I totally get you dude. I would be PISSED. However I always say "A setback is a setup for a comeback." Use your time wisely, ignore the emotional deflation and continue to sharpen your mind. There may be something you missed or did not notice until now. Your day will come. Timetables can be re-shuffled. Scan the job market too.

My 2c.

Agreed with everything said here. However, unfortunately it seems that aspiring academics being encouraged to simply produce quality research for its own benefit. Of the undergrads and post-grads you will end up teaching, I think you should have more to offer than your last publication as most of them wont end up in the academy, hence (my humble) opinion that the more rounded you are, the more value you bring to the teaching component of your career, even at a Russel Group institution.

To be fair however, as a lecturer there is ample opportunity to flirt with industry through consulting.

But like Incog said, what you personally think, and what search committees value more highly may be quite different.

I'm just starting my PhD however I have worked in the development field with consulting firms, government agencies, and UN organizations. I can tell you from an academic perspective it will give you a better optic on your field as you will see the inner workings "from the other side"...i.e. the implementation / operational side of policy. Not to mention all the other intangible skills you will pick up working in the office environment. You will be a better academic for it. In my field, its painfully obvious which academics have not worked a day in industry and it is to their determent.

99% of the time I would have said, go for Uni A for all the good reasons you pointed out and I would have advised you that getting a difficult supervisor could be character building and teaching you about getting along with others in a professional setting.

HOWEVER, you said and I quote "I didn't really like ..... the topic of study". You might as well hammer your toes for 3 years for fun. A PhD in my humble opinion is part labor of love. Absent that passion and you are setting up for severe disappointment regardless of the money and perks being thrown at you.

Secure funding for a juicy PhD you really can throw yourself into. Forget Uni A.

LOL I have settled with 3 options:

1: Torturing family and friends....I can usually get 2.5 sentences into my research before their eyes glaze over. Its quite hilarious.

2: Listen to other candidates go on about their research. Its a welcome distraction, and keeps my mind "agile". Some ideas actually come to me form listening to others rant.

3: This is the most popular one. I have settled with talking to myself out loud while doing chores or sitting in traffic. Surprisingly satisfying.

Keep up the good work and the audiences will come. Heck people will pay good money to come in and listen to you rant :P

Agreed, and I can certainly imagine that being more the case in the biomedical field as you cited, where results are absolute and speak for themselves and "poorly conceived proposals" are more likely to result in "useless results" that add no value to the field. That being said I always leave room for the rare unfunded genius :P

All things being equal, just maybe. Others have voiced that the issue hardly, if ever comes up post viva or in academic job interviews. Sure it can be a consideration, however quality peer reviewed publications, teaching experience, citations, administrative experience and many other variables will tilt the scales much more heavily in your favor over a fully funded candidate without these accomplishments.

You are most welcome HazyJane, I'm also appreciating the information on thesiswhisperer, good find, thank you!

I am sure others will chime in with books and other resources in line with the more generic advice about successfully completing a PhD.

However this blog I am going to recommend is STELLAR for little tid bits that will make your life easier. For example, her blog post about writing up your Literature Review is the best I have seen and is already making my life easier. If you are an aspiring academic, all the better because this chick is also a professor and a mom. So tons of advice here, do yourself a favor and comb through her entire blog.

Oh and good luck!

BLOG: http://getalifephd.blogspot.com/

Thanks a million for all of the input folks, I will definitely try for a dedicated study space when choosing a home.

P.S. The wife is all for the small study :P

Thanks TreeofLife, i'm in social sciences, so no lab work here :P just statistics at worst

Easy enough question, all opinions welcome. Sorting out lodging, it will be an off-campus family home for baby, wife and I. Basically is a 3 bedroom worth it so I can have a dedicated study?

I will be walking / riding distance from the Uni, and I am sure I will have some kind of work space there. I'm thinking that if I am spending even 50% of research time at home, it may be worth my own space.

Thanks in advance.

Yes listen to those guys. I tend to be an A hole :P

BTW, in North American culture, an unanswered email after just 1 week tends to be perceived as discourteous, especially in a professional setting (which I consider a PhD candidature to be). It appears I may have to readjust my expectations of UK supervisors before I start in a few weeks.

1: Hello :)

2: The fact that your supervisor said that you should be prepared for significant revisions tells me he has accepted what has happened and is on the road to getting over it.

3: Sometimes a tactful yet firm and honest exchange is necessary. It usually wakes people up from their lack of efficiency when you hold them accountable. I know it may be hard especially for younger candidates to cross the student / teacher threshold, however supervisors need to be reminded they are dealing with adults and their livelihoods.

I would honestly break it down for him, explain to him why you submitted, and for future reference, exactly how many months should you wait for a reply before going it on your own. Well not that cheekily, but you get my point.

4: If all else fails, pat him gently on the shoulder and recite with a smile: "The best part about all of this is that you will get over it."

Not sure I am convinced about the "If it's free, its always better" argument. Its just the easiest way. If you can fund yourself with minimal to moderate stress go to the RGU IF and only IF it has the better department or supervisory team. I believe that the "graduate prospects" section on the ranking sites are there for a reason. Sure its not any type of guarantee, however I do believe unis are ranked for relatively valid reasons, one of these being the quality of research being produced (in the aggregate).