What field are you in? If it's science, you usually just apply to funded projects, and the university does matter. You should aim for at least a Redbrick. It doesn't really matter about location, you need to narrow the choice down somehow anyway.

I don't take money for proof reading for my friends either but some other people in my lab do and that's up to them. I don't think it's anyone's place to comment on the actions of others regarding proofreading payments.

It sounds like you are underestimating yourself. If your supervisor thinks you are good enough to do a PhD you probably are. Now you just need to decide whether you want to do one or not. And we all feel like we know nothing, and that feeling is often exacerbated when doing a PhD, so be prepared for that.

I will usually attend meetings at whatever time they ask, but if I see them starting an email chain about a day I can't do, I just stop them right away and suggest another date. They don't mind I can't make the meetings on the day they choose anyway.

Well done Marasp! Your hard work paid off!

Or maybe it's because your funding and visa will run out and they wanted to ensure you would finish before then, knowing that UK students can often get funding from parents or partner to finish?

All the international students I know are encouraged to submit by 3.5 years so that they should have 6 months of extra funding whilst waiting for viva and corrections. Actually UK students are too, but most don't, and then end up working for an extra year without funding. This is not discrimination. This is sensible planning on the supervisors' part for the international students.

And honestly speaking, 9/13 students in my lab are international students, and some of these people are my closest friends, but they are not competitors to me... they are not even close.

Obviously supervisors take on international students for the money, and maybe they are due it, because most are a lot of extra work in comparison to UK students. For instance, I have spent 6 hours working on a Sunday when I really didn't want to be working today, and 3 of those hours were spent reviewing a thesis introduction for one of my international friends. It probably would have taken me an hour if it was a British student.

Someone in my lab didn't get on with our supervisors and did just that - they didn't bother giving them anything. I don't think it matters either way, if they had given them something, they would have know it was disingenuous anyway

I think most professors like to pursue their own agendas, so in many cases you are better just applying to an advertised project and keeping your ideas to yourself...

Love how my supervisor has already retweeted that haha!

So they haven't agreed to supervise your project yet? I assume they have no reason to talk to you then. You will have to just apply to the school and see if you get accepted.

I heard google is a great tool for searching for papers.