Try the Association of Commonwealth Universities who may be able to help.

Without your own funding it is very difficult to find a PhD place. Try the Association of Commonwealth Universities for advice on where to apply for funding. The awards grants for study in the USA.

Below is a simple example, which when combined with a good CV should be more than enough to get you an interview. Other than the quick summary suggested in the first paragraph you don't need to repeat the information on your CV. By all means say you enjoyed your final year project, but don't describe every experiment. Don't imply that you want to do it because you can't think of what else to do (it may be one of the most common reasons for doing a PhD, but no one wants to hear it) or that you'd really like to stay in/move to that particular city.



Dear Dr XXXX

I am writing to apply for your PhD studentship (XXXXXX), which I saw advertised on FindAPhD.com. I am currently a final year undergraduate at XXXXXX university and expect to graduate in July with a DEGREE AND GRADE in parasitology.



I would like to pursue a career in research because ..............……



Your PhD project is of interest to me because ..............



I look forward to hearing from you soon



Yours sincerely



XXX

The Fulbright Commision will give you information on scholarships available for study in the USA. Visit exchanges.state.gov/education/fulbright/list.htm to find the Fulbright web site for your home country.

Some of these may be of use:

www.fulbright-india.org/

www.fulbright.de/index.shtml

www.fulbright.co.uk

You should find an alternative referee for this aplication. You should not need to send references with your application - supervisors will request them directly from your referees if they are interested in you.

It is possible to study in the UK. As an EU national you will qualify for 'fees only' funding for most UK studentships. Some places may also offer a maintenance grant. Look on this site for projects marked by a European flag - not all of these will be able to offer you a full grant, but it is worth enquiring.

If you have to turn down people they will understand. The important thing to remember is to let them know as quickly as possible, so that they can find another student.

Sadly, Isle of Man students are not eligible for support from the UK research councils, nor for UK student loans. A guide to funding for Isle of Man students can be found at The Isle of Man College web site. If you haven't already informed your new supervisor of your funding problems you should do so ASAP, they may be aware of internal scholarships available to EU students.

You may have thought of this question a little late. It's a very good question to ask at your interview. PhD's can lead to a number of subject specific careers, including some you may not have thought of. The people in your new lab/department will be full of cynical career options, but there'll be some realistic ones there too.

It may be possible if you have other knowledge to bring to the project. A psychology project related to public health and nutrition would probably be your best bet. You'll need to be able to show in your application that you have the determination, interest and self discipline to teach yourself the basics of psychology.

A PhD usually involves only one examination which is the viva at the end. The viva is an oral examination covering the research the student has carried out. It is a misconception that a PhD is about studying - whilst a lot of study is certainly involved, the study is only necessary to facilitate the research, which is what will be examined.


If you want to do your PhD by distance learning you will need to be involved in a research project in your own country. This project would need to have strong links to a UK university for it to be recognised by them as appropriate for a PhD. A first step may be to try and find such a research position in your home country. For better informed advice try the Open University's International Centre for Distance Learning.

A part time PhD in the UK is usually undertaken by employees of the university who work as researchers. Because these people are employed as research assistants or technicians all their work can count towards their PhD and they are in reality just full time PhD students who pay tax. People with family or other work commitments may also register for a PhD part time, but grants are very hard to come by, so these people tend to be self funded. Laboratory research is not always conducive to part time commitment, many life science researchers find themselves having to visit the lab for short periods at weekends or at odd times of the night.

A PhD usually involves only one examination which is the viva at the end. The viva is an oral examination covering the research the student has carried out. It is a misconception that a PhD is about studying - whilst a lot of study is certainly involved, the study is only necessary to facilitate the research, which is what will be examined.

A PhD by distance learning is a posibility, but the criteria are very strict. You will need to be involved in an approved research project in your home country, which probably has strong links to the institution in which you'd like to study. The Open University International Centre for Distance Learning may be a good place to start your search.

Your best option for getting some sort of funding to do medicine as a second degree is to get on one of the new Fast Track medical degrees. Otherwise you may only qualify for further student loans. A quick search of google found this page on the University of Sheffield web site. The UCAS application deadline for medical degrees is October 15th, so you'll need to make your decision.

Once you have clicked on the link in the message below, select RESULTS. You then can view the RAE ratings by institution or by subject. Alternatively you can download a summary of the RAE in an MS Excel spreadsheet.


Departments are submitted to the RAE in subject groupings. Sometimes universities will group departments together to get one overall rating for a particular subject area. It may be tricky to work out which departments are included in these groupings in the summarised results, but if you're bright enough to do a PhD you should be able to work it out.


Most departments, particularly those who are rated 5 or 5*, will show their RAE rating on their web site.