Close Home Forum Sign up / Log in

Withdrawn from masters course want to do PhD but worried - Help!

I

As the title says I withdrew on Friday from a masters in Public Health and social change. I graduated with a 1st class honours in July this year and the masters seemed like the next step - but I didn't like the group or the teaching, it felt just like the undergraduate course so I opted out.

I did look into the PhD route over the summer and I even got so far as to find my main supervisor but then I choose the easy route of the masters course. Bad move!

I need advice and lots of it!

1) Can you register at anytime for a PhD? or I
2) If I self funded for the first year how likely would I be to get funding for years 2/3?
3) Have I made a really stupid move?! Does a masters really equip you more for PhD study?

Thanks

C

iamlittlemiss, I am in a different field, so I am not sure that my opinion worth much. However, in my Uni there are two yearly intake for PhDs, in October and January. Getting funding is extremely competitive, but there is a good possibility to get it in your 2nd year, when your project is more defined and you can show some results. I just got the AHRC and I have just started the 2nd year. I don't think that you made a stupid move, but it was a bit rushed. You cannot understand the potential of a course from the first three weeks. I personally could not have done what I am doing now without the training I got through the Masters. It was hard work, sometimes boring, but extremely valuable. I am not aware of your personal situation/ previous training, so I cannot give recommendations. Did your prospective supervisor suggest anything in this respect? I think that it would have been a good idea to discuss this issue with him/her first.

A

I, too, am not in your field, but I am an Arts and Humanities PhD. I did a BA, MA and finally proceeded onto a PhD this year. I wanted to skip the MA, but I'm so glad I didn't. Without an MA the AHRC won't consider an application for PhD funding. The MA was very useful to me and I learnt a real lot. It's a shame you gave up on your MA, because although it appeared just like your BA, you will have done research training and a dissertation which are highly valuable foundations for a PhD and when applying for funding.

I

Thanks for the replies. A January intake - that sounds promising.
I appreciate the comments about the Masters. I was self-funding for the masters route and I would rather put the money into long term study - I had to withdraw on Friday or be charged.

I

The tutors from my undergraduate course are teaching the masters, the research module is the same as the undergrad (I have no idea why this should be the case) and I did a 15,000 piece of research in my undergraduate (the masters dissertation is still 15 thou) The lecturer has stated that I will not learn anything from the lectures and I felt like I was paying for very little. The others in the group have come from nursing backgrounds and I was astounded by the lack of knowledge. The lecturer said he has to pitch for the lowest level of knowledge in the group and that he was sorry - ultimately this has made me want to change direction. I need to be challenged to stay interested and I am sure at a different location a masters would be taught differently but I need to stay in this area as I have commitments.

J

PhD is something to avoid. Destroys your life. Destroys your soul. Destroys your family. Destroys your optimism. Destroys you. Leave it alone.

7848