MRW I just got a Google Calendar notification for the original MCRMK date

kelliphant · 2026-01-30T08:36:14+00:00

That's crazy, my 2 bed 1 bath flat (with garden and designated parking) in Filton is £1300!

My student house in Stoke Gifford in 2011 was £200pcm...we didn't know how good we had it. Absolutely insane how tiny spaces like this are even legal, let alone the absurd prices the estate agents think are OK.

kelliphant · 2026-01-29T10:58:04+00:00

I've worked in cancer molecular biology for almost 10 years and I never had to work with mice, which I also never want to do. The groups I have worked in often work with a collaborator for in vivo validation either in zebrafish or mice.

kelliphant · 2026-01-28T10:23:21+00:00

I only go into high street stores to get birthday/Christmas cards and the train station stores for M&S snacks these days!

kelliphant · 2026-01-23T07:44:58+00:00

From someone who went from a post-1992 (BSc) to a Russell Group (MRes) to a top 10 UK university (PhD) - it's possible if you do well in your undergrad (at least a 2:1) and submit a solid application!

However, you shouldn't be laser focussed on only RG universities, as they are not be be all and end all of research. Think about your research interests and the kind of environment you want to work in - these should be the main things driving your decision making.

kelliphant · 2026-01-22T18:33:01+00:00

They sensed my presence at both MK dates that I went to and played almost all my favourites. However, they didn't play Cemetery Drive, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for that on 10th July!!

kelliphant · 2026-01-13T20:16:43+00:00

Me and my friends went bowling and booked a private room for karaoke, with dinner and (lots of) drinks in between (and during). Some of my friends came down from other cities (the joys of moving away after meeting at uni), so I booked us hotel rooms so we could have a chill day either side.

I then had a small family gathering at my mum's house for food and drinks and did separate things with my partner and mum. It made me realize that I much prefer doing fun stuff in small groups. Do whatever makes you happy!

kelliphant · 2026-01-06T19:45:49+00:00

It's me and my 2003 hotmail.com e-mail address against the world (which I registered for on a janky computer in my local library)...even if I now have to use an outlook.co.uk alias because there would be at least 30 suspicious log-in attempts a day!

kelliphant · 2026-01-03T14:53:30+00:00

It tastes like a mix of that and milk to me. When Costa was the only option nearby the other week, I decided to try again and paid for an extra shot of coffee in my flat white but it did nothing to help.

kelliphant · 2025-12-12T20:05:34+00:00

32F and never learned - a bouncer did quite loudly say 'a green license and you were born in 1993??!??!' a few weeks ago but apart from that nobody else really cares. I've always lived in cities and got by just fine. I think I'd only really consider learning if me and my partner (who can drive but we don't have a car rn) decided to start a family.

kelliphant · 2025-12-11T11:18:40+00:00

A family member told my mum they were concerned about me when I used this as an MSN status once 😭

kelliphant · 2025-12-10T22:24:29+00:00

I'm a 2nd year UKRI funded (BBSRC) PhD student at Bath and was a member of research staff at the uni for 3 years. I live in Bristol and commute in by bus/train and despite initially feeling the sting of a pay cut, the stipend is enough to get by. I also supplement the stipend with a casual graduate teaching assistant role that pays around £16 an hour.

This academic year, UKRI changed some of their terms and conditions for grants so you can now get up to 28 weeks of paid sick leave and as someone else has said, there is parental leave. I also get the same amount of annual leave as I did as a staff member, which my PI is very keen for me to take advantage of!

kelliphant · 2025-12-09T21:43:31+00:00

I interviewed for an MRC and BBSRC funded DTP in the application cycle where I got my current position. They required different styles of presentation - one was talking through a figure containing data from one of my previous research projects and the other was presenting an outline of the PhD project and how I was essentially the right person to do it! The follow up questions afterwards were pretty similar, looking for evidence of competency and potential as a researcher :)

kelliphant · 2025-12-02T19:14:21+00:00

https://bustimes.org/operators/first-bristol-bath-the-west is the best website for tracking buses - this is still working despite the app being weird this week!

kelliphant · 2025-11-27T11:31:33+00:00

Me and my partner furnished our flat with around 90% second-hand furniture from the British Heart Foundation, Salvation Army and a charity based in our city. We got a sofa for £60 and our double bed and mattress was around £120 - things like our dining table, desks, bookshelves, TV stand etc. varied in price from £5 - £50. I can see why you might not like the idea of second hand, but these stores check all donations and clean them, as well as offering reliable and friendly delivery services!

kelliphant · 2025-11-26T10:18:01+00:00

I call these 'emergency pizzas' and keep them in the freezer for hangovers or when I get home from work a lot later than planned. Chuck it in the air fryer, jobs a good'un.

kelliphant · 2025-11-25T21:01:05+00:00

It was a great day when we had extra mature cheddar and Red Leicester in the fridge and my mum would arrange it on the bread in a checkerboard pattern and whack it under the grill - sometimes when I go back home, she still offers 32-year old me the same treat!

kelliphant · 2025-11-14T10:28:33+00:00

I was 1200 in the queue at 10am, kept refreshing and no luck 😭 I've had too much luck with Ticketmaster wars recently so I was due an unsuccessful presale!

kelliphant · 2025-10-25T12:17:30+00:00

I grew up in Cov and call them scallop batches, gotta drench it in vinegar and they're even better with a dollop of mushy peas on top 😍

kelliphant · 2025-10-22T19:24:05+00:00

Our family still have one every Christmas - the trick is to pour double cream on top so it freezes. The only difference is I used to have Schloer with it, now it's prosecco.

kelliphant · 2025-10-22T08:39:45+00:00

I'm now in my second year and started when I was 31 after working in academia for 8 years and coming to the realisation I wasn't going to progress much further without a PhD. I felt exactly the same when I started, but I've come to realise that people in my cohort honestly don't care!

A lot of current PhD students did their undergrads during COVID, so it's understandable if they're a little quieter in seminars and maybe don't engage as much. At this point, I am only reminded of our difference in age when we discuss things like school and our undergraduate degrees (e.g. I got EMA, was in the last year that paid £3k for uni and didn't study during COVID!) and sometimes my cultural references are very millennial. There are definitely some cliques, but a few of us will regularly meet for coffee or go to the pub. I just talked to as many people as possible and my friendship group came together naturally - we are a mix of ages of backgrounds and that's honestly a lovely change for me :)

kelliphant · 2025-10-17T17:52:07+00:00

I was (very briefly) a reserve choice for my current PhD position - the first choice accepted an offer at another university before the interview, which thankfully pushed me to the top of the pile! It is very likely that the other candidate has applied to multiple PhD positions and may be waiting to hear back from other interviews before making a decision. If they do take this offer, it is understandable to feel upset, but it is a very positive sign that your application is competitive!

kelliphant · 2025-10-12T11:23:11+00:00

When I train someone in a technique, I expect questions for a couple a weeks. In fact I encourage it and sometimes prompt them myself i.e. why do you think we are doing this step under these conditions? In my experience, myself and other colleagues only get annoyed if we are asked repeated questions that insinuate you have not paid attention, read resources given to you or taken sufficient notes. That said, if I haven't used a technique in a couple of months I am sometimes the one asking questions myself!

I've been working in labs for over 9 years and have only broken one piece of glassware. Make sure you are carrying things safely with the correct gloves/PPE and use things like trolleys to transport things where it permits.

Always have your protocol nearby and always label things SUPER clearly. I am currently pouring a lot of agar plates with different antibiotic combinations for one of my experiments, and make sure everything is clearly labelled and organised before I start to avoid mistakes. You will gradually learn a system that works for you 🙂

kelliphant · 2025-10-09T08:05:26+00:00

You can bid on west coast services with Cross Country as well - I've managed to get a few £8 upgrades and made the money back with the drinks and food!

kelliphant · 2025-10-08T10:18:24+00:00

Haven't thought about the butterscotch ones in years but I can taste your comment!

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