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Firstly, congrats on getting a fully funded PhD :) Secondly, as you havn't even started yet, you havn't been paid anything right? perhaps you could wait until a few installments come in before thinking about a new car? (unless of course you are not living close to the uni and need transport asap, in which case this advice is completely useless!! :P). I wouldn't worry too much, I can only afford an old vespa (4th hand, ebay!), which won't start unless you literally leap up and down on the kick start hehe! Though I would reccommmed a two-wheeled vehicle if you're on a budget, soooo cheap to run petrol wise, only 15 quid tax a year, and free parking! oh, and you can sneak past all the traffic and be hated by everyone else on the road 8-). Good luck with your studies and vehicle purchase!

Hi everyone i want to pursue a PhD in Biological sciences and looking out for 2012 intake.I am not financially well off,so looking out for some scholarships.But i dont know if anyone could offer me a scholarship since I am an average scorer.I am a very nice girl don't know how to proceed could anyone help??:-(

Hi everyone i want to pursue a PhD in Biological sciences and looking out for 2012 intake.I am not financially well off,so looking out for some scholarships.But i dont know if anyone could offer me a scholarship since I am an average scorer.I am a very nice girl don't know how to proceed could anyone help??:-(

I'm starting mine in a few weeks and I've just sorted a new house and I'm having my car serviced tomorrow! I have been making a living as a musician and stand-up comic for sometime now tho, so it's good to have that as another source of income aside from the PhD funding which I literally thank God for everyday! But yeah, we haven't been paid yet. the key to staying positive is to try not to spend that stipend before you get it and also to maybe think about getting something else near the uni that pays well but isn't that much of a pain- im lucky to have music and comedy but a bit of barwork or something might help?

Just a thought. OBV, it has to be something non-committal!!

Twanky

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Did anyone here see that episode of Come Dine With Me with the "molecular gastronomer" who was a Chemistry PhD student by day? There was a joke in the voiceover about him being a "lazy student" and this was probably the only thing Dave Lamb has ever said that I didn't find even slightly amusing ;-)

Hey GSM, I totally get your frustration. Being a PhD student can be tricky as a lot of organisations aren't sure whether you're officially 'student' or 'staff', which can get more complicated if you take on other university duties as well. I've just finished my PhD and even now things aren't straightforward. I'm moving away for a post-doc in a few weeks so have been looking at properties for rent (my fiance is coming with me). I've always found it quite easy with student accommodation because if you give them a deposit, basically the place is yours (at least where I live, anyway!). But now I'm not a student it's actually got tougher- there are so many checks you have to go through before you can even rent somewhere. Even though my new job is a post-doc, so quite a good wage (@30k), we were told that any applications for accommodation we made would be rejected because my fiance doesn't yet have a job lined up in the new location. So even though my wage is more than sufficient to pay for all of the rent several times over, we have had to pay 6 months rent upfront to prove that we can afford it. Luckily we have enough savings to do that, but if we didn't we'd be really struggling to secure a rental property at all. I think with the financial situation as it is at the moment, organisations are being very cautious about putting their trust in people as far as paying money goes. I'm sure it is worse for students, but I'm not sure it even ends there :( I can sort of understand why it's so hard, but it's very frustrating. Best, KB

Don't get me wrong...I am ecstatic about my undergraduate degree too! I'm currently looking for a PhD as well. And that silver platter? Depends what you actually want from life...but maybe a ferrari is a bit farfetched ;) x

Sorry to add a warning bell here, but a lot of people who have completed their PhDs are currently struggling to find academic jobs afterwards. Or any jobs! So be prepared that things may not go to plan, even after you have finished your PhD.

To be honest, when i was looking for a car i wasn't considering a new one either - but when it came down to it, the only way i could get a car was to pay in the region of £200 a month for a Toyota - they have their own finance arm which i guess is why they can set their own rules. I could have got a used car from them, but that was going to be in the region of £180 a month, plus a bigger deposit and the risk that the car might break down while i'm still studying and i would have to pay to fix it myself. As my new car has 5years warranty, 3 years servicing, and no MOTs for 3 years I basically don't have to pay any extras apart from petrol, tax (£0 in year 1 and only £30 this year) and insurance. Anyways, it was just a suggestion.

And although there are times when it's a bit crappy to still be considered a student there are also some advantages... for example, no liability for council tax, a young person's rail card even when you're over the age of 26 and the NUS discount to name but a few.

A lot of my friends who work in the city and are earning big sums of cash can't understand why I want to be a student living on £13 grand a year. The fact is, i'm not in it for the money, it's a great lifestyle :-) Yes there are times it's stressful, but the good days vastly outweigh the bad. I may not have huge amounts of disposable income, and i may have to live with someone who drives me insane as i can't afford the rent by myself, but in the long run it'll be worth it.

For me, the worst thing about being a student getting paid quarterly - for the most part i have enough money, but in terms when i can't teach i find myself living off baked beans at the end of the quarter :-) I have 2 kittens (sooo cute, and well worth the expense as they keep me relatively sane) but they definitely eat better than i do for the majority of the year.

If you're after big financial rewards, then doing a PhD might not be for you..... or find someone rich to support you. Although i am staunchly a feminist there has been the odd occasion when I wish that I had a rich boyfriend to take me out for a nice dinner and drinks....