======= Date Modified 14 Nov 2008 13:54:44 =======
i have ended up buying a few of the books that i need just so that i don't have to carry them round all the time - when i'm at home i use my copy, and when i'm at uni i use their library copy. not ideal, but better than backache!



as for journals, my uni has a VPN (virtual private network) that you can install onto your home computer, and this basically means that you can login to and access your university network from home. therefore you can access subscriptions to journals etc as if you were using a university computer. it also means you can get full access to all your own files that you have stored on your uni network. i use this to backup my files onto the uni server from my home computer. i think it allows you access to some software that the uni has installed too, although i never use this so not too sure!!



my uni library also has an ordering service, whereby if you need a journal article that you can't access online, it can order a copy for you and either send it by post or email it to you as a pdf. this only costs a few quid so is well worth it, especially if it saves you going all the way into uni just for one article! so i would definitely look into all the things your uni can offer to make life easier for you.



i also got my supervisors to email me all the lecture notes from any relevant courses, so that if i can't go to all the lectures they recommend, i can still go through the notes myself. this can also help you decide whether or not it is worth going all that way for the lectures in the first place!

i also got BBSRC funding with a 2:1, so it is not impossible! it can depend on the competitiveness of your subject though, as very competitive areas can afford to only accept people who got a first. i would say it differs from uni to uni and department to department, so keep looking!

Hi, I'm in a similar situation, as i am also based away from university (although a little closer than you are, with a 1.5-2hr commute). the thing i find most difficult is fitting into the department during my once-a-week visit. the other students have a closer relationship with our supervisor, as they see her every day, whereas i mostly communicate via email, and when i do see her i keep having to explain all the things i've been doing over and over and remind her what my topic is! i also don't really feel a part of the dept, as they have not even bothered to sort me out a desk for when i am there, so i end up taking my laptop and working in the library, which kind of defeats the object of going in! i also feel a bit isolated as i have no real friends in the dept, and cannot socialise with them at all in the evenings/weekends etc.

having said all that, the rest of the time when i am away from the dept i am quite happy with the situation! in fact, i would prefer it if i didn't have to go in at all (apart from meetings with sup), but they have asked for me to attend on a regular basis to go to the occasional lecture or seminar. but being able to work my own hours away from the eagle eye of my sup is quite nice!

basically i think it is possible, as long as you are prepared to feel like a bit of an outsider at uni (at least at first), and occasionally feel like you come quite low down on the priority list of your sup if they have other students who are in the dept full time. going in regularly to show your face and attend group seminars/lunchtime pub trips etc will really help to make sure no one forgets about you!

it is definitely worth contacting him if you know him already, it always looks good to show an interest in the course early on and to ask questions about it (that's how i got onto my masters too!). he can also answer any questions about entry requirements/work experience. good luck! :-)

======= Date Modified 11 Nov 2008 13:07:34 =======

didn't mean to question your commitment :$ i just meant that if medicine is your 1st choice but it doesn't work out, then you will need to find a 2nd option that you are equally committed to.



in terms of getting a job first, it may be possible to get some work experience working as a research assistant in the university labs over the summer between your undergrad and masters which may satisfy their entry requirements. the other option is to get a job for a year and apply next time round but obviously this drags the process out even longer. but if that is what you want to do it will be worth it in the end.



i have a friend who got a first in biochem (from a good but not fantastic uni) and went straight on to a clinical biochem phd at oxford so nothing is impossible! if i were you i would apply to all the things i wanted to do, as if they like you enough and you have the right grades you may be lucky.

btw, i did a degree in biochem too, then followed this up with a masters in bioinformatics. the problem with biochem is that it is rather general (ie. it incorporates so many different subjects), so sometimes a masters is useful to help you really specialise in one area (and help you decide if that is really what you want to be doing!) before embarking on a phd.

======= Date Modified 11 Nov 2008 12:52:08 =======
the normal route is undergrad + masters + phd, but you could also do undergrad - phd if your results at undergrad are good enough to get you onto a phd straight away (basically you need a 1st or sometimes it is possible with a 2:1). if you are in a very competitive field or have a not so great result at undergrad, then a good masters result will really help your phd application and greatly increase your chances (but only if the masters is in a relevant subject).

you don't need to have finished your degree to apply to masters or phds, if they make you an offer it will be conditional depending upon your predicted BSc result. however, if your real passion is medicine, then only go down the masters/phd route if you find a subject that you are really interested in, as a masters takes a year and a phd is at least 3 years, so you need to be committed!

manchester now have a strict policy of getting everyone to finish as soon as possible, as close to 3 years as they can (and completely finished within the 3 years if at all possible!). in the case of the sciences (or at least in my specific subject area - pharmacy, funded for 4 years in my case), they assume you will complete all practical work within the 3 years and spend the first few months of year 4 writing up and submitting, with the aim to be finished well within year 4. they have also tried to switch to a four year funding wherever they can so that students do not have to work during year 4 to earn money, and therefore they can concentrate solely on writing up and submitting.

this does differ for different subjects - for example, manchester do a wellcome trust project that is 4 years including 1 year of taught courses at the beginning, sort of like a masters and phd joined together. this course is funded for 4 years but may take up to 5 if you run over a bit in your writing up/submitting period.

good luck with your application!
:-)

blast

sins

i haven't been watching because i can't stand david tennant, so i'm hoping the next one will be either jimmy carr or david mitchell (from peep show!)

obviously i can't predict what they'll say, but if i were you i'd be really proactive in that meeting. i would make a definite plan of what you intend to write, and what your deadlines are (eg. when the next chapter will be completed, what your final deadline will be etc) to show them that you have it all in hand and have given real thought as to what you plan to achieve. this will show them that you are focused and determined and may help them to decide what to do next! good luck :-)

care

tripe

maybe i'm being too sensitive and should just be grateful! ;-)