That sounds weird. Why did they reject your before an interview but say you were the first choice? I would ask what happened and why you got rejected. There might be a simple explanation but it would definitely be interesting.

I would not assume the visit would be payed for unless they specifically say so. If you can't afford to travel, say so and they understand. They will just set up a video call and you talk that way.

You don't need to rewrite your proposal to fit a new supervisor. Just find a supervisor who is somewhat interested in your work and ask them to be a supervisor. The second supervisor could be a supervisor in name only, so that you can fill the requirements.

Hi idemo,

I am sorry to hear you failed and offer my sympathies. Difficult examiners are awful and I don't know why your supervisors let them him barge his way onto your committee like that.

I am assuming that you failed your oral viva at an American university. While not an expert in the American system, did they not give you reasons to why they failed you? Like can you not work on amending the thesis to address their concerns or have they vague general statements. As doing corrections might faster than the legal process.

No one cares what uni you went to if you can show results and can conduct good research. Yes there is some snobbery but academia is somewhat of a meritocracy. So if you actively commit yourself to research and show potential you will still be considered for more prestigious jobs/universities.

I think it heavily depends on the field. Research councils nearly exclusively fund UK/EU citizens. However as PhoenixFuture said interanl funding is usually opne to international students. Also external research funding bodies such as Wellcome, Trust, Leverhulme, Marie Curie, Charities etc allow international students, which could be an option

Hi, sorry about the delay. Yes you can have supervisors from other universities. At my uni, you have to have 2 internal supervisors and no more than 5 with no other limits on external supervisors. I know someone who has 2 external supervisors (5 total) as part of a large collaboration with another uni. Though your second supervisor does not need to be an expert in your exact topic but could be in the same field or even just help you with a specific methodology.

Your supervisors will not be happy but there is very little they can do about it. The funding and the PhD enrollment are separate, so your PhD position is not dependent on EPRSC funding. Going part time will probably stop the EPRSC funding but they can't kick you from the PhD unless you fail something.

Though, I am assuming that you are an experimental PhD student and if you go into full-time employment will you have the time to do the necessary experiments. It will be hard to manage lab commitments and work commitments which is ambitious.

I am on 14.5k in Manchester and living okay. You aren't rich but the bursary being tax free massively helps. You can also do teaching assistance which can boost your wage during term time.

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Contact the postgraduate admissions department. They will make sure the application process is done properly and arrange an official meeting.

That sounds like my second PhD supervisor! I think the second supervisor roles varies drastically depending on circumstances, nearly as much as the main supervisor role. It all depends how much you need them, how interested they are or if they are just a placeholder etc. There is no way to predict the relationship beforehand but you could try and set your expectations early in the process. Ie meet at least once every 1-3 months, they are going to help with certain things. The more involved they are at the start the better.

I wouldn't try and guess what they are thinking/doing? I know it is hard but there is nothing you can do at the minute.

A multitude of things can hold up the final decision and you have no idea knowing which. Such as finalizing funding, waiting to interview everyone, filling in paperwork etc. I got a formal offer 3 weeks after my interview, they had made the decision a couple of days after my interview but waited for all the paperwork to be completed. Until they contact you don't know and shouldn't be paranoid. You sound confident and qualified, so I hope you get it.

What is the research question you are trying to answer? I think it is a bad idea to choose your topics and methodologies before deciding what you want to answer. You have done lots of reading, so think what do you not know that you want to know? Or start with a hypothesis and try to prove/disprove it. I hope that helps you get started.

I don't think there is any stigma attached to self-funding. How can you tell whether someone is self-funding or not? Yes it is great if you have funding but no-one really cares, in my field at least (engineering)



That sounds odd to me as a lot of universities I know want students to do more teaching support. You might want to query this with your potential supervisors. They might know a work around or let you do marking contracts.




Have you had a serious conversation with your potential supervisors about funding? As I don't want to dash your hopes but you might get funding for your second year. What then? Like is your research in a hot topic, priority area or a dead zone? As funding is highly competitive, you should have an idea where you can apply and what are their research objectives. Your potential supervisors might be able to guide you but don't assume that you will get funding.

Otherwise, good luck! This is a friendly forum and we can help as best we can if you have any other questions.

You can still talk about your previous research experience even if it isn't relevant. There are a lot of fundamental research skills that are transferable across fields. You can talk your original idea, how you developed it, how it fit into a wider context (lit review), what you, how you analysed the data, was it successful, what you would have done differently. The method on how you tackle your research question can be very insightful.

You mention that the topic is fairly new to you, then do some cramming. They aren't expecting you to be an expert but you should have some insights and be able to talk about areas/topics that interest you. If they challenge you in the interview about the topic, be honest and say you don't know. They can smell BS a mile away and respect you if you are honest about your limitations.

Goodluck!