Hey guys!! So I have a couple of questions about doing a PHD which I'm sure have all been answered before but here they are again:

(1) I have completed my undergraduate degree and have taken the year out where I have been carrying out research for a university. I really enjoy doing it and am now contemplating doing a PHD but I have no specific proposals in mind even though I am interested in certain areas of my field. So I'm wondering how common is it for students to email lecturers and ask whether they have any available research proposals that need to be completed? And how does a person even go about contacting a lecturer and asking them this?

(2) I'm from Ireland but am interested in doing PHD in the UK. How common is it for Irish students to carry out PHD research in the UK? I suppose this question relates to funding as only UK students get full funding, so does anyone know how EU students go about getting their funding?

Thanks for your help guys, hope to hear from ye soon!!

Hi Sparklyking! Welcome to the forum!

I decided I wanted to do a PhD around my third year on my BSc, and at the beginning of my MSc I managed to get onto a project in the right sort of area for what I wanted my PhD to be in (Alzheimer's disease). I approached my MSc supervisor and told her that I was interested in doing a PhD, something to do with Alzheimer's disease, but I wasn't quite sure what. So we met up for a chat, and she told me about a couple of project topics she had ideas for that might be interesting, and which she thought would be suitable for a PhD if we could find the funding. So I decided on one of the topics and we developed the proposal together, then we applied for funding and were successful. So you don't necessarily have to have something specific in mind when you approach someone about supervising a PhD, although most people have more idea than I did about exactly what they want to do! Just make sure that if you approach someone about doing a PhD, you don't sound as though you don't know what to do because you haven't bothered to read the literature- that might just look lazy and show that you are lacking intiative etc. Equally, I think it is fine to not know exactly what you want to do and just have a general idea that you want to develop with the help of your potential supervisor.

I don't know anyone from Ireland doing a PhD in our department, but I reckon at least half of the PhD students in my department are overseas students (from all over the world), so there must be funding somewhere. I'm sure someone else on the forum will have some ideas about this.

Best wishes, KB

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I was going to apply to Bristol or Sheffield University but was offered funding at home so that changed my mind. I've heard of a few people that went to the UK - a friend of mine is actually in the middle of applying for a PhD there. It seems common enough, especially if you're lucky enough to attain funding from the university. I know that a few UK universities have scholarships available for foreign students. Check the websites or ring up the fees office or postgraduate office and enquire, can't hurt!

As for contacting academics - If you have any sort of idea in mind at all, and know of a scholar in the area, I would send them a polite e-mail outlining it and to see if they would have an interest in talking to you over the phone/in person and coming up with some kind of proposal. If not, they might be able to point you into the direction of someone more suitable. I was talking to my supervisor one day and he said that most academics are flattered that someone is that interested in working with them! If you're a bit shy, try ringing the departmental office and see what the usual procedure is for contacting prospective supervisors. I know that in my department it is just a matter of sending an e-mail / letter.

Also, keep an eye on www.jobs.ac.uk. It's updated regularly and advertises a lot of PhD studentships / funded projects.

Good luck! :)

Claire