Also i suppose there is the benefit it brings from a university point of view in that your student is vetted by the masters before they begin there PhD.

I certainly believe that a student who has done a masters will be more prepared for the level of work and the step up it takes to do a PhD then perhaps a recent undergraduate.

though this is only my personal opinion and a great student is a great student what ever level they start at.

Regards Wolfe

Hi all,

Just thought i'd post a question to hear what some people think of DTC's

Now this may be only applicable to my area (Sciences) but what do people think about the, i'am guessing relatively new approach of doctoral trainging centres, compared with the normal 3 year named PhD or Research propoasal approach.

After going to an open day for one based on the life sciences i can certainly see the benefit they can bring. Generally they are a 4 year course split with 1 year MSc and 3 year PhD, with a high focus on developing skills needed for the PhD. Not to mention you also have the chance to bring work from your MSc and follow it on towards the PhD.

I'am sorry if it is a vague question but i wonder what people think is the best if any approach to doing a PhD :)

Regards Mike F

To be Fair Birmingham still is a very good university and area to live in and i don't relish your position with having to choose.

As mentioned before it is 3-4 years of your life on a topic you will no doubt have to be interested in in order to go the distance. If you are hard working and ambitious and want to carve out a career for yourself in Physics then it will be down to you and you alone.

If you feel that Cambridge will provide the environment, support and follow through to let you complete you PhD regardless of topic and supervisor and 'you' feel it is worth the risk then take it.

If you feel you can make it without the 'prestige' of cambridge by going to Birmingham which is still a good university and feel you will enjoy the topic more then go for that one :).

Good luck regardless.

Regards Mike F

cont'd

Even though most applications ask for a signed and sealed envelope for references, i've never had a problem just sending an open photo copied example with the application. This also goes with those obtuse and obscure reference forms which seem to force your supervisor to score you from 1-10 on academic ability to looks ;).

The last part is only a personal opinion so the risk goes with you but i've never had a problem with it.

Regards Mike F

I would agree with the statement that Referees are a very important part of an application, i know that some can sound generic and some can be more revealing but a good reference will put you in good stead during the process.

First off you should not be getting a 'bad' reference as such, i.e 'This student is rubbish and i wouldn't recommend him'. If the referee feels he/she won't be able to give you a good reference then they should say so.

Second though from my own experience in the long winded approach to applications, try and obtain a hard copy of each of your two academic references. Though these should be on official paper and signed.

This way you won't be bouncing back and forth between your referees asking for more copies as it can be a time consuming process if you are unlucky and are waiting for them to mail you another fresh batch.

Get in the Door first, worry about the rest afterwards ;)

Regards Wolfe

Sorry to hear you've been unlucky so far, how willing are you to locate elsewhere other then Scotland?

As much as i'd like to stay in Bristol i would move to another city in a heartbeat if it meant getting the right PhD.

Regards Wolfe

My Brother did a Msc at Bristol though it was in the geographical sciences so i can't say much about the anatomy department, however i will say the University is situated in the heart of the city in a nice area all along park street.

I wish you the best of luck.

Regards Mike F

I don't think it's fair to say there aren't many computer science PhD offes around, but considering the the variation in the field perhpas means finding one specific to say evolutionary computation can be harder.

I've also been searching for studentships however as i'am focusing on mixing both my biological background and computer science background i've been lucky in that there seem to be more opportunities arising.

Have a look at some of the 4-year Complexity science studentships, even though the first year is a masters it should allow you to develop a research topic suited to what you want to do in your final PhD.

What is your background in?, Bachelors or Masters degree?

I wish you luck, applying can be frustrating at times but the end goal is ultimately more fulfilling :)

Regards Mike F