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Just got the comments on my second year review meeting with internal assessors back...

Despite being told I was doing fine for my PhD during the meeting, and my supervisors constantly telling me I'm doing fine, the comments say: "At the moment there are perhaps not enough results for a PhD thesis.." and "the remainder of this year of her PhD is crucial for ensuring that she has sufficient discoveries to write about in her thesis".

Well what I am supposed to do?? I can't force my experiments to work!

They acknowledge I'm putting the effort in and taking the correct steps to get results, but still, I don't like these comments at all! Kind of worrying!

My counter comments will make it clear that I don't agree with their conclusions, since if I leave these comments as they are it might make it easier for them in the future to say I don't have enough results for a PhD, and have to downgrade to MPhil or something.

Guess I better get on with some work then!

If you keep 'evidence' of your abilities and progress then they won't have any grounds for complaint. Keep documents about publications, conferences, seminars, meetings, results - anything that states your case that you are a good PhD student and deserve to be where you are.

Can we have a 'like' button? That would be nice :)

I've been thinking about doing this recently.

I know you need a supporting lab as well for the application, so I was thinking along the lines of applying for funds jointly with my supervisors.

Does anyone know of people who have finished a PhD and then successfully applied for a grant to continue their own research?

A gap between degree and PhD isn't necessarily a deal breaker, it will depend (as always) on whether they like you enough during the interview to give you the PhD.

I know of someone who has been in this position. She just got told to change direction slightly and then got an extra 6 months of funding. I think it will all work out in the end because your university wants to you complete and graduate.

I think you will find you are overdressed if you wear a suit.

Probably depends on the field though. Biology is very casual.

In the interview for my PhD, they had already contacted my referees prior to the interview so I think it depends on the organisation/job.

Many PhD positions are advertised around March/April for an October start.

That's when I got mine anyway and I noticed a little peak in advertisements then, maybe due to Easter break when PIs have time to write them or something!

Don't start a PhD without funding as it can be hard to get in retrospect.

Well done! Let us know the outcome :)

Fled, I like your post. Honestly is sometimes brutal but necessary.

I think anything from 4 - 8 weeks is normal.

Hello,

I took a 5 year gap between my Biology MSc and PhD. I changed fields slightly as well so I also felt as if I knew nothing when I returned, but then I realised that everyone else felt this way too! It's probably a bit different with maths but if you put the effort in you can definitely catch up.

You don't need to do another MSc. Just find PhD positions that you are interested in and read around the subject to familiarize yourself again. If you get an interview, explain how what you've been doing during the gap years will enable you to be a good PhD student.

Please check findaphd.com for suitable PhDs that fund international students.

Please note you may be at a disadvantage with a 2.2 and a pass MSc.

Thanks