Oh my God

Former Member

I just got a very scary missive in the post today....a letter, from the University of Sheffield, offering me a history PhD studentship of £9,500 p.a. plus £500 for travel :eek:

I have no idea what I want to do, whether spending another 3 years studying is the best thing to do, whether it would make it 100 times harder to go into policy work later if academia isn't my thing, and whether it's really stupid money-wise, given that me and the blokey are hoping to get a place of our own at some point along the line.

Don't get me wrong, I'd *love*to do the research and am really fired up about the thesis proposal I've submitted, but just don't know if it's the right thing to do

On the other hand I've got an interview for an administrative assistant position at the FCO at the end of next month. So confused....

By the way, good luck and well done to all you A-level peeps

Former Member

Sounds good to me, i am in a similar position.

I was accepted for the Phd, didn't get a grant but was yesterday accepted for a teaching post that gets me approx 9k a year and pays my 3k a year fees so worth 12k a year for 4 years (though I plan to do my Phd in 3 years)

My thinking was

a) I enjoy my subject and think research would be really rewarding

b) 3 years is that long, you still have another 40 years of work once you have finished (I am 22 now) so why rush into it?

c) If you don't do a Phd now, you probably never will.

d) It will not harm your employment prospects for anything as far as I know and it opens up other doors, i.e. an academic career, if you really like it.

Also Sheffield University and Sheffield in general are very good (I did undergrad there)

So I would say go for it................

Former Member

Well done for getting that teaching post I must admit, I'm with you on all 4 of the bullet points, it's just all a bit scary, as I'd half forgotten all about it and have been concentrating on my MSc dissertation and job applications since the end of the exams. I'm also a bit worried about what my boyfriend's going to say, as I know he's a bit lukewarm about the whole thing.

Yeah, Sheffield seemed lovely and really friendly when I went for the interview and the history dept staff are especially nice, but I probably won't be moving up there full time...if I go for it, I'll just have to pop up now and then for the research courses and meetings with my supervisor,

Former Member

Thats fair enough I think. Lots of people do distance learning and you don't need much contact to do a Phd as long as you have access to the appropriate resources at home.

London to Sheffield is only 2-3 hours so no probs there really

Good luck I say..........

Former Member

I agree with Toadborg. If you don't do it now, you never will. I'll be starting mine in October, and yeah, 3 years is a long time, but you may as well do it when the time is right. Oh, and you'll be a doctor at the end of it. Not many people can say that!