanks
Original post by BookaShade
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Your PhD experience is very personal to you and you really should go where your research interests are best matched. Things like support and development opportunities and supervisor are also key. Not every uni will offer teaching and it will work differently in different places. RA work is a bit rarer here as the focus should be on your PhD. Canada has a whole different education system and it may take longer to do your degree there.
Reply 2
Original post by alleycat393
Your PhD experience is very personal to you and you really should go where your research interests are best matched. Things like support and development opportunities and supervisor are also key. Not every uni will offer teaching and it will work differently in different places. RA work is a bit rarer here as the focus should be on your PhD. Canada has a whole different education system and it may take longer to do your degree there.


Thanks so much for the reply and sorry for the late response. I'll keep looking at unis!
Reply 3
As above, really. The prestige of the school at this point matters significantly less than the ability of your supervisor to cater to your research interests. It's more about the standing of the individual than the school once you get to PhD. Eg. if I had a choice to go to Oxford under Rupert Gethin or Jan Westerhoff but their research interests did not align with mine, the better choice for me might be to go to Lancaster under Ram Chakravarthi.

If possible, try to get to know some prospective supervisors beforehand. It is imperative that you get on, you will work very closely and any friction can make the whole experience a living misery.
(edited 5 years ago)

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