What to do in between a master’s and a PhD?
Hi everyone! I have just completed my undergraduate in Law (a 69.4, so a 2:1 but right on the border of a first!) and I am starting my master’s degree this September. I already know that I want to do a PhD and pursue academia, but I have seen that most PhD programmes require a completed master’s degree, and funding is highly unlikely to receive without a completed master’s. This means that I will likely be applying for PhD programmes next summer/autumn, so I will have a year between my master’s and my PhD.
Does anyone have some recommendations of things to do in that year to boost my application? My work experience is almost nonexistent, and my ideal choice would be to work as a research assistant for that year, but I believe those positions are pretty rare. Working in the practical law space doesn’t make a lot of sense for me, given the area of legal academia that I hope to pursue, so I am feeling a little lost as to the options!
Does anyone have some recommendations of things to do in that year to boost my application? My work experience is almost nonexistent, and my ideal choice would be to work as a research assistant for that year, but I believe those positions are pretty rare. Working in the practical law space doesn’t make a lot of sense for me, given the area of legal academia that I hope to pursue, so I am feeling a little lost as to the options!
(edited 10 months ago)
Hi, I was in the same boat last year as you do now.
First, most of the UK Humanities/Social Sciences scholarship ddl is around January, which means that, if you submit your masters thesis at the end of August…between August and Jan. you’ll be busy with contacting potential supervisors and drafting and revising research proposals; from February/March to April/May you’ll be soooo nervous waiting for the results; and after that you can do what you like and wait for your PhD to start. If you do need money to do your humanities/social sciences PhD, that’s how the “gap year” would look like! Technically you’d got only around 4 months to do things to improve your cv, not a whole year.
I study history/literature, not law, so plz take what I say here with a grain of salt.
First you might want to attend 1 or 2 academic conferences during the summer (they’re usually held between May and August ) in your sub-field, to both boost your application and know people.
Second you’d need tons of reading to write an extraordinary research proposal, and that takes a lot of time!
Third revising application materials takes time, too. I myself had about 30 drafts.
Fourth and the most important thing…take care of yourself during the whole process. Applying for PhD can be nerve-wracking. I had never been more worked-up before. So plz be nice to yourself through it and ask for help when you are in need.
Oh and btw if you got 69+ for your BA you absolutely need a distinction for your masters degree to be on top of the game.
Good luck with your application!
First, most of the UK Humanities/Social Sciences scholarship ddl is around January, which means that, if you submit your masters thesis at the end of August…between August and Jan. you’ll be busy with contacting potential supervisors and drafting and revising research proposals; from February/March to April/May you’ll be soooo nervous waiting for the results; and after that you can do what you like and wait for your PhD to start. If you do need money to do your humanities/social sciences PhD, that’s how the “gap year” would look like! Technically you’d got only around 4 months to do things to improve your cv, not a whole year.
I study history/literature, not law, so plz take what I say here with a grain of salt.
First you might want to attend 1 or 2 academic conferences during the summer (they’re usually held between May and August ) in your sub-field, to both boost your application and know people.
Second you’d need tons of reading to write an extraordinary research proposal, and that takes a lot of time!
Third revising application materials takes time, too. I myself had about 30 drafts.
Fourth and the most important thing…take care of yourself during the whole process. Applying for PhD can be nerve-wracking. I had never been more worked-up before. So plz be nice to yourself through it and ask for help when you are in need.
Oh and btw if you got 69+ for your BA you absolutely need a distinction for your masters degree to be on top of the game.
Good luck with your application!
(edited 10 months ago)
I can't really help with the what to do in the gap thing, I was relatively unusual in that I finished my master's in the July and started my PhD under the AHRC NWC-DTP in the following September, and so was applying for AHRC funding around the Christmas period during my master's. They took for granted that'd I'd complete the master's, but I had a BA with a 3rd year and graduating average in the 80s, and so had a big boon in that sense.
My AHRC research proposal seemed at the time like the hardest thing I'd ever written but it took me a little over a week. Things have changed slightly since 2014 (they fund fewer students now, and they only funded about 14% anyway!) but at the same time there is a tendency to chronically overthink this stuff. I couldn't, with the best will in the world, have done 30 drafts. I wrote it, left it a few days, re-read and edited it, and sent it to the funding nerds in my dept for them to glance over. A couple of minor changes and then it went it.
Make use of the help available, take your time. Think about what makes your research worth funding - what is the potential impact, how is it relevant? They really like things that ar en vogue or link to things that are en vogue. Be precise and spend a bit of time, but don't obsess over this stuff, honestly.
As above, you will definitely need the distinction to have a hope of funding. Best of luck - I hope you get it!
My AHRC research proposal seemed at the time like the hardest thing I'd ever written but it took me a little over a week. Things have changed slightly since 2014 (they fund fewer students now, and they only funded about 14% anyway!) but at the same time there is a tendency to chronically overthink this stuff. I couldn't, with the best will in the world, have done 30 drafts. I wrote it, left it a few days, re-read and edited it, and sent it to the funding nerds in my dept for them to glance over. A couple of minor changes and then it went it.
Make use of the help available, take your time. Think about what makes your research worth funding - what is the potential impact, how is it relevant? They really like things that ar en vogue or link to things that are en vogue. Be precise and spend a bit of time, but don't obsess over this stuff, honestly.
As above, you will definitely need the distinction to have a hope of funding. Best of luck - I hope you get it!
(edited 10 months ago)
Original post by gjd800
I can't really help with the what to do in the gap thing, I was relatively unusual in that I finished my master's in the July and started my PhD under the AHRC NWC-DTP in the following September, and so was applying for AHRC funding around the Christmas period during my master's. They took for granted that'd I'd complete the master's, but I had a BA with a 3rd year and graduating average in the 80s, and so had a big boon in that sense.
My AHRC research proposal seemed at the time like the hardest thing I'd ever written but it took me a little over a week. Things have changed slightly since 2014 (they fund fewer students now, and they only funded about 14% anyway!) but at the same time there is a tendency to chronically overthink this stuff. I couldn't, with the best will in the world, have done 30 drafts. I wrote it, left it a few days, re-read and edited it, and sent it to the funding nerds in my dept for them to glance over. A couple of minor changes and then it went it.
Make use of the help available, take your time. Think about what makes your research worth funding - what is the potential impact, how is it relevant? They really like things that ar en vogue or link to things that are en vogue. Be precise and spend a bit of time, but don't obsess over this stuff, honestly.
As above, you will definitely need the distinction to have a hope of funding. Best of luck - I hope you get it!
My AHRC research proposal seemed at the time like the hardest thing I'd ever written but it took me a little over a week. Things have changed slightly since 2014 (they fund fewer students now, and they only funded about 14% anyway!) but at the same time there is a tendency to chronically overthink this stuff. I couldn't, with the best will in the world, have done 30 drafts. I wrote it, left it a few days, re-read and edited it, and sent it to the funding nerds in my dept for them to glance over. A couple of minor changes and then it went it.
Make use of the help available, take your time. Think about what makes your research worth funding - what is the potential impact, how is it relevant? They really like things that ar en vogue or link to things that are en vogue. Be precise and spend a bit of time, but don't obsess over this stuff, honestly.
As above, you will definitely need the distinction to have a hope of funding. Best of luck - I hope you get it!
I should have noted that I'm an international student with a 2:2 BA in a subject not related to my PhD. And less than 5% of the international applicants receive the funding in my AHRC consortium.
So I sorta agree with you on this point, especially if OP is a home status student with a better academic record, they probably don't need to be as worked up over the application thing as I did.
To OP: btw, it's just occurred to me, The AHRC-WhiteRose Consortium provides excellent samples of AHRC applications in various subjects in their application guidance pdf file. Google it if you need samples on how to frame/structure the application.
(edited 10 months ago)
Reply 4
Original post by Aglarien
Hi, I was in the same boat last year as you do now.
First, most of the UK Humanities/Social Sciences scholarship ddl is around January, which means that, if you submit your masters thesis at the end of August…between August and Jan. you’ll be busy with contacting potential supervisors and drafting and revising research proposals; from February/March to April/May you’ll be soooo nervous waiting for the results; and after that you can do what you like and wait for your PhD to start. If you do need money to do your humanities/social sciences PhD, that’s how the “gap year” would look like! Technically you’d got only around 4 months to do things to improve your cv, not a whole year.
I study history/literature, not law, so plz take what I say here with a grain of salt.
First you might want to attend 1 or 2 academic conferences during the summer (they’re usually held between May and August ) in your sub-field, to both boost your application and know people.
Second you’d need tons of reading to write an extraordinary research proposal, and that takes a lot of time!
Third revising application materials takes time, too. I myself had about 30 drafts.
Fourth and the most important thing…take care of yourself during the whole process. Applying for PhD can be nerve-wracking. I had never been more worked-up before. So plz be nice to yourself through it and ask for help when you are in need.
Oh and btw if you got 69+ for your BA you absolutely need a distinction for your masters degree to be on top of the game.
Good luck with your application!
First, most of the UK Humanities/Social Sciences scholarship ddl is around January, which means that, if you submit your masters thesis at the end of August…between August and Jan. you’ll be busy with contacting potential supervisors and drafting and revising research proposals; from February/March to April/May you’ll be soooo nervous waiting for the results; and after that you can do what you like and wait for your PhD to start. If you do need money to do your humanities/social sciences PhD, that’s how the “gap year” would look like! Technically you’d got only around 4 months to do things to improve your cv, not a whole year.
I study history/literature, not law, so plz take what I say here with a grain of salt.
First you might want to attend 1 or 2 academic conferences during the summer (they’re usually held between May and August ) in your sub-field, to both boost your application and know people.
Second you’d need tons of reading to write an extraordinary research proposal, and that takes a lot of time!
Third revising application materials takes time, too. I myself had about 30 drafts.
Fourth and the most important thing…take care of yourself during the whole process. Applying for PhD can be nerve-wracking. I had never been more worked-up before. So plz be nice to yourself through it and ask for help when you are in need.
Oh and btw if you got 69+ for your BA you absolutely need a distinction for your masters degree to be on top of the game.
Good luck with your application!
Hi, thank you so much for your reply!
The academic conferences are a great idea that I hadn't thought of, I will definitely keep an eye out for them.
I have already begun some (very preliminary!) reading for a PhD proposal, but I am definitely the type of person who wants to write as many drafts as possible, like you, and I was advised by my undergrad dissertation supervisor last year to start researching as early as possible, even if just to stay up to date with recent publications.
I am a little intimidated to reach out to potential supervisors (even though I know it is a normal and necessary element of a PhD application). My supervisor recommended I contact some academics as early as now, not to ask for supervision yet but just to discuss any papers they have written and how they relate to my own research interests. This seems very presumptuous to me, but is it quite normal? I don't want to offend/annoy potential academics by pestering them with emails, but is it common to just reach out and make connections?
Reply 5
Original post by gjd800
I can't really help with the what to do in the gap thing, I was relatively unusual in that I finished my master's in the July and started my PhD under the AHRC NWC-DTP in the following September, and so was applying for AHRC funding around the Christmas period during my master's. They took for granted that'd I'd complete the master's, but I had a BA with a 3rd year and graduating average in the 80s, and so had a big boon in that sense.
My AHRC research proposal seemed at the time like the hardest thing I'd ever written but it took me a little over a week. Things have changed slightly since 2014 (they fund fewer students now, and they only funded about 14% anyway!) but at the same time there is a tendency to chronically overthink this stuff. I couldn't, with the best will in the world, have done 30 drafts. I wrote it, left it a few days, re-read and edited it, and sent it to the funding nerds in my dept for them to glance over. A couple of minor changes and then it went it.
Make use of the help available, take your time. Think about what makes your research worth funding - what is the potential impact, how is it relevant? They really like things that ar en vogue or link to things that are en vogue. Be precise and spend a bit of time, but don't obsess over this stuff, honestly.
As above, you will definitely need the distinction to have a hope of funding. Best of luck - I hope you get it!
My AHRC research proposal seemed at the time like the hardest thing I'd ever written but it took me a little over a week. Things have changed slightly since 2014 (they fund fewer students now, and they only funded about 14% anyway!) but at the same time there is a tendency to chronically overthink this stuff. I couldn't, with the best will in the world, have done 30 drafts. I wrote it, left it a few days, re-read and edited it, and sent it to the funding nerds in my dept for them to glance over. A couple of minor changes and then it went it.
Make use of the help available, take your time. Think about what makes your research worth funding - what is the potential impact, how is it relevant? They really like things that ar en vogue or link to things that are en vogue. Be precise and spend a bit of time, but don't obsess over this stuff, honestly.
As above, you will definitely need the distinction to have a hope of funding. Best of luck - I hope you get it!
Thank you so much for your reply! Yeah, I know some programs are fine if you apply during your master's, my dream program does state that they will consider you, but significant preference will be given to candidates with a completed degree, and you need to finish your master's by July (mine finishes in August)-even though they are at the same university! I am sure your outstanding undergrad score definitely played a role as well.
My focus this year will absolutely be getting a distinction and writing a stellar dissertation, as well as speaking to some of the department staff about their recommendations. I am so impressed that it took you a week to write your research proposal! Although I wrote loads of drafts for my master's application, I procrastinated it so badly (mostly from anxiety I think) and while I ended up with a good application and a place at my dream master's program, I definitely know that a research proposal is a whole other beast and I think I'll probably need a lot more time to research and write! The field I ultimately want to pursue is essentially a very niche stance inside of a very niche area of law, so I am definitely prepared to broaden my research ambitions for my PhD, although I do believe it is quite unique and (hopefully!) relevant.
Original post by alexanderaaa
Thank you so much for your reply! Yeah, I know some programs are fine if you apply during your master's, my dream program does state that they will consider you, but significant preference will be given to candidates with a completed degree, and you need to finish your master's by July (mine finishes in August)-even though they are at the same university! I am sure your outstanding undergrad score definitely played a role as well.
My focus this year will absolutely be getting a distinction and writing a stellar dissertation, as well as speaking to some of the department staff about their recommendations. I am so impressed that it took you a week to write your research proposal! Although I wrote loads of drafts for my master's application, I procrastinated it so badly (mostly from anxiety I think) and while I ended up with a good application and a place at my dream master's program, I definitely know that a research proposal is a whole other beast and I think I'll probably need a lot more time to research and write! The field I ultimately want to pursue is essentially a very niche stance inside of a very niche area of law, so I am definitely prepared to broaden my research ambitions for my PhD, although I do believe it is quite unique and (hopefully!) relevant.
My focus this year will absolutely be getting a distinction and writing a stellar dissertation, as well as speaking to some of the department staff about their recommendations. I am so impressed that it took you a week to write your research proposal! Although I wrote loads of drafts for my master's application, I procrastinated it so badly (mostly from anxiety I think) and while I ended up with a good application and a place at my dream master's program, I definitely know that a research proposal is a whole other beast and I think I'll probably need a lot more time to research and write! The field I ultimately want to pursue is essentially a very niche stance inside of a very niche area of law, so I am definitely prepared to broaden my research ambitions for my PhD, although I do believe it is quite unique and (hopefully!) relevant.
It sounds like you.have a really good focus and strong idea of exactly what you want to be doing, and honestly, that will prove to be a real asset for you.
I think my best strength with this stuff was laser-focus and a total conviction in what I wanted to do, so everything after that was straightforward enough for me. I was lucky in a lot of ways, I think luck plays a larger role than we sometimes like to admit.
In any case, very best of it to you - I hope you get there!
Original post by alexanderaaa
Hi, thank you so much for your reply!
The academic conferences are a great idea that I hadn't thought of, I will definitely keep an eye out for them.
I have already begun some (very preliminary!) reading for a PhD proposal, but I am definitely the type of person who wants to write as many drafts as possible, like you, and I was advised by my undergrad dissertation supervisor last year to start researching as early as possible, even if just to stay up to date with recent publications.
I am a little intimidated to reach out to potential supervisors (even though I know it is a normal and necessary element of a PhD application). My supervisor recommended I contact some academics as early as now, not to ask for supervision yet but just to discuss any papers they have written and how they relate to my own research interests. This seems very presumptuous to me, but is it quite normal? I don't want to offend/annoy potential academics by pestering them with emails, but is it common to just reach out and make connections?
The academic conferences are a great idea that I hadn't thought of, I will definitely keep an eye out for them.
I have already begun some (very preliminary!) reading for a PhD proposal, but I am definitely the type of person who wants to write as many drafts as possible, like you, and I was advised by my undergrad dissertation supervisor last year to start researching as early as possible, even if just to stay up to date with recent publications.
I am a little intimidated to reach out to potential supervisors (even though I know it is a normal and necessary element of a PhD application). My supervisor recommended I contact some academics as early as now, not to ask for supervision yet but just to discuss any papers they have written and how they relate to my own research interests. This seems very presumptuous to me, but is it quite normal? I don't want to offend/annoy potential academics by pestering them with emails, but is it common to just reach out and make connections?
Hello!
Oh I haven’t realised that one may contact contact potential supervisors 2 years in advance. But your undergrad supervisor is experienced, and you clearly have better knowledge in the field than I did back then, so I do think it might be a good idea to listen to your undergrad supervisor and start now!
My own timeline is like this:
September- I started my master’s programme and wrote to a professor at my master’s institution that I would like to do a PhD with him, though I had not came up with a PhD topic yet. He was like emmm, yeah, you can certainly try to apply if you would like to. After all, he didn’t know me at all.
February - The said professor and I had been getting on really well. I wrote a good mid-term essay. He seeked me out after class and asked are you still looking to doing a PhD? Cause I think you can continue what you did in this mid-term essay as your PhD topic if you’d like to.
I: Yes. I am thinking of having a gap year and applying for funding next year.
He: Cool. Also, don’t just apply to me. AHRC is like a lottery.
I: ok. When should I contact the other supervisors then?
He: NOW. You should do it now. Write a short email and introduce yourself to them, mentioning the sub-field you would like to do. You may come back to them with your PhD topic and research proposal later. It’s just important to let them know that you exist.
However, I was busy with my masters and some personal issues so I didn’t really start then.
July - I started contacting potential supervisors because I finally decided to do my PhD on the same topic as my masters thesis (then in progress). Some supervisors said they’re already been contacted by multiple candidates by this point. However, it doesn’t work on a first come first serve basis!
September - I wrapped up my master’s thesis and sent RP drafts to potential supervisors to look at. I had my 30 drafts during these months. Almost all of the potential supervisors that I asked agreed to supervise me.
December - I submitted my scholarship applications.
The thing is…I’d say…PhD application is like job application. When and if you contact some supervisor and they get back to you for further discussion, it’s your time to examine their qualities as well. So please don’t be intimidated by this. Besides, people receive hundreds/thousands of emails everyday. If they don’t like your hello email they can simply ignore it. Just don’t send them long emails often before you have concrete things for them to look at. They won’t be annoyed much. You may chase them up if you have sent them your RP and they don’t reply 10 days later, though.
Sorry for the long rambling. Hope this helps!
(edited 10 months ago)
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