Hi, this is my first post of any kind in on this website, although i have used it to search for PhD's on numerous occasions.

I am a final yr Biochemist, with one years placement experience and i am currently looking for a PhD (looking at stroke)

I am having difficulty deciding on the uni/PhD i should apply and was hoping for some advice on what i should be looking for. should i be concerned just on the PhD details itself, or the uni as well?

Also, my b/f doesn't want me to move, but most of the PhD's for Strokes i have seen are based in other towns, about 1 1/2 hours drive away - and i really don't know what to do. i really want to do this PhD and feel we can still continue our relationship and as my 1st yr will be his last and most busiest yr, i feel that it will be ok, after that i thought maybe he could move to my town or something.

Any advice on what i should do would be appreciated as i am really confused and don't want to upset anyone with my decisions, most of all my b/f

Thank you

Firstly, talk to your b/f about it e.g. would it be a realtionship breaker if you move, if it is then the questions is how much do you want to do a Ph.D? You should bare in mind that a PhD is one of the largerst commitments you will take in terms of time and effort. Yes, relationships can work as in my case but it's hard work, so just be ready for a tough and stressful 3-4 years. However, i should say that although its hard in my case i loved doing my PhD and now couldn't imagine not being involved in academic research.

thank you for that. me n my b/f are going to sit and talk through it all very soon. what is your timetable like for the year? do u only get xmas hols and summer? and how long are they or does it vary from each uni?

Hey I had this really long reply written but spell check ate it! :-s

Basically what you need to consider is this:

1) Reason for doing PhD - do it for yourself and you really want to as you have to motivate yourself! Of course take your b/f's feeelings into consideration as you'll need his support if one/both of you have to travel/commute to see each other/work as opportunities in academia are quite limited depending on subject and location.
2) Get a topic/project you are passionate about as it will take over your life and you have to have enough interest/motivation to see it through for the next 3-4 years!
3) Get a decent supervisor - a rare breed! But they can make all the difference and make your life so much easy and even enjoyable!!!!
4) Uni less important than supervisor as at this stage your sup is more important and you can get good sups at less well known unis.
5) Get a good dept that actually values its PhD students and is supportive and appreciates them!
6) Talk to current/previous students to get an honest opinon of the dept and the potential supervisor!

Good luck! (up)