I'm 'de-lurking' as I have finally bagged a funded Phd place with the OU. The wheel has come full circle - they were the first place I considered when finishing my degree. I couldn't get in without an MRes so I applied to just about everywhere in a realistic radius from home (can't move, old married guy with kids), had rejections, interviews ranging from positive through bizarre to terrifying, days when I gave up and aplied to call centres for work before gambling on paying my way through an MRes. Finally this year a great interview back at the OU. They accepted me and put me in for ESRC funding in the competition and -oh joy - if the ESRC doesn't stump up I get a faculty scholarship.

The moral of this story is don't give up. I found getting interviews much easier with my degree completed and progress on a masters. The MRes allowed me to demonstrate a much greater understanding of research strategies and methods on applications and all that interview practice was invaluable. You can learn a lot from the ones that go badly - once you stop kicking the dog that is!

Now the fun begins...

Thanks folks - I'm leaning more to the Mres then even if I get a 2:1

Thank you, this is useful. A supplementary question, especially for camper6 is this. Suppose I take that MRes (I have an offer of a place) but still can't get onto a PhD - is an MRes any use for anything else employment wise? - or were all the people on yours intending to take a PhD? Right now, I'm applying for jobs as well - can't get onto a graduate training scheme as I'm too old/have a family and can't get much else as I'm 'overqualified' (OK< I have managed to secure a call centre job but that I imagine it'll kill me after 6 months).


Thanks again, Charlie

Hi, I'm going to graduate this summer and think I'll miss out a 1st by a fraction (B++ average on the modules that wil be used to class my degree). I've applied and been interviewed for 1+3 ESRC places in psychology/sociology departments and have been told by each one that my interview was excellent, my proposal really interesting but they prefered to give the place to a candidate with a 1st already in the bag - which makes me furious as if they'd decided that criterion in advance then why even invite me, get my hopes up, waste my money etc..

Consequently, I'm thinking about doing an MRes or similar ESRC approved masters and applying for +3 places. Will it be though that the lack of a 1st will doom me, however well I do on the masters? At 40 years old with a family, I both need funding and need to think long and hard before I blow another tranche of savings on possibly worthless education...

Any advice/opinion welcome.

Hi, have just been called for interview for a PhD in Psychology at Goldsmiths. Does anyone have any idea what I can expect there - formal? Informal?. The letter makes no mention of presentation requirements and the time is 12:30 so I'm thinking fairly short unless they work through lunch!

Thanks