Ah, okay, that's good to know!

Funny that you mention RHUL- that's where I'm a current student! You don't happen to be doing your PhD there at the moment, do you?

Thanks once again!

Wow, thank you so much, PsychBrainiac! You're right, there does seem to be many different routes one can go down- I mean, I knew it was a complicated process, but I don't think I quite anticipated how complicated it can get...

You've answered all of my questions, so thank you. I have just one more quick query- I have spied a four-year programme at a couple of universities that sound amazing, incorporating both a Masters and a PhD, but unfortunately studentship places are very limited. I figure it's worth a shot, but is it possible to make several applications to the same university? For example, I might apply for the four-year programme and also a Research Methods Masters, since it's unlikely I'd get into the former.

I know I've said thank you a lot, but you've really helped clarify the whole process for me! Seems like I've got a lot to think about this summer.

Firstly, thank you for all of your replies! You've been really helpful, so thank you.

Snelison, it's great to hear from a Psychology PhD student! The internship I'm currently on is basically the role of research assistant in the sense that we have to carry out the study ourselves, do lit. reviews, and a lot of the write-up as well, and for those who put enough effort in, there's a chance of getting published (fingers crossed!) I know I'm doing this at the same time as my undergrad., but do you think it might help at all?

The reason I asked about potentially skipping a Masters was because I know someone who has done so, but now I think about it more, it seems to have a lot to do with the PhD supervisor system; the guy I know has remained at the same institution he did his undergraduate degree at, so he obviously knew the lecturers well and so I guess they were more willing to take him on without a Masters.

I'll look into the graduate loan thing, and other ways of self-funding a Masters, so thanks for the heads-up on that. You're right; it does seem like sacrifices have to be made in this area, but I truly can't imagine doing anything else with my life now, even though I know it's a tough route to go down. Is it possible to work part-time whilst doing a Masters, or is it a full-time commitment? May I ask what your Masters was in- i.e., was it in the more specific area of psychology that you've ended up doing your PhD on, or did you just do a Research Methods Masters or something like that?

A friend of mine who is looking for a research assistant post has been saying that she's been struggling to find one despite being a very good student- but, saying that, she's only got her BSc and not a Masters, so that might be the key.

I'm starting the third year of my degree in September, so I plan on doing my research and deciding where I want to apply by the end of summer- is this the right sort of timeframe? I know postgrad. applications can be a bit labour-intensive and I don't want it to detract from my third year work too much.

Thank you once again for your help! I really appreciate it.

I'm at the end of my second year as a BSc Psychology student, and I'm pretty sure that I'm heading down a career in academia (I have experience of it in a few different capacities, from doing a bit of casual research in my department to having an 18-month internship currently running alongside my degree doing research at the Anna Freud Centre in London). So now I'm starting to think about postgraduate courses.

My main concern about doing a Masters is the cost, and I'm also quite keen to get stuck into doing my own research, rather than being taught more stuff. Hence my (preliminary) plan is to skip the Masters and go straight onto a PhD.

Is it common for individuals to do this? Is it even possible? Do you need a 1st to do so? I averaged at 69% last year but my module marks were a bit all over the place, and it's difficult for me to tell how I'm going to do this year as the exam period is so tough in our department.

I guess I'm just asking about the feasibility of going straight to a PhD, and also, not just about being accepted onto a PhD, but dealing with the transition of being 'babied' at undergrad. to doing it all myself at postgrad.

Any help would be appreciated! Thank you for your time!