Phds: The Ugly Truth

Lizzie is not only Kate’s twin sister she is also a fourth year biochemist with a funded PhD place in London all lined up for next year. She is also a lovely person and nowhere near as stern as the following piece might imply!

The “Art” of getting a PhD place:

1)      For a guarantee of getting a fully funded PhD in an arts/artsci subject, you will need a first class in your final year of undergrad. This is not to put you off, but to warn you of the direction in which the selection process is geared.

2)      For a guarantee of getting a fully funded PhD in a science discipline, you will need a first class or 2:1. This differs from arts subjects for two reasons: firstly, there are far more of these PhDs on offer, and secondly, because undergrad grading in science is a much worse indicator of a candidate’s potential as a PhD student.

3)      If you are looking for a funded PhD place, there are two types on offer, guarantee funded and competitively funded. The latter is normally what is on offer for PhD programme schemes. These are both looking for different qualities in a candidate. As a general rule, quieter people have more chance of succeeding in guarantee funded positions, as competitive PhD programmes tend to select the bolder, more competitive candidates.

4)      In arts subjects, this differs slightly inasmuch that the candidate must develop a research proposal and “sell” it to various funding bodies, in the hope of being offered an award. Again, this situation is more likely to favour the bolder, more competitive candidates.

5)      Unlike in guaranteed funding PhD positions, competitively funded PhD programmes do not set the PhD topic. Thus, they are assessing both the candidate and the candidate’s choice in topic. Therefore, the candidate is unwittingly entering into the dog-eat-dog world of academic funding. This is a very harsh world where only the loudest spoken or most fashionable ideas survive.

6)      Generally, significant breakthroughs in academia come via the mavericks. However, PhD funding bodies are not looking for these unusual ideas when awarding money. They are most likely to sponsor funding in research areas that are fashionable or are of benefit to the general public. Like it or lump it, this is how funding is allocated at the moment. As money is tight, the government wants to increasingly know that its invested money is put to the best possible use according to governmental criteria. If you have a fantastic new idea which goes against the grain, now is probably not the best time to air it, unless you have immense academic support behind you. Keep it a well-guarded secret and wait until you have more money, confidence and publications behind you.

7)      It is useful to know that, at the postgraduate level, the playing field is level once again. This seems grossly unfair for those candidates who attended universities that are higher in the league tables, as the entrance criterion for most funded postgraduate study in arts subjects is a first class degree, irrespective of the university attended. Clearly the same course is not the same difficulty at every university, but when “equal opportunities” are now being thrust upon us at every level, this occurrence is a fact of life.

8)      Don’t give up. Life would be so easy if we were given the PhD place of our dreams on the first application. Rejection is hard to deal with, but we should get used to it now, as worse is to come. The job market is harder, as we will be dealing with a much larger, more varied pool of candidates. Nothing will ever be as easy or as morale boosting as UCAS selection, where multiple universities made offers to a single candidate and you were left feeling that you could conquer the world. The process of applying for a PhD or job is nothing like this: you will be lucky if you are made one offer at all. Therefore, to increase the probability of finding a PhD position, apply for many, many posts. It’s not going to hurt, and it will be good experience- chances are that you will improve your skills as you attend more interviews. Also, these positions are a compromise- not everyone is going to get to do their exact topic of choice. Ponder on this: would you prefer the qualification or the exact topic? You can still focus on a topic you like without going for the exact area you had dreamt about. Don’t be afraid to apply for something you wouldn’t have looked at under different circumstances- it may be a gateway for your future without you realising.

9)      Consider your career aspirations- does the topic of your prospective PhD lend itself to what you aspire to next? Or is it a dead end, which narrows the set of options rather than opening doors for you? Do you want to remain in academia, or would you prefer a more transferable set of skill and subject area?

Despite the realities of the situation, you shouldn’t feel you have to give up just because the odds aren’t the best. After all, the odds of getting a job aren’t much better so really now is the best time to follow your dreams. If you want something badly enough there’s always a way to get there even if you have to work until you can afford to fun yourself at least partially and study where you can live at home.

So think hard about what you want from life sure, but don’t be deterred just because the going will be tough!

Let us know what you’re thinking about PhDs and feel free to ask if you think we can help!

Lizzie

Regaining Control

One of the hardest parts of nearing graduation with nothing concrete in place for the year ahead is how out of control you feel.

Not having control of your life is not only scary, its infuriating: at the exact time in my life when I’m supposed to assume full responsibility for myself  as an adult I am completely unable to do so. I know I will have to move back in with my parents and, at least in the short term, continue to depend on their support.

Not knowing what comes next, not being able to truly plan for the future makes me angry- at the world, at system that has been screwed up by people who sailed through this part of life and into well-paid, secure positions and have now left us with a restricted job market and slashed arts funding.

Clearly I can’t do anything about this- the current economic system may not be my fault or my responsibility but its not going to change in the near future and there is little to nothing I can do to change that.

What I can do, and what I encourage any of you who feel the same sense of powerlessness to do, is to focus on those things in life that you can control. People often speak disparagingly about micro-managing, but it’s better than nothing when macro-managing is out of your hands.

Here are three areas of my life which I have focused on to help me feel in control again:

 

1.    Getting Healthy

When life feels like its getting too much, the temptation is to comfort eat and hope it all goes away. However, overeating is just another example of a lack of control and frequently leaves you feeling even worse about yourself.

Instead of comfort eating I have started going for a run twice a week and I am keeping an eye on what I eat. Neither of these constitutes a huge change to my lifestyle but it has made me feel that my body at least is back under my control again and that I have made a positive contribution to my future.

2.    Spring Cleaning

The saying goes ‘tidy house, tidy mind’ but I would argue this could be extended to ‘tidy house, tidy mind, tidy life’. At college your life starts and ends within the four walls of your room- it can serve as your command centre, cocktail bar, study, movie theatre and even, on occasion, your gym. Living in a messy room interferes with your sleep patterns, your ability to focus on work and your mood- take it from someone who lives like this most of the time.

Having a thorough clean out and tidy and attempting to keep your surroundings as clutter free as possible can immediately improve your spirits and give you a sense of control over your surroundings.

3.    Find A Project

This last may be harder for some of you than others. Personally I can’t live without at least one project of some sort on the go. Having a project to focus on gives you back control, even if it’s only of that one specific region of your life.

Projects can be large or small but they have to be both challenging and achievable. At the moment I am engaged on one of each: long term, I am learning Japanese- not something that I can necessarily complete, but it enables me to regularly mark my progress and observe my achievements.

In the short term, I am in charge of organising a garden party fundraiser for the university charity.

Both of these endeavours give me a sense of accomplishment and worth as well as giving me control over something in its entirety.

So there you have it: three easy ways to get back some control over your life and (at least for the moment) stop worrying about the future.

In the Beginning...

...was university. And it was awesome. Work, play, money it all came so easy. Then came graduation. We were fortunate enough to regard this as a minor hiccup and sailed happily into baby-grad land, taking our first steps in research *cough* but mainly focusing on the lack of exams.

That was a year ago. In four months we will be stripped from the familiar comforts of college and booted out into the cold cold world. A world where getting Phd funding is more like joining the circus (or jumping off a cliff not knowing if your parachute works). A world where jobs don't grow on trees or at least not in this climate. A world where we can no longer pretend David Cameron isn't running the country.

For many of you this will no doubt be a situation you are well familiar with, for others this is all to come and for you few, you happy few with some stability ahead to thank God for your avoidance of such a fate.
We are arts grads. We say this proudly, we're not ashamed. Say it loud and say it proud just don't say it to the funding bodies apparently or at least not without some serious public backing.

Well to be strictly accurate we're not arts students- well not the stay in bed till 12 with Doystoyevksy- we are the scientists of the art world, outcasts from both camps wandering in the wildernesses of academia. *Sob*
So what, you may be wondering (and congrats for making it this far blind) is this all about? Well, its a guide of sorts to what lies beyond. Do we have all the answers? Not even close, but we know some people who just might.
When starting this project we recognised that our limited experience would only get readers so far and would really only help those in our position. Luckily for you we are extremely popular and have some helpful friends on hand.

So this blog will have frequent 'guest' posts from other walks of grad life: tune into Moving On but Going Nowhere- a section that will deal with staying on as a graduate at the same university, with alll the challenges and perks that entails.

Up and Out will chronicle the excitements of those with the golden tickets- postgraduate positions both inside academia and out. Despite the initial boost these people still don't have it easy and its just possible we can learn what they did right and replicate it.

The Great Unknown is our no mans land of post-university life. For those who really don't have a clue what they want to do or, more pressingly, quite what they're going to do when september rolls around. If this is you then stick around- might be helpful, might just make you feel better about yourself; its win-win.

Finally there's The 'Art' of Getting a Phd, penned by us. We'll share our frustrations, our discoveries and our successes and failures as we attempt to make it into a funded Phd over the next year- either in the UK or abroad.

So keep reading- we might not have all the answers but we're getting better and after all, every little helps!