Hey guys,

I'm new here, but have lurked for quite some time - I just had a PhD interview this past Friday for a studentship in Newcastle, and was wondering what the situation tends to be for news?

As in, is it like a job where you'll definitely hear back one way or another by phone? Do you get a formal offer in the post? Does it differ absolutely everywhere?

These are questions I clearly should have asked at the end of the interview - hindsight I guess! I just wondered what other people's experiences were of what happened after interviewing for a funded PhD!

Thanksssss!!!

I think it depends on the Uni/funding body (if it's funded).

For mine it was competitively funded with around 12 projects going for 9 funding spaces, and I was the first project interviewed so had to wait until all the interviews were over until I heard, I think it was about 2 months. Although I did hear unofficially back from the supervisor a week after the interview to say I was picked for the project and they just had to wait for the funding news. I have heard of people hearing back the same day though so it can differ wildly!

They should have told you after the interview how long it would take, but if they didn't after a week or so I think it would be fine to email and ask when they think the decision will be made. Either way they should contact you and if you're successful they should email/phone you and then send you an official letter. It's horrible waiting though! So hopefully they won't keep you waiting too long!

Caro

As Caro said it differs. For one they told me they would tell me by the end of the day, and they called me. For the other one, they said they'd let me know through email in a few weeks as they had other candidates to interview. And they did.

A good tip is to send them a thank you email after interview.

Oh yeah I sent a thank you letter after the interview too as Chococake says and it allowed the sup to let me know on the timelines etc. Although I was in email contact with the supervisor before the interview so already had a rapport going so it wasn't awkward or anything.

That's really good advice! Ack, I wish I'd emailed on Friday to say thanks... it feels a bit late to do it now. Like I'd just be getting in touch to get an answer about it. I emailed the supervisor's secretary on Monday (she's the director of neuroscience, so a busy lady) to ask if she knew about timescales on when interviewees would find out, but she said she wasnt sure herself but would ask and get back to me.

I think only 4 other people were interviewing for it, and it's a studentship attached to an EPSRC grant so there's no waiting on funding news or anything...

Here's hoping I get some word in the next few days! Waiting is absolute agony! I think 2 months could actually kill me :)

I had heard the same evening by email, which was great. Something I always do is ask at the interview (generally at the end when they ask...do you have any more questions and need to ask a question cos I feel stupid otherwise)...so what is the process from now on? When should I hear from you. Or something similar. Good luck for the position

My experience (Durham) was that I had the interview 20th Dec, was told that I would hear in the New Year, then I received a phone call 2 hours later... !
Then we went through the formal processes of accepting verbal offer, getting written offer, accepting written offer, references, registration... etc.

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If I was interviewed I heard about it anything between 2hours after interview to a month.

Formal offers tend to be given via email now. I now have an unconditional PhD offer and I still haven't received paperwork about it yet!

The PhD I was offered I heard within two hours of leaving the interview room, one I heard 24 hours after (declined), leeds was a week after interview (not surprising declined), warwick was 2-3 days (declined), Cambridge were meant to tell me within a week but it turned out to be a month by the time I got a decision-but I have since found out it was due to a second set of funding falling through.

There was huge contrast in my interview experiences. I found that the bigger the interview panel, the harsher they will be and the more likely they will pull you apart. I also found that women were harsher than males, one woman at my Leeds interview took an instant dislike to me and wondered why I had an undergraduate project in malaria, but wanted to go for a PhD in HIV. Everything I said, she pulled apart.

I found that being organised helped, I took my UG write up to the PhD interview that I later got offered- one of the panel wasn't talking at the time and instead was flipping through my project!

But Good luck and don't lose faith in yourself- it's tough times out there and more people are applying for PhD than ever. It only takes one supervisor to like you and you have the position!

Thanks so much for all of the advice/experiences guys. After more fretting, I decided to bite the bullet and send a thank you (even though it was nearly a week after the interview) and ask about timescales... and apparently they were interviewing two more people who couldn't make it on the actual day, which happened this past Friday and yesterday. The supervisor was really quick to get back to me and apologise, and told me a decision would hopefully be made quickly. She also said the panel really enjoyed interviewing me, which can't be a bad thing. Fingers crossed!