Anybody else starting a PhD this autumn?

[bodleianredux]

I'm restarting my PhD 15 years after my first shot at it (dropped out due to severe illness rapidly followed by pregnancy). I'm BESIDE myself with delight at getting a second go at it, and maybe even a second go at a whole career. (Because you know, academia is just crying out for middle aged ECRs in the humanities 😳).

Anybody else starting one this year?

just started one! Older than you by the sound of it and it’s bloody terrifying but at the same time great fun

That’s great! I’m particularly nervous about having to read intelligently and retain information again after all this time - how are you finding that aspect?

Meeeeee!!!! I'm in shock! All happened quite quickly. I'm going to be so poor!

Same - I had initially applied for something with funding, but was pipped to the post by somebody (wildly!) more qualified than me, but then an unfunded opportunity came up and I decided to grab it because the supervisor and the topic are both fantastic. I can keep my freelance work going on the side, but it's going to be a tight three years. I'm getting a government loan too.

Oh, how exciting. I'm gonna get a 'How to do a PhD' book. But mainly focused on admin transition (offer letter, work Resignationn eeeek etc). I am very lucky it's funded (18,600) but obviously that's less that my current pay.
Are you going to an institution you're familiar with? A good supervisor is so important - glad you found a good un. I'm not sure about mine!

I've applied but really really late, just waiting to hear...

My institution is in a different city, but I will only have to go there maybe twice a month and there's an easy-ish train. I actually don't know the city at all!

By coincidence it was somewhere I was very romantic about doing my PhD in when I was an undergrad - it's a "normal" top 10 RG uni, but has a couple of very famous people in this department (not the field I'm doing at all now though!) so I was always quite keen to go here. I hope it lives up to my teenaged dreams now!

Well done getting funding @RadioFoot and best of luck @Rainyrunner - I hope you find out soon!

I'm starting a full-time PhD in October and like @RadioFoot, its all happened very quickly. I haven't had my funding paperwork through yet, but I'm getting used to the idea of being a full-time student again at 42!