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PhD The Early Process, Application and Interview advice

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Reply 400

Original post
by Jedi4
The response is I will hear back soon probably by the end of the month.

I've applied to the AHRC, EHRC etc. Anything that was available I applied to for funding.

By grants do you mean "alternative funding' like the alternative guide to funding? I can self fund just short of a couple of grand. So I'll probably try that.


I mean those weird ones for women from Yorkshire/people born in Birmingham/Quakers etc

Usually won't fund a whole PhD but if you apply to enough it could get you through for sure

Reply 401

Original post
by redferry
I mean those weird ones for women from Yorkshire/people born in Birmingham/Quakers etc

Usually won't fund a whole PhD but if you apply to enough it could get you through for sure


Thanks for the reply.

I will look for some of them and also the ones mentioned in alternative funding guides, Should I send these out after I have been officially rejected from formal funding?

Even if it is £50 to a couple hundred, grand that would help as I can say I got some money at least- and it would financially too, would feel a little embarrassed if I didn't get any get funding,

If you know you any websites or books for these I'd be grateful if you could email them me, I have the 'alternative guide to funding' pdf I can PM a dropbox link.

The funding wait is killing me basically my future is out of my hands :frown:

Reply 402

Original post
by Jedi4
Thanks for the reply.

I will look for some of them and also the ones mentioned in alternative funding guides, Should I send these out after I have been officially rejected from formal funding?

Even if it is £50 to a couple hundred, grand that would help as I can say I got some money at least- and it would financially too, would feel a little embarrassed if I didn't get any get funding,

If you know you any websites or books for these I'd be grateful if you could email them me, I have the 'alternative guide to funding' pdf I can PM a dropbox link.

The funding wait is killing me basically my future is out of my hands :frown:


Normally a lot of them are actually linked from the universities own website funding pages.

Reply 403

I have the alternative guide as well. To be honest... i don't believe it really helps... in the end you ll get lost in the emails...most of the funding also from charities etc. is not ment to be for any science phd. It is usually for 3rd year phd's only in their last 6 months... and it is also very competitive.

In science phd's especially ones that require laboratory work, u definitely need to have full funding... you need around 4k a year for lab fees, more for maintenance and tuition also.

Anyway...good luck to all. I haven't yet been lucky for a place... i now start to believe that the reason is my degree mark (2.2). I also feel that the MSc i chose is a waste of my time and money...because they advertised a totally different thing and now we have been learning irrelevant stuff all year long. My choice could have been so much better. The only thing I have now is to try my best to improve my marks through this Msc as it is the only thing I got.

Reply 404

Original post
by mcr2288
I have the alternative guide as well. To be honest... i don't believe it really helps... in the end you ll get lost in the emails...most of the funding also from charities etc. is not ment to be for any science phd. It is usually for 3rd year phd's only in their last 6 months... and it is also very competitive.

In science phd's especially ones that require laboratory work, u definitely need to have full funding... you need around 4k a year for lab fees, more for maintenance and tuition also.

Anyway...good luck to all. I haven't yet been lucky for a place... i now start to believe that the reason is my degree mark (2.2). I also feel that the MSc i chose is a waste of my time and money...because they advertised a totally different thing and now we have been learning irrelevant stuff all year long. My choice could have been so much better. The only thing I have now is to try my best to improve my marks through this Msc as it is the only thing I got.


I've herd similar reviews on the alternative guide to funding book, worth a shot if your just a little short.

I thought you just pay a one off tuition fee each year e.g. year one 4k, year two 4k, and year 3 4k etc. What extra lab fees can they charge?

That's what my masters was like a one year fee that covered all tuition fees.

Reply 405

It does, you are right, this is in the fees section, basically it is how much they can assign to each student to spend. It is normally included in the fees, which they are covered by the studentship... otherwise if you have to find you are own funding, imagine it can be a lot more difficult.. especially for science... basically in science you cannot have zero funding and start searching...no one is giving you around 13k-15k a year to study that you need. It just doesn't work. Plus you will be probably in the lab 9-5 and you won't have much time in the office to do applications etc. and as a result you will be less focused on your work.

For example, in your 3rd year undergrad, once a lecturer told me that the university has its own funding for lab work for undergrads which was around £300 for their final year project... and we were paying the same fees as everyone else. So I think its a budget thing.. and if you have to do travelling for your phd as well...that's another something extra. :rolleyes:

Reply 406

I finally got the decision about my application for the Graduate Teaching Assistantship. I didn't get it, but as the panel was impressed with my application thtey offered me a partial scholarship plus paid teaching. So glad, as this covers tuition and most of my living expenses. Really gives me peace of mind, because without funding it would have been tough 3 years. :smile:

Reply 407

Original post
by redferry
Normally a lot of them are actually linked from the universities own website funding pages.


Yessssssssssssss

I got a full fee waiver.

Reply 408

Original post
by Jedi4
Yessssssssssssss

I got a full fee waiver.


Congrats!!!!

Reply 409

Original post
by redferry
Congrats!!!!


Thanks!

Reply 410

Original post
by redferry
Congrats!!!!


So I've got the fees sorted and living expenses will take care of themselves hopefully, but I've been told to apply to grants and funding during the phd, who usually gives out such awards?

Reply 411

Original post
by Jedi4
So I've got the fees sorted and living expenses will take care of themselves hopefully, but I've been told to apply to grants and funding during the phd, who usually gives out such awards?


That's more a case of applying to anyone and everyone I'm afraid!! What's your subject again?

Reply 412

Original post
by redferry
That's more a case of applying to anyone and everyone I'm afraid!! What's your subject again?


That's what I thought :frown: wanted a little break.

Health Informatics is the subject.

Reply 413

Original post
by Jedi4
That's what I thought :frown: wanted a little break.

Health Informatics is the subject.


Hm I can't really claim to know anything about grants in Health informatics.
(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 414

URGENT! :biggrin:

i have an interview on Friday for an Mres... they told me we would have a chat on skype for my interests and motivations on the project.

do u have any tips? the project is on disinfection on water treatment...

thanks a lot guys

Reply 415

Original post
by mcr2288
URGENT! :biggrin:

i have an interview on Friday for an Mres... they told me we would have a chat on skype for my interests and motivations on the project.

do u have any tips? the project is on disinfection on water treatment...

thanks a lot guys


Try to stay calm. I was so freaked out during my interviews that I made stupid mistakes, which cost me funding at a couple of universities.

Reply 416

Hi guys :smile: I'm a tad early on this, but masters apps/funding apps have taught me early is necessary...

I'll be going into an LLM from September and I am open to pursuing a PhD (the LLM is to pursue my specialised area of interest and get a taste of independent research to hopefully confirm/rule out PhD interest). I've already identified academics I'd potentially want to approach for PhD supervision (provided current interests continue); they are at different institutions to my LLM university. Ideally I would have done my LLM at those institutions and taken taught classes with those academics to build a relationship & hopefully get their support for my PhD app, but lack of funding prevailed and I'm going elsewhere with partial funding. How can I counteract this missed opportunity during my LLM year? Any tips for networking from afar?

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Reply 417

Original post
by arguendo
Hi guys :smile: I'm a tad early on this, but masters apps/funding apps have taught me early is necessary...

I'll be going into an LLM from September and I am open to pursuing a PhD (the LLM is to pursue my specialised area of interest and get a taste of independent research to hopefully confirm/rule out PhD interest). I've already identified academics I'd potentially want to approach for PhD supervision (provided current interests continue); they are at different institutions to my LLM university. Ideally I would have done my LLM at those institutions and taken taught classes with those academics to build a relationship & hopefully get their support for my PhD app, but lack of funding prevailed and I'm going elsewhere with partial funding. How can I counteract this missed opportunity during my LLM year? Any tips for networking from afar?

Posted from TSR Mobile


Not sure what LLM means.

Reply 418

Original post
by djpailo
Not sure what LLM means.


It's the taught postgraduate course for law (so equivalent to MA etc).

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Reply 419

Original post
by arguendo
It's the taught postgraduate course for law (so equivalent to MA etc).

Posted from TSR Mobile


Lol I had to look up LA. :P Okay, so a masters.

Networking from afar can be done through careers fairs, university talks (you'll probably get emails about guest lecturers) and heck, even just emailing them straight. Look on findaphd.com, jot the names down of professors offering phd's and then propose your idea to them instead of the one they are offering.

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