I have recently found out that I have the offer of funding for my English Literature PhD, and am really aware of how lucky I am to be in this position – still can’t quite believe it! However, I have an offer to do my PhD at another university which I really love – my supervisor there would be a brilliant fit for the project, I like the location more – unfortunately I was not successful in my funding application for this one.
I always had in my mind that if I was lucky enough to get funding I would take that up, but if all my funding applications were unsuccessful I had worked out that with a mixture of the government postgraduate loan, savings and part time work, I would be able to support myself doing a self-funded PhD. I just wanted to ask some objective opinions on the most important factors to consider in choosing a PhD place?

Hi,
I was wondering whether it is best to take a year or two years out before applying for a PhD after graduating from a masters degree, especially for humanities students. Would it matter taking a year out to work on your application or is it best to continue studying when your brain is in the academic mindset so would find it easier? I am aware that every situation is individual and it is a variable situation, but I would be interested to know how many people commonly take a year out and how this was felt to have impacted on their study.
Thank you!

Two years ago I graduated with an MA in English Literature. I am now interested in pursuing a PhD. I am worried about my academic transcript from my MA - while I did a module and my dissertation in the area I want to pursue a PhD in (medieval romance literature) the other modules I completed were in a completely different area (Victorian and Eighteenth Century Literature). I also don't have the skills of palaeography and codiology that are taught on Medieval Studies MAs.
I would really appreciate some advice on how this would impact my PhD application. Would the fact that I studied widely on my MA hinder my chances on getting accepted for PhD study? I am still in the early stages of thinking of applying, so would really appreciate any comments or advice anyone has to offer!