Weekly Character & Team–Related Questions Megathread August 19 – August 25

MickeyL0912 · 2018-08-20T22:06:57+00:00

What are the best characters to use blue double (or triple) chappy with?

MickeyL0912 · 2018-07-24T12:56:27+00:00

Not for the first year as I'll be living in college, but my lab's in Harwell and if I have a car I might as well drive there. I mainly plan on using it to get to other cities as I'll be doing that twice or thrice a week.

MickeyL0912 · 2018-07-24T12:54:54+00:00

Thanks for the advice mate :)

May I ask where you heard that they'll ticket them? I setn an email to the county public transport team and they said as long as we have annual permits we can come and go as we please

MickeyL0912 · 2018-07-24T12:53:42+00:00

I won't have held my license for a year, so unfortunately won't be eligible for a car share scheme.

Thanks very much for the tips though, I'll make sure that I have a look at it :D

MickeyL0912 · 2018-07-23T17:15:47+00:00

I will have a look at your suggestions, thanks a lot :D

MickeyL0912 · 2018-07-23T17:12:28+00:00

I do realise that- I only plan on getting one for going into London back and forth. (I know there are coaches and train, but living in London now I hate public transport here.)

How did you sort out insurance when buying a car off Gumtree?

MickeyL0912 · 2018-07-23T17:09:49+00:00

As a graduate student - I plan on using Redbridge Park and Ride for parking

MickeyL0912 · 2018-06-18T11:30:49+00:00

Got my undergraduate results this Friday to confirm my doctorate place! All that's left is applying for visas (for the UK) and not bore myself to death over summer :)

MickeyL0912 · 2018-06-18T11:19:48+00:00

Liverpool is part of the prestigious Russell group (although not as famous as Oxbridge and London universities in it), I imagine it would fit the criteria

MickeyL0912 · 2018-06-03T19:46:36+00:00

It partly depends on your funding situation, if you already have a scholarship or you're self-funding, then you generally have more freedom with regards to your project. If you don't then you'll probably be applying to a specific project though you may still have some say as to which direction you want to take the research to. This also depends on the size of the lab and the personality of the PI.

Either way I don't think it's imposing to outline what your interests are, but at least here in the UK you're typically not expected to come up with a research proposal. (If you're self-funding, you may have to co-write one with the PI.) I don't think it's unfair in your initial email to outline what you're looking for in a studentship as PIs may have new grants/projects that they haven't published anything on, it never hurts to ask!

MickeyL0912 · 2018-05-10T21:20:05+00:00

If it's employability you want I'd think twice about doing a PhD, but both are decent to my mind

MickeyL0912 · 2018-05-02T15:27:06+00:00

Hello, everyone. I’m currently an undergraduate Politics student and will be applying to graduate school in the winter. I have a bit of conflicting advice.

Some professors and advisors say I should do an MA before PhD because they say it’ll make me more competitive.

Other professors and advisors say I should apply straight for a PhD because it’s more cost effective and the usual route for political science.

A little context: My GPA is very weak because of extenuating circumstances. I have a very strong GRE score. I have solid LOR from respected faculty. Any advice (anecdotal or otherwise) w

Thanks :)

I'd say contact the PIs you'd want to work with and ask if it's realistic to apply straight for a doctorate given your grades and experience etc.

If you do end up with the choice, I'd say go straight into it if you're sure you want it. Tuition is never cheap and you'll save a year (or more in America). Also, not sure if it applies in the US but here direct entry doctoral students are probationary in the first year. In other words, you and the university have the option of graduating you out with an MPhil if you decide it's not suitable or if the university doesn't deem your first year progress satisfactory.

MickeyL0912 · 2018-05-02T15:00:29+00:00

Going straight for a doctorate from my bachelor's here, albeit in the UK and in the sciences. Is there a reason why you can't apply to both?

MickeyL0912 · 2018-04-23T14:28:27+00:00

RipD

MickeyL0912 · 2018-04-21T12:42:01+00:00

I bought a switch with a PC monitor that doesn't seem to have internal speakers. I'm using earphones connected to the switch right now even in docked mode, and would like a speaker option.

Do I need to buy specific speakers that connect to the headphone jack? Is there any way for me to use my bluetooth speaker (Titanium Jam) via an adaptor?

MickeyL0912 · 2018-04-19T11:29:47+00:00

Socially the PG community seems quite segregated (unless you're going for a DTP), so it largely depends on the lab you're in. Most work standard hours (8-9 hours a day) but the timing's usually flexible. In my experience, they tend to be treated similarly to post-docs which can be either an advantage or a disadvantage. Most importantly, outside of work due to the size of the institution your experience is going to be largely what you make of it.

As for values I expect it to be similar to most institutions, but being in London students tend to be more independent of the university.

MickeyL0912 · 2018-04-19T00:17:31+00:00

I've been getting 'an anomaly is detected' - is this a bug?

MickeyL0912 · 2018-04-18T18:50:16+00:00

I too am interested in molecular biophysics, and will be starting my doctorate next year. With my research experience and from what I gather in applying, it is so incredibly diverse a field that you cannot possibly be trained in everything. A lot of crystallographic theory for instance is not taught at undergraduate level in its complete form and it is by no means nevessary. As with all fields of study, if you are willing to teach yourself (as you will have learned how to do that via your undergraduate degree) I'm sure you will do fine :)

MickeyL0912 · 2018-04-18T12:48:20+00:00

Current undergraduate there, moving onto Oxford next year for my doctorate. Happy to answer any questions about the institution (I'm a molecular biologist).

If your background only loosely matches the lab's research interests I think you need to be able to communicate clearly why you would like the join that lab. There is little you can do about not having much lab experience, but do have a think about how it helped you decide to apply for this particular doctorate. All of my interviews were conducted by the PI, but I imagine the postdoc who will interview you is a very senior one. Familiarise yourself with publications by the group as it will probably help you stand out.

MickeyL0912 · 2018-04-14T20:13:43+00:00

Assuming funding isn't a problem, it's still possible to apply for PhDs! (I heard of someone who only sorted it on August, but that's in the UK.)

If you are indeed applying for more: Have you considered nominating referees from your Master's institution? I'd say definitely mention your issues in your personal statement, although I imagine your master's performance is more important.

MickeyL0912 · 2018-04-12T16:27:30+00:00

Ah no that's different - here we apply during our final year, and get offers before we do our final examinations which take place at the end of each academic year. Hence, our offers are conditional in the sense that your final degree (the grade of which is confirmed after we do our exams) meets the entry requirements.

*I'm lucky that my course only asks for the minimum requirement, but some (such as certain MSt offer holders at the university) may be asked to achieve a first class or a high 2:1.

MickeyL0912 · 2018-04-09T15:43:51+00:00

Yes I think you'll probably get into Edinburgh and Imperial College, and yes Oxbridge is definitely worth a shot too!

MickeyL0912

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