Phd students - advice and support needed

[halia]

Hi all,
I've finally been kicked up the bum by my DP who pointed out that if I DON'T try for a Phd he will have to put up with me being miserable for the rest of my life.
I know what i want to do (politics and governance), i know the rough area of study/ possible thesis title and I know where I want to go (durham). (well its the only logical option given where I live)

Thing is I did my degree through the OU and so I havn't had the chance you would get at a bricks and mortar university to chat to a tutor about the next stage.

I got 2:1 honours so I qualify and I was planning to do the MA in research methods first then a Phd.
Big problem is of course I'm skint so want to get funding if at all possible.

I guess what I need to know is how prepared to I have / how definite does my thesis title need to be before applying for ESRC 3+1 funding?
I graduated in 2007 and wanted to wait until DS was in school (starts this sept) before I tried to commit to study. So I plan on starting next year 2010 on the MA - could I contact Duham now? I've checked out the tutors there and there is a lecturer who works in the right sort of area for me.

How do you make that first approach? what types of things do they look for?
Will they expect me to have done anything else (written articles etc?) Does funding pretty much go only to people with first class honours?

My other big question is doing it p/t, unless I get funding i can't afford to do it fulltime and I'd have to travel in to durham rather than live there. Love to hear experiences of people who have done this.

I'm terrible on the phone so would like to make an initial contact by email to ask for advice from the university. Is this OK?

Hi there - there are more PhD mums on the student parents board, under parenting - you could try there.

I've just submitted my PhD but in a different field. Sounds like you have a good plan and your only big issue is going to be funding. If you are going to try for the ESRC then it is never too early to approach your potential supervisor. It IS horribly competitive and you will need an enthusiastic reference from our potential supervisor. Awards tend to go to firsts, but not exclusively. It's worth a try - but don't take it too hard if you don't get it - many excellent applicants don't. You are right though - you definitely will need an MA.

If you contact Durham you can ask about other sources of funding - they may have a number of University scholarships (I don't know but that's how I got funding here) and more imporatantly they probably have a quota of ESRC studentships that they can allocate to students themselves without going through the open competition. There may be other part-funding options.

I also considered part-time and working if I hadn't had funding. Incidentally, Durham is my home town - but I'm Down South now.

Discuss thesis topics with your potential supervisor over the next months until you can agree on something. An initial contact by email is fine - but if you get no response don't give up. Some people are lousy at replying - email again and pick up the dreaded phone if necessary. Read papers written by your potentail supervisor and related. This degree of prep is not for admission to the MA program so much as to generate a good enough thesis abstract and reference to support funding.

Good luck!

PS I self-funded my masters then used that to get PhD funding. I would never have stood a chance of getting funding without the masters. If you can get a good masters (preferably a distinction), either full or part time, you are more likely to get PhD funding.

Hi,

I started my Phd 10 years ago, so some of my advice might be out of date, but here goes.

The first thing is that with a 2:1 you are unlikely to get funding for a Phd in a humanities subject. Not that you shouldn't try, but you should be realistic about your chances and look into other ways of doing it. As the previous poster said, the best way to start would be a MA. If you do well there, you can often get funding for a PhD. It's a question of proving to the awarding body that you are committed to studying and are going to do a PhD that will knock their socks off.

I also think it may be best for you to do it part-time, so as you can continue to spend time with your family, but still study (MAs and PhDs are fulltime jobs really). The tutition fees are less usually too that way.

I did my post-grad full-time, myself, but had to work for the first couple of years, since I only got funding for my last two years. (My nickname was Catita "three jobs" Inahatita) It was bloody hard work, I can tell you. I was exhauted most of the time. In fact, most people complain about the writing up bit; but of me that was the easiest thing as I only had that to to do by then thanks to the grant!

As for applications. Your best bet is to have a look at the politics dept in Durham and see what the specialities of the lecturers there. Hopefully one of them will tickle your fancy. Go to the library and read some of their stuff and identify some areas of interest for you. Also try and find some questions that you would like to find out more about concerning their work.

Then email them and praise what you read. Mention you are hoping to do a postgrad in their field and tell them that reading their stuff has prompted you to think about certain ideas and pop your questions. Hoepfully this will get a email discussion going, from which you can ask for an appointment to discuss things further.

Ar said interview try and come prepared with ideas for a research project, but don't worry if you very vague. Tell them you would like their expert advice about how to go about it. This should get them suggesting things to you willy-nilly. believe me, academics always have four or five pet projects they want to do, but have no time for and will be more than happy to see a student do some of it for them.

Hopefully by this point you may have captured their interest enough for you to broach the question of the possiblity of their supervising you.

Once you have a supervisor in the bag, then do the applications. That way it should a sure fire deal.

A long-winded process I know, but it can pay off. I promise.

Good luck with everything.

But for heavens sake don't send your e-mail to a lecturer between now and the middle/end of June - they are all marking finals papers and no matter how keen you are you will seem like just one more PITA to be dealt with (or more probably ignored)...

I would contact Durham's postgraduate degrees office (or check their online information). There will probably be an application round for studentships and MAs, so it's helpful to know the deadlines; also some research grants might have come in. offering postgraduate studentships on specific projects. Also ask if you can do an MA or an MA (Res), i.e. an MA by research (which means that you would work more closely with your supervisor).
Are there any conferences advertised that would interest you? You can attend as a non-academic, and it is a great way to find out what the current debates are, as well as to meet people, get a feel for the atmosphere, style of a department, etc. Similarly, departmental semniars should be advertised, and you should be able to turn up on the day.
You will probably be asked to present an example of your work on the OU degree course, e.g. an essay or a report. This doesn't have to be directly related, it's to check your academic ability and your written presentation skills. Finally, you need referees - one or more of your OU tutors would be ideal.
Good luck!