Overview of barnj083 on PostgraduateForum.com

Overview of barnj083

Signup date: 27 Nov 2017 at 2:30pm

Last login: 01 Dec 2017 at 2:13pm

Post count: 6

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Is a PhD possible with Undergraduate Distinction and an upper 2:2 for Masters?

barnj083 6 posts
7 years ago

Quote From TreeofLife:

Quote From barnj083:

Sorry I just got your message. That is correct I got a first in my bachelor's degree. I've been asking some of my friends who I went to Uni with and they mentioned that I can go straight from undergraduate to PhD, which was complete news to me. Is this accurate information?

Yep, you don't need a masters to do a PhD. It does help to make you more competitive though. My supervisors subsequently told me that was one of the reasons they offered me the PhD over others.

That is awesome. Thank you so much I really greatly appreciate your help with this.

Is a PhD possible with Undergraduate Distinction and an upper 2:2 for Masters?

barnj083 6 posts
7 years ago

To be honest, I would forget about the Masters. Even if you had achieved the 2:1 your transcript would have made it clear that you had difficulties. A distinction at Honours however suggests you have a reasonable chance of finding a PhD. I would not give up until you had at least tried every avenue. It ishould concern you that you are using phrases like "dont feel worthy". A PhD will bring that feeling out in full technicolour. Be sure you have the resilience to deal with things going wrong before you start. It sounds like you might have an issue in that regard. PhDs can break even the strongest of people.

I am aware of that, as I have been networking with PhD students around the clock. My terminology wasn't clear because I was still dealing with the disappointment of my dissertation and final master's results tbh. I am going to keep going forward and applying for a PhD I have a funding fair to attend within the next couple of weeks so hopefully I will be able to find something that will help there.

Is a PhD possible with Undergraduate Distinction and an upper 2:2 for Masters?

barnj083 6 posts
7 years ago

Thank you all for your replies and advice. I have been accepted to attend a PhD funding fair here in London, and see if I am able to find anything that could possibly help. I'm just really disappointed with my master's results, but I will still keep applying for a PhD to see if anything comes along.

Is a PhD possible with Undergraduate Distinction and an upper 2:2 for Masters?

barnj083 6 posts
7 years ago

Quote From chaotic1328:
I am slightly confused by the terminology used here. You use 'Distinction' for your undergrad degree, and '2:2' for your Masters classifications. Are we talking about a Scottish MA? If not, do you mean a First with distinction in your undergrad (a very high first), and a merit in your Master's? Or do you mean a Distinction in a non-honours degree (they used to be reasonably common before the proliferation of new universities in 1992)?

If its a First (or Distinction in a non-honours degree) at undergrad+ a high Pass/marginal Merit, then I think funding might be a problem. I think it might be better if its the other way round, ie., a low 2:1 plus a distinction, as they tend to look at your latest round of results, and the higher degree, with more importance.

But if you can find a supervisor willing to take you on and support you for funding, then go for it. Nothing venture, nothing gain. Keep on searching for potential supervisors online and good luck with your quest.

Apologies for the confusing terminology as I obtained my undergraduate degree in the USA, and once my grade point average (which is what they use in USA) was converted over to UK marking scheme, it came out to be above a 70. My final master's mark came out to be a 59, which is a high 2:2.

Hope this clarifies things a bit.

Is a PhD possible with Undergraduate Distinction and an upper 2:2 for Masters?

barnj083 6 posts
7 years ago

Quote From TreeofLife:
I would keep applying for PhDs. You've got a first in your Bachelors right? So it's probably not the end of the world about your Master's grade.

Sorry I just got your message. That is correct I got a first in my bachelor's degree. I've been asking some of my friends who I went to Uni with and they mentioned that I can go straight from undergraduate to PhD, which was complete news to me. Is this accurate information?

Is a PhD possible with Undergraduate Distinction and an upper 2:2 for Masters?

barnj083 6 posts
7 years ago

Hi All,

A few days ago I just received my final marks for both my master's degree and dissertation. Prior to the start of my dissertation I had a merit and was on track to finish with a 2:1 for Masters. However, I was incredibly devastated to find that I did not do as well as expected on my dissertation and as a result, not only lost my merit, but finished my Masters degree just 1% shy of a merit. I feel lost, confused, devastated and unsure what to do at this time.

What I have done is emailed my supervisor to request for feedback on my dissertation so I can see what I did wrong and what I can improve upon the next time (assuming there is a next time). Prior to the results of my dissertation I have been networking like crazy throughout the UK, attending PhD study fairs, networking with graduate students and universities so that I can work on the PhD application. Now because of my dissertation results and final Master's mark, I don't know if this is the end of the road with me. I had to apply to attend for a PhD funding fair here in London and submitted my undergraduate transcript as part of application process (which I completely understand and agree with given that funding is involved and it is extremely competitive). Now I don't even feel worthy of attending because of my final Master's mark.

With that said, is it still possible to be considered for funding opportunities for PhD despite my final Master's mark, or is this the end of the road for me? Also, should I even attend the PhD funding fair now despite being accepted and receiving my invitation already? I worked so incredibly hard on this dissertation and based on the feedback my supervisor gave me I was slowly gaining confidence thinking I was going to do well. Then I get my results and feel like i've been hit by a train. Please help me out.

Thank you