Hi guys, I'm starting a funded PhD in a couple weeks and was wondering if anyone here had done or is currently studying for one with UCL in a science. The whole interview process was fairly relaxed and felt quite divorced from the university itself but outside of the exchanges with my supervisor who has been on leave (and whom I didn't want to bug with all my questions!) I know very little about what's going to happen.

I'm sure I'll find out soon enough but it'd be lovely to hear from people who have been through this as one of the terms thrown at me was that the PhD is "unusually structured" (in the sense that it is more structured than normal). I'm not sure if I should expect constant supervision or a string of seminars and lectures etc. What involvement might I be able to have in teaching, getting published works, training courses, going to conferences and so forth!

If by any chance anyone's completed a PGCE I'd love to hear if a PhD ranks as easier or harder!