I need your advice - study opportunity

[shef2013]

Hi all,

 

I need some advice from you, please read my story below. If you don't like it please ignore, thanks!!

 

I used to be a postgraduate student at the University of Sheffield. I worked for a professor and carried out some research in order to write up my thesis. During that time I was doing some experiments but my attendance was not satisfied my boss. It did get me successfully graduated and rewarded me with MSc degree.

 

I am now self-employed but I dreamed going back to the lab. My ex-professor is now recruiting PhD students and that's my chance. BUT I am not that confident to apply for the course, I am even scared of writing him an email.

 

I just feel so sad.

[999tigger]

1. If you dont try then you are 100% guaranteed to miss out.

2. You say your attendance wasnt good enough? Did you have a reason and how will you explain it to your boss, so he can view you as a good candidate? How are you going to sell yourself so he sees you as an asset?

3. If you are unsure then talk to someone, maybe one of the other contacts you have in the department to sound them out on your chances. He is ofc the best person, but if you feel uncomfy even to email him, then it doesnt bode well for you being able to work with him.

4. Theres not a lot of point in feeling sad. You are where you are, do soemthing about it or find something else.

 

Its not what he can do for you, but what you can do for him. Work it out.

[shef2013]

:) :)

 

---------- Post added 21-01-2016 at 12:28 ----------

 

1. If you dont try then you are 100% guaranteed to miss out.

2. You say your attendance wasnt good enough? Did you have a reason and how will you explain it to your boss, so he can view you as a good candidate? How are you going to sell yourself so he sees you as an asset?

3. If you are unsure then talk to someone, maybe one of the other contacts you have in the department to sound them out on your chances. He is ofc the best person, but if you feel uncomfy even to email him, then it doesnt bode well for you being able to work with him.

4. Theres not a lot of point in feeling sad. You are where you are, do soemthing about it or find something else.

 

Its not what he can do for you, but what you can do for him. Work it out.

 

Thank you!

 

I finally spoke to my ex-professor, it seemed he still doesn't like me to join his research group. Forgot to say my nationality is Chinese. He refused me and said the course is for UK student, I explained to him at the moment I am not subject to any immigration control and I had been issued permanent stay in the UK. And I can be treated as home student according to the university admissions. Now I am confused!

Edited January 21, 2016 by shef2013
re-editing

[999tigger]

If the university say you can apply, then you can apply and he fails to understand you are eligible. It still does not get past the fact he doesnt like you and you had poor attendance. Apply by all means, but dont be surprised if he rejects you.

 

---------- Post added 21-01-2016 at 12:57 ----------

 

Btw by saying he doesnt like you. I take that as meaning he doesnt like you personally rather than you assuming he doesnt like because he said it was for UK students only.

 

The uni says you can apply anyway. If the reason you think he doesnt like you is because you are a non uk student, then get a letter from the university saying you are eligible to apply and attach that to your application. If your English isnt good enough then get one of your friends to assist you.

[shef2013]

If the university say you can apply, then you can apply and he fails to understand you are eligible. It still does not get past the fact he doesnt like you and you had poor attendance. Apply by all means, but dont be surprised if he rejects you.

 

---------- Post added 21-01-2016 at 12:57 ----------

 

Btw by saying he doesnt like you. I take that as meaning he doesnt like you personally rather than you assuming he doesnt like because he said it was for UK students only.

 

The uni says you can apply anyway. If the reason you think he doesnt like you is because you are a non uk student, then get a letter from the university saying you are eligible to apply and attach that to your application. If your English isnt good enough then get one of your friends to assist you.

 

thanks so much for your time and advice, much appreciated. I am going to submit an application as soon as possible and include an cover letter explaining my situation and also like you said an official letter from the university admissions to support my application.

 

thanks again.

[Hogg]

thanks so much for your time and advice, much appreciated. I am going to submit an application as soon as possible and include an cover letter explaining my situation and also like you said an official letter from the university admissions to support my application.

 

thanks again.

 

Good Luck. If it does not work out at Sheffield University. There may be opportunities at many other Universities. Best wishes.

[Annie Bynnol]

First you need to fully understand what is involved in obtaining a Phd.

 

A PhD is not a course that you are admitted to on the grounds of previous qualifications/experience/providing your own funding. You would be invited to join after successful application, interview and references. There is no formal teaching. A department might have several students researching independently and/or collaboratively at different stages in their PhD and using very expensive/limited resources.

 

The department or professor will have obtained funding to research and publish. The money will enable the professor to create and pay a team who can deliver and normally applications will be advertised nationally/internationally.

The funding can stipulate eligibility including nationality. Eg the funding body can stipulate UK or EU national.

 

The professor is answerable for the progress of the research. Failure to deliver can lead to early termination of the funding and so ending the research, difficulty of finding future funding and a huge impact on the prestige of the department which could impact that professors career.

 

The professor will select a team/individual he thinks will deliver because it will be his name on the publication and his career and reputation at stake.

 

Have you asked the professor for a reference? Its contents (or lack of) could help you understand better your strengths and weaknesses.

[tzijlstra]

Thank you!

 

I finally spoke to my ex-professor, it seemed he still doesn't like me to join his research group. Forgot to say my nationality is Chinese. He refused me and said the course is for UK student, I explained to him at the moment I am not subject to any immigration control and I had been issued permanent stay in the UK. And I can be treated as home student according to the university admissions. Now I am confused!

 

Hi, do you have a permanent visa? This does not make you a UK/EEA national for the purpose of the funding bodies, you need to change nationality to become eligible.

 

Also, the professor probably refused you because you didn't pull your weight doing your MSc, s/he might have used your nationality as an excuse, that is how the English deal with rejection.

 

If you want to do a PhD, this is not a study opportunity by the way, it is a personal development opportunity, than there are plenty of opportunities but none of them easy. I have just finished mine and I can assure you that it is a very difficult journey, not academically speaking but emotionally speaking. You will operate in a very isolated environment for 3+ years doing something that is very hard to explain even to your supervisors at times (Unless you do one of the highly guided Engineering/science ones). Doing a PhD begins and ends with you.

 

If you WANT to do a PhD than make sure you do it for the right reasons and make sure you do it with someone (supervisor) you actually enjoy working with, it sounds to me like you and your professor (not ex-, they are still your professor as an alumnus but that is technical ) would have been in a constant state of war making it impossible for you to do the PhD.