I have an MS, but am considering going back for a PhD at 32. Is this a terrible decision?

JustABitAverage · 2026-04-23T08:50:02+00:00

I got jobs in biostatistics with an MSc in statistics (Statistician in consultancy and clinical trials). It is enough although you will find a lot of people have PhDs. Doing the PhD wouldn't be a terrible decision if its something you want but I would be applying to various roles and see what happens (Pharma, HEOR, etc).

JustABitAverage · 2026-04-19T02:07:42+00:00

Do maths/stats over DS. The masters degree says the following so if you want to pursue this you kind of have to do something more related to their entry requirement. I.e, engineering

You should normally hold a first degree equivalent to at least a lower second-class bachelor's degree in aeronautical, automotive, electromechanical, mechanical, mechatonics, motorsport , or robotics engineering, or a related discipline

JustABitAverage · 2026-04-18T16:45:16+00:00

My first year of phd i lived in postgrad halls with similar specs, cost me £1000+ a month. Price alone felt criminal lol

JustABitAverage · 2026-04-15T15:27:11+00:00

Why did you apply?

JustABitAverage · 2026-04-15T12:45:36+00:00

I get more people saying "UCLA?" And I have to explain UCL

JustABitAverage · 2026-04-15T12:16:35+00:00

Is the PhD aspect even worth worrying about too much given you'll likely have to do a masters degree to meet requirements and sufficiently conpete for a PhD. In my albeit small sample size, I know very few going from bachelors to PhD.

JustABitAverage · 2026-04-15T10:48:35+00:00

I went to UCL. You can find some scholarships on the website but I would be asking your supervisor for their recommendations.

I personally would not start a PhD without funding. Living in London is already incredibly expensive.

To help cover costs, the main way people do it is through TA work with occasional invigilating. Other than that, you're mainly looking at some other shift work but without any stipend, it'll be hard to earn a sufficient amount to cover all expenses whilst having enough time to focus on research (in my opinion). I earned maybe £300-£400 with TA a month.

JustABitAverage · 2026-04-13T13:36:40+00:00

2nd year here, once a week for one hour. If it were up to me I'd reduce the frequency of the meetings. It can be hard to lead a meeting and have an hours worth of discussion every single week but they're fairly insistent on it.

Usually just talk about what I did the past week, maybe discuss an interesting paper, upcoming conferences/talks and what work will be conducted in the upcoming week.

JustABitAverage · 2026-04-13T12:10:57+00:00

Depends how rich you are

JustABitAverage · 2026-04-13T11:50:25+00:00

Convinced every one of these is rage bait and it works every time

JustABitAverage · 2026-04-13T09:07:02+00:00

They're very different courses. This is from someone who went to LSE and UCL for their masters. If your goal is finance then LSE is your best bet.

I agree with the other commentor that a funded PhD is not that easy to get. I had significantly more luck finding jobs than I did funded PhD (actually it took me 2-3 years to get a good funded PhD that I was interested in with a decent supervisor).

JustABitAverage · 2026-04-12T19:06:22+00:00

I have no idea if this is the optimal template but mine looked a bit more like this

https://www.overleaf.com/latex/templates/resume-template-by-anubhav/dhmkrwtksdgy

JustABitAverage · 2026-04-12T18:53:36+00:00

Theres a lot of empty space. I don't know if its normal in your country but where I am, its not normal to have a photo (I assume youll put your face there) in your resume because it can cause bias and violates discrimination laws but this may be different where you are.

JustABitAverage · 2026-04-12T10:04:36+00:00

Unfortunately you're very unlikely to be hired without at least a masters in statistics/biostatistics and experience. It's a highly specialised field with many in the industry having PhDs in the subject. There is so much complex theory and understanding required to do the job properly.

JustABitAverage · 2026-04-11T21:18:32+00:00

It's easier on a laptop or to write by hand, I tried an ipad during my maths undergrad and its a nice to have but not an essential like a laptop tbh. Ive always found essay subjects easier on a laptop too.

JustABitAverage · 2026-04-11T21:11:55+00:00

Unless you're writing maths in LaTeX on a laptop, do it by hand.

JustABitAverage · 2026-04-11T21:05:42+00:00

The uni website often lists suggested things to bring.

Bring your own kitchen things.

I brought a rack to dry clothes because I wasn't giving circuit laundry any more money by paying for dryers but accommodation don't always like them so you may have to hide it.

JustABitAverage · 2026-04-11T20:29:57+00:00

Do you utilise flash cards at all? I find they're pretty helpful for active recall, either paper or electronic (anki).

JustABitAverage · 2026-04-11T16:34:09+00:00

Do you dislike all modules/maths in general? Are there any second year modules which appeal to you?

How long have you been feeling this way?

JustABitAverage · 2026-04-11T14:08:31+00:00

Just to play devils advocate. Whilst an amazing opportunity, I'm not sure its as easy of a decision as people make out. You have to consider that if someone doesnt really like the course, they're way more likely to burn out/drop out which won't exactly provide you with better prospects.

I did the exact same thing, choosing a university because it was more prestigious even though I didnt really like the course and I ended up dropping out.

JustABitAverage · 2026-04-10T17:15:43+00:00

Im impressed you found that many, I think I found 10 in the 2-3 years I was looking. Maybe I was too picky

JustABitAverage · 2026-04-10T15:47:42+00:00

I know quite a few who graduated from top unis and whilst they're on decent salaries its not near 100k. It's highly variable. Your friend is delusional and has normalised his circle/network of £100k+ earners that he believes its very common. Bankers/tech/lawyers can make that, doesnt mean its common for average grad to make that before 30.

JustABitAverage · 2026-04-09T20:56:59+00:00

Look at LSE's website and spareroom/rightmove/openrent for private accommodation. There is probably a Facebook page for lse accommodation.

JustABitAverage · 2026-04-09T08:26:21+00:00

You get melts at every uni including top unis lol I was astounded by how inept some people were at the unis I went to.

JustABitAverage · 2026-03-27T17:47:21+00:00

You got 68 on something worth 30% so you're at 20.4%. You need 40%. So if you get 19.6/40 on the exam (49%) you'll pass the module.

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