PhD The Early Process, Application and Interview advice

20

Original post

by MyDearWatson

I have just recently decided to apply for PhD study, but I am worried about study time and the ability to work alongside it.
Anyone who has, or is studying their PhD (full time), do you have time for part time work in-between? Or is the research simply too
time consuming to work whilst studying a PhD full time?

I have my BA, and my MA, so I am looking forward to the challenge of a PhD (If I get the chance!)
Can I also ask if there are usually chances to meet other PhD students whilst studying?
The supervisor just said the project would be done alone, and I just wonder if it is likely I will meet others studying PhD's...

It wouldn’t be possible to work full time alongside a PhD ino, but certainly possible to work part time (although inevitably it will depend on your research methods & what the side job is for compatibility).

Yes you’ll get opportunities to meet other PhDs, however it’ll be on you to drive it.

Reply 601

University of Kent

15

Original post

by MyDearWatson

I have just recently decided to apply for PhD study, but I am worried about study time and the ability to work alongside it.
Anyone who has, or is studying their PhD (full time), do you have time for part time work in-between? Or is the research simply too
time consuming to work whilst studying a PhD full time?

I have my BA, and my MA, so I am looking forward to the challenge of a PhD (If I get the chance!)
Can I also ask if there are usually chances to meet other PhD students whilst studying?
The supervisor just said the project would be done alone, and I just wonder if it is likely I will meet others studying PhD's...

Hey @MyDearWatson

I'm doing a PhD in Psychology so hopefully can offer some insight! Firstly, I think it will depend on your project, but I personally work 3 days a week alongside my PhD and find I still have plenty of time to do the work I want to do during the week! I tend to go to campus the other days during the week and try to get as much as I can done during that time and normally that works out fine for me. I also know others that work some evenings/weekends during the week and manage with that, so I think it is doable! :smile:

Secondly, yes! At Kent we had lots of opportunities at the start of first year to meet other PhD students doing completely different projects, through inductions .etc. Normally in the first few weeks of term, the universities will have events to meet other students just like in undergrad! Your supervisor may even be supervising other PhD students who you can meet that way :h:

Best of luck with everything!!

Natalie
University of Kent Student Rep (PhD Psychology)

Reply 602

quasa

21

Debating whether to apply for 2 PHDs at the same uni or a masters at said Uni (1 is PHD in health informatics, 1 is AI / data science but with a brdging masters in informatics for health professionals, and 1 is an Msc in Comp Sci).

Also looking at applying for other degrees as well as the above but its a case of trying to figure out which 2 degrees I should apply for at the Uni as there is a cap of 2 courses per application cycle.

If im honest, the main reason I am looking at the above is more due to networking than education as a lot of what they teach is taught online on places like coursera, edx and udemy.
heck, I know people who did stuff on coursera and say it was much better than what they were taught at uni for MSc in comp sci or data science at gold triangle unis like Imperial and UCL. In theory the masters would work out better, however it is alarming how expensive postgrad degrees are. PHD tuition in comparison is far cheaper (part time or full time across the whole degree is cheaper than 1 year Msc)

any suggestions?

Reply 603

20

Original post

by quasa

Debating whether to apply for 2 PHDs at the same uni or a masters at said Uni (1 is PHD in health informatics, 1 is AI / data science but with a brdging masters in informatics for health professionals, and 1 is an Msc in Comp Sci).

Also looking at applying for other degrees as well as the above but its a case of trying to figure out which 2 degrees I should apply for at the Uni as there is a cap of 2 courses per application cycle.

If im honest, the main reason I am looking at the above is more due to networking than education as a lot of what they teach is taught online on places like coursera, edx and udemy.
heck, I know people who did stuff on coursera and say it was much better than what they were taught at uni for MSc in comp sci or data science at gold triangle unis like Imperial and UCL. In theory the masters would work out better, however it is alarming how expensive postgrad degrees are. PHD tuition in comparison is far cheaper (part time or full time across the whole degree is cheaper than 1 year Msc)

any suggestions?

With PhDs it’s better to engage potential supervisors before applying & thus know roughly where you stand beforehand (especially if your limited to two applications).

PhDs can be good for networking but the networking isn’t guaranteed, it comes from conferences & things so will require output (and your audience will be very focused). I wouldn’t do a PhD for networking purposes, I suspect it would potentially lead to a very stressful & lonely 4 years if you aren’t very excited for your project.

MSc networking is going to be other students so it’s better for moving industries then professional networking imo, your unlikely to be meeting very experienced people at that level (MBA is the exception to this).

Reply 604

Tara.C

3

Hi all!

I'm considering doing a PhD in the next few years, however, I'm unsure whether to do an MPhil first. I already have a MA, but feel like an MPhil may be a good stepping stone. Does anyone have any insight on this?

Also, does anyone here do an arts/media/journalism based PhD? How do you fund these, with student finance not being the best? Also, how often are you physically at uni? I'd probably be commuting so would like to work out where is realistic to apply.

Reply 605

20

Original post

by Tara.C

Hi all!

I'm considering doing a PhD in the next few years, however, I'm unsure whether to do an MPhil first. I already have a MA, but feel like an MPhil may be a good stepping stone. Does anyone have any insight on this?

Also, does anyone here do an arts/media/journalism based PhD? How do you fund these, with student finance not being the best? Also, how often are you physically at uni? I'd probably be commuting so would like to work out where is realistic to apply.

Have you considered a 1+3 or a cdt (where year 1 is either a built in masters or year or research preparation)

Funding: research council & university internal scholarships are most obvious places to check out

How often are you at uni: depends on the research methods, the facilities & resources you have, supervisor... it varies massively.

Reply 606

Tara.C

3

Original post

by mnot

Have you considered a 1+3 or a cdt

Would you mind explaining a little more on this? It sounds very interesting!

Reply 607

20

Original post

by Tara.C

Would you mind explaining a little more on this? It sounds very interesting!

Pretty much what it says on the tin, you spend a year in research preparation followed by 3 years of research, for more detail you’ll be best off checking out university websites directly

Reply 608

21

Hi Is there a a postgrad/phd 2024 thread? im struggling to find one lol

Reply 609

20

Original post

by Ghostlady

Hi Is there a a postgrad/phd 2024 thread? im struggling to find one lol

In the past people have used this thread for general/high level advice.

if they have queries more specific to a specific area of research or unique circumstances around a PhD they’ll create a thread to discuss there issues & circumstances.

Reply 610

Ysn

4

How long after an interview do people typically receive a decision? I had mine on Monday, they said they had everything they needed from me and would be in touch, and it's a self-proposed project with no funding attached (ie. they don't need to interview other candidates in order to make a decision). I've never done a PhD interview before but every uni interview I've done in the past I've received a decision on the same day, so I'm starting to worry that I messed up.

Reply 611

Lancaster Student Ambassador

21

Original post

by Ysn

How long after an interview do people typically receive a decision? I had mine on Monday, they said they had everything they needed from me and would be in touch, and it's a self-proposed project with no funding attached (ie. they don't need to interview other candidates in order to make a decision). I've never done a PhD interview before but every uni interview I've done in the past I've received a decision on the same day, so I'm starting to worry that I messed up.

Thats an interesting question. Ive been speaking to my daughter as shes starting the application process for phds as well for research in neutrino/flavour physics. For Manchester open day she said there be a panel of around 7 people interviewing her, wheres at her local uni of Lancaster its just the 2. I would imagine with any phd self proposed or advertised there will be a lot of deliberation with a team of people, so I wouldnt worry too much if its not right away.

Reply 612

Lancaster Student Ambassador

18

Original post

by Ysn

How long after an interview do people typically receive a decision? I had mine on Monday, they said they had everything they needed from me and would be in touch, and it's a self-proposed project with no funding attached (ie. they don't need to interview other candidates in order to make a decision). I've never done a PhD interview before but every uni interview I've done in the past I've received a decision on the same day, so I'm starting to worry that I messed up.

Hi @Ysn

I would be very surprised if you received a decision same day, that is very quick! For the PhD position that I applied to I heard back after a week or so. I imagine the process will differ from uni to uni, subject to subject and even supervisor to supervisor. I'd give it a few more days, if you've not heard anything after that you could always politely email to follow up. For reference my PhD is in Physics at Lancaster University.

Tineke
Lancaster Student Ambassador

Reply 613

18

Original post

by Ysn

How long after an interview do people typically receive a decision? I had mine on Monday, they said they had everything they needed from me and would be in touch, and it's a self-proposed project with no funding attached (ie. they don't need to interview other candidates in order to make a decision). I've never done a PhD interview before but every uni interview I've done in the past I've received a decision on the same day, so I'm starting to worry that I messed up.

Hi!

I’m currently a Physics PhD Student at Lancaster University. I did a few interviews in February and March of this year and it typically took 2-6 weeks before I heard back. Even some of the successful interviews took 6 weeks before I found the outcome. However, these interviews also did have other candidates applying for the same position.

I would be surprised if you heard back on the same day! Typically they also let you know the outcome of the interview regardless of whether it’s successful or not, so if you haven’t heard back yet, it most likely means they haven’t come to a decision yet. You could always send them a follow up email just in case!

Hope that helps!

Jamimah
(Lancaster University Student Ambassador)

Reply 614

21

Original post

by Lancaster Student Ambassador

Hi!

I’m currently a Physics PhD Student at Lancaster University. I did a few interviews in February and March of this year and it typically took 2-6 weeks before I heard back. Even some of the successful interviews took 6 weeks before I found the outcome. However, these interviews also did have other candidates applying for the same position.

I would be surprised if you heard back on the same day! Typically they also let you know the outcome of the interview regardless of whether it’s successful or not, so if you haven’t heard back yet, it most likely means they haven’t come to a decision yet. You could always send them a follow up email just in case!

Hope that helps!

Jamimah
(Lancaster University Student Ambassador)

Thats interesting to know as shes applying for particle physics phd at Lancaster for a couple of projects. Hopefully she will get a project somewhere be it Lancaster or elsewhere. If it is elsewhere I will miss Lancaster though, as we all love the city 🙂

Reply 615

Lancaster Student Ambassador

20

Original post

by Ghostlady

Thats interesting to know as shes applying for particle physics phd at Lancaster for a couple of projects. Hopefully she will get a project somewhere be it Lancaster or elsewhere. If it is elsewhere I will miss Lancaster though, as we all love the city 🙂

There is a benefit to moving for a PhD having seen both sides of the coin stay or go (imo). If you stay at the same institution your established friendship circle often gets whittled down fairly fast when everyone starts moving away post graduation in the first couple years & it’s hard to start afresh when you already have a very established social life.

whereas when you move for a PhD you tend to pickup a new crowd who will be there for the whole PhD journey & generally in the same boat as you lifestyle wise longer term (for example they will probably be other PhDs, post-docs & research fellows).

the big benefit to staying is your feet are already “warm” there. And if your a strong candidate you’ll almost certainly find funding at your home institution (as you’ve had the opportunity to get to know & build a rapport with potential supervisors for 4 years).

given the choice I think moving, and experiencing other institutions is worth it (especially valuable if you are considering a career in academia). But the most important thing is finding a good supervisor & research group.

(edited 2 years ago)

Reply 616

18

Original post

by Ghostlady

Thats interesting to know as shes applying for particle physics phd at Lancaster for a couple of projects. Hopefully she will get a project somewhere be it Lancaster or elsewhere. If it is elsewhere I will miss Lancaster though, as we all love the city 🙂

Hi!

That’s great to hear! I applied for particle physics as well! Typically the applications for particle physics should be sent in by the end of January for Lancaster and the interviews are in February/March.

If she’s doing a particle physics Master’s project, it would be worth doing some interview preparation with her supervisor. I did that and found it very helpful for my interview!

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask, and good luck to your daughter for her applications! :smile:

Jamimah
(Lancaster University Student Ambassador)

Reply 617

21

Original post

by Lancaster Student Ambassador

Hi!

That’s great to hear! I applied for particle physics as well! Typically the applications for particle physics should be sent in by the end of January for Lancaster and the interviews are in February/March.

If she’s doing a particle physics Master’s project, it would be worth doing some interview preparation with her supervisor. I did that and found it very helpful for my interview!

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask, and good luck to your daughter for her applications! :smile:

Jamimah
(Lancaster University Student Ambassador)

Thanks Jamimah, she is doing the prep work with her supervisor . Shes only had one module this term so shes cracking on with the masters project to get as much done out the way, and also been doing an extra sessions on c++. Thinks shes going to do the Manchester applications tomorrow for the 3 there, and Lancaster after that. Shes also emailed the lhcb team at liverpool.

Reply 618

abbie d

5

Hi all,

I am currently applying for PhD programmes and they all want to see my degree transcripts. My grades for the first two years of my four year undergrad degree were poor, to say the least. I had to repeat a module from second year. My grades from the last two years were a lot better though, (As and Bs with one D) and I got a 2:1 overall, and I did an MRes this year which I got a merit in (and high distinctions in the research related areas, the exam grades let me down). Do I need to mention in my application the fact that my undergraduate grades were bad and justify why? Will it affect my application?

Thanks

Reply 619