Timeline for Difficulty being admitted to good PhD programs in the UK
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
27 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 4, 2015 at 2:40 | history | tweeted | twitter.com/#!/StackAcademia/status/606289369847197696 | ||
| Jun 1, 2015 at 16:11 | history | edited | Compass | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
Added region to title to make it easier to differentiate between the "duplicate" in searches and for sanity.
|
| Jun 1, 2015 at 13:42 | history | reopened |
David Richerby enthu Henry Moriarty Compass |
||
| Jun 1, 2015 at 13:42 | history | edited | Compass |
Added region. Different regions may require different responses and are potentially not duplicates given differences in regions.
|
|
| May 21, 2015 at 12:20 | review | Reopen votes | |||
| Jun 1, 2015 at 13:42 | |||||
| May 21, 2015 at 10:16 | history | closed |
RoboKaren Alexandros jakebeal Nobody gman |
Duplicate of How are Ph.D. applications evaluated in the US, particularly for weak or borderline students? Am I likely to get into school X? | |
| May 21, 2015 at 10:10 | comment | added | Ander Biguri | @smci Totally agree with that. In the end, a job (or PhD interview) is you selling yourself. You need to prove that you are worth. | |
| May 21, 2015 at 9:52 | answer | added | David Richerby | timeline score: 15 | |
| May 21, 2015 at 9:29 | comment | added | smci | @Ander Biguri: I'm very well aware that masters are not the same in all countries - I did mine in one country then had to sell my expertise in interviews in another. My point to the OP was he has to actually sell the package to interviewers in a way they might find persuasive, not just keep insisting he thinks he can do a good job despite his track record. As I said, even on a taught masters with no formal research, (and/or little relevance to the target opportunity) be able to succinctly explain what you did learn. I said lack of publications is not a showstopper, but needs explaining. | |
| May 21, 2015 at 7:52 | comment | added | Ander Biguri | @smci not all masters are the same in all countries. My undergrad was 3 years and my masters another extra 3, however, publishing anything was absolutely unrealistic, due to the nature of the course (I have 5 theoretical lessons a day + extra hours for lab work). That didn't stop me to get into a good PhD in a good British university. | |
| May 21, 2015 at 6:21 | comment | added | Salvador Dali | You have not published anything, your masters is bad, you have two failed courses and you are still surprising that people do not consider your application? Have you thought that may be professors are looking for different kind of students? | |
| May 20, 2015 at 22:08 | comment | added | smci | "I did not publish anything yet nor I have a concise experience with a certain topic" Really makes us wonder what the point of your master was. Was there a thesis? Was it entirely taught courses and no research? If it was a research masters, at least prepare a one-page printed presentation on your masters and explain what you did do and learn, instead of what you didn't learn. | |
| May 20, 2015 at 22:04 | comment | added | smci | "I am told that professors will always accept me...because I bring my own funding". This seems wrong and may come across as presumptuous. Who on earth told you that and why do you believe them? | |
| May 20, 2015 at 22:03 | comment | added | smci | You say "I know that I am not far off and I can pull my weight to reach the desired level by a number of the departments I applied to." Perhaps, but it depends on what the professors who interview you think, not what you think. Like, explaining the masters courses you got an F in will be important. How would you handle the situation differently now? Why did you get an F (lack of effort/ability/personal/financial/other)? Does your reference back you up on that? Did you try to retake them (even if it doesn't alter your final grade)? Are they important prerequisites for the PhD? | |
| May 20, 2015 at 17:34 | answer | added | Thomas Bosman | timeline score: 5 | |
| May 20, 2015 at 16:09 | answer | added | MarieZ | timeline score: 5 | |
| May 20, 2015 at 15:14 | comment | added | Patricia Shanahan | Are you cold-calling professors, or working through networking? For example, it might help to contact a professor who saw your work improve during the master's degree program, and see if they can give you any advice or introductions. | |
| May 20, 2015 at 14:51 | answer | added | BrianH | timeline score: 33 | |
| May 20, 2015 at 14:36 | answer | added | Koldito | timeline score: 39 | |
| May 20, 2015 at 14:10 | comment | added | Moriarty | If enough members vote to close the question as a duplicate, that usually means that (as far as we understand your question) a suitable answer can already be found on StackExchange. You can help us to help you by clearly explaining why the linked duplicate does not satisfactorily answer your problem. | |
| May 20, 2015 at 14:09 | comment | added | aeismail | @UpTight: Nobody gets points for flagging questions to be closed. Right now, I would advise that you follow Roger Fan's suggestion and refocus your question. | |
| May 20, 2015 at 14:01 | comment | added | Moriarty | I agree with @Alexandros that your reply was unnecessarily rude. UpTight, if your communications with potential supervisors have not been 100% polite, perhaps this is one reason for their unwillingness to talk. | |
| May 20, 2015 at 13:57 | comment | added | Roger Fan | @UpTight I think the question is best re-framed to focus on how to optimize admissions and things to do given that you're bringing your own funding. As far as I know, the linked question doesn't address that at all, and it's a not-too-specific question that has a broader impact. Note that questions that only apply to a specific case are much more likely to be closed, it's actually one of the custom close reasons. | |
| May 20, 2015 at 13:46 | review | Close votes | |||
| May 21, 2015 at 10:16 | |||||
| May 20, 2015 at 13:39 | comment | added | Moriarty | @RoboKaren it looks like the OP is applying to programs in the UK, so although it's a useful link I'm not sure it's a duplicate. A few comments of my own: if you're applying to well-funded departments and professors who do not find it difficult to find finding for students, entry is indeed likely to still be competitive. If a professor wants more students, but currently has no funding for them, you have a much better shot. | |
| May 20, 2015 at 13:29 | review | First posts | |||
| May 20, 2015 at 13:53 | |||||
| May 20, 2015 at 13:25 | history | asked | UpTight | CC BY-SA 3.0 |