Difficult to say until more info' becomes available.

The budget documents do confirm that loans can be taken on in addition to existing funding. Though that may beg a few questions itself.

Hi folks

Not sure if any of you spent your lunch-break watching the UK Budget announcement yesterday (I don't recommend it) but you may have heard that the Chancellor slipped in a little announcement about student loans for PhDs.

Very little info available so far, but we've put together a primer on what there is over at FindAPhD:

What do you guys think of this? Could be a pretty fundamental shift in the postgraduate research landscape.

Hi A_Neves

If you're very keen to return to the same programme, I'd at least get in touch with your former supervisor. You can explain your situation (or as much of it as you're comfortable with - you're not obliged to disclose a condition to your institution if you don't wish to) and explain your plans for resuming the project. If those are clear and well thought-out your supervisor may well be happy to re-accept you. If they aren't, you've not lost anything more than the time it takes to write an email?

Others may have more advice, but I'd certainly give getting back in touch a shot.

Mark

Thanks anyway EnglishNinja

Hopefully the advice will be useful to students in your situation once its put together. In the meantime, there are actually some very helpful threads on the forum - with supportive advice and perspective from the community here.

If you do decide you'd like to contribute anything in future, you're very welcome to get in touch with me.

Hi Westie

I'm sure others will have some helpful words for you, but I'll jump in right away and encourage you to keep your head up.

By the sounds of it you're actually doing really well on your Masters. It's natural to feel down about a poor result, but everyone gets them. The important thing is that your feedback has cleared up the how and the why. I had a poor result on a module for my Masters and found it really helpful to chat with my tutor about it - he said, quite rightly, that the degree was a learning experience and not to worry over one individual assessment.

I'd also suggest that other folks on your course may not actually be as serene as they appear. If you're feeling stressed, other students will seem calm in contrast, but you can't see inside their heads (unless your Masters is in Psychology, maybe...).

I guess you're gearing up for the dissertation stage of your programme now? That's a very different phase to the taught modules. You've got space to plan and reflect on a longer project. It's an important part of your degree, but, once you get into a good rhythm it can actually be quite a calm and methodical one.

And hey - if you've made it halfway, you're halfway there. That's an achievement already - regardless of one disappointing result.

I hope that helps a bit - sure others will also have advice and encouragement.

Mark

Hello again folks

Just to reiterate this invitation to contribute some experiences / tips to an article on PhD Study with a Disability over at FindAPhD.

The advice / guide component of the content is now more or less done, but I'd be very happy to take contributions from a few more students if anyone's interested. I think the kinds of tips / advice you guys can offer are very valuable.

I'm not looking for more than a paragraph or so on a few key topics. Feel free to PM me on here, or email me at mbennett[at]findauniversity.com.

Cheers!

Mark

Hi Nesrine

If the course provider is a reputable institution like Johns Hopkins it may be a worthwhile course. It's also not entirely uncommon for online training courses (or MOOCs) to charge for the award of a certificated qualification - the cost might be purely administrative.

I'd consider asking your current university (or your supervisor) if they think the content of the course in question looks worthwhile; how would *they* view an applicant who included it on their CV?

I'd also second Brmgdude's suggestions - there are other ways to boost your teaching CV in addition to formal 'adjunct' teaching. You could perhaps try seeing if there's a mentoring scheme for UG or PGT students at your university? My institution encourages PGR students to help mentor PGT dissertations, for example.

Hope that helps a bit!

Mark

Hi Ntinos

It's really going to depend on your career goals. A Masters can help in some career paths, but it won't automatically make you more employable or compensate for a lower undergraduate result.

It's possible that some work experience might help you gain admission to a Masters programme - but it would have to be relevant to the subject you intend to study.

Hi Ntinos

The best way to answer your question will be to contact universities and ask about their entry requirements.

Your undergraduate degree is in a science subject, but you may need to demonstrate that you have the relevant experience / understanding to move into a different branch of the sciences at postgraduate level.

A 3rd class degree won't necessarily prevent you from studying a Masters, but it may limit your options. As a general rule universities look for a 2.1 / 2.2 or higher for admission to postgraduate programmes. Some may be more flexible than this - it will depend how competitive your programme is.

I would find some courses you're interested in and get in touch with admissions tutors to discuss their criteria and your circumstances.

Hope that helps!

Mark

Hi Bettyboo91

It'll ultimately be down to the university you apply to. Low grades won't necessarily prevent you continuing to a PhD, provided you have relevant qualifications at BA and MA level. Obviously, the core focus of a PhD is research so if your MA thesis was particularly strong that will be in your favour - particularly if you put in a strong proposal for your PhD project.

You may be in a weaker position when it comes to competing for funding, however.

I'd begin a discussion with admissions tutors / prospective supervisors and see what they say.

Hope that helps a bit!

Mark

Hi Chen

A PhD is a PhD, funded or not - don't worry!

A funded PhD will usually be set up by the university in question as part of an ongoing research initiative in that subject area. The department / lab / supervisor will have some funding available to support a certain number of students and will be seeking applications to find the best candidates.

Because these are set projects (the money is there to support work on a specific topic) you won't submit your own research proposal in the same way. Instead, you'll need to show that you're the right candidate for that particular project.

Funded projects are more common in some subject areas than others - Arts and Humanities students, for example, normally write their own proposals. This doesn't mean they can't be funded if the university has money available, but in these cases studentships are usually just offered to the 'best' students, not tied to specific projects.

I hope that helps a bit?

Best

Mark

Hi Raindance

Course content will vary a bit between individual programmes, but I imagine a Masters in education would include some combination of formal training (in classes or workshops) with practical training and placements.

The exact balance will probably depend on whether the programme is a professional qualification (allowing you to work as a teacher in the US education system) or a more academic programme, focussing on pedagogical theory and practice.

There's a general guide to studying a Masters in the USA over at FindAMasters.com:

Another good source of advice is the Fulbright commission - they help international postgraduates looking to study in the US:
Perhaps others will be able to give you more specific advice on American education programmes.

Hope that helps and best of luck!

Mark

There are a few unfortunate limitations to the proposed scheme - the age cap, for one. The NUS are lobbying for improvements to these areas.

It's possible that some MSc(Res) and MA(Res) programmes might become eligible; the HEFCE Postgraduate Support Scheme (which precedes the loans this year) does cover MRes programmes... provided they're classified as taught courses by the university in question.

Hi Bosdami

In the UK, tuition fees depend partly on student nationality. As a rule, citizens of the UK and the EU pay a 'domestic' rate, whilst those from other countries pay an 'international' rate. If you qualified for the domestic rate as an undergraduate you'd likely be eligible for a loan. Don't worry about this though - if you are, as you say, a UK citizen, you should be entitled to the same financial support as other UK citizens.

I'm afraid I can't provide any more information than that at present, but we'll be keeping the guide on FindAMasters.com updated as further details emerge.

Thanks

Mark

Hi Awsoci

In my experience it's definitely worth contacting journals if you're interested in doing some reviewing. Many will actually have a specific reviews editor and their contact details will often be published in the journal itself (or on its website).

I'd send a short email, politely indicating your interest and giving a quick summary of your research specialism. Most likely they'll be very happy to hear from you.

You might also consider getting in touch with academic websites associated with societies or blogging networks - these often carry reviews too.

Hope that helps!

Mark