Second set of PhD funding possible?

Ferris

I was just wondering if anyone here has been successful in getting PhD funding from a university or research council for a second try at getting a PhD at a different university after the first try went wrong (due to various factors)? Is it possible, or is it something that universities straight out refuse to consider, or against research council rules or something?

celyn90

Yes - the funding isn't usually the issue. I left my first PhD after a year, worked for a year and a half then went back to do another PhD somewhere else - funded by the same research council.

When I left the first one, I wrote to the funding body and asked if I would be eligible for future funding with them - they wrote back and said yes.

The issue you might have is potential supervisors being unwilling to take you on - as you are (as I was) a risk, whatever the circumstances (mine were personal). Be prepared for a tough time proving you are capable, that you are committed and that you really want the position. I found having a years relevant work experience worked massively in my favor, but I really had to work very hard to prove I wasn't a risk; despite having a faultless academic record before leaving the first one and my field not being the most popular in the world. It is the supervisor that you need to convince.

Be prepared to have to explain your choices long into the future too - and if you do, find a clever, concise, professional and baggage-free way of framing it. I learnt that the hard way.

Best of luck. It takes a lot of guts to walk away and start again; but it is doable. cel x

Ferris

celyn90 wrote: »

Be prepared to have to explain your choices long into the future too - and if you do, find a clever, concise, professional and baggage-free way of framing it. I learnt that the hard way.

Thanks for the reply! May I ask what you mean by the bit of your post quoted above?

I'm arguably in a worse position, as I dragged the first PhD out to the very bitter end and beyond, so determined was I to get it done despite my frame of mind being completely shot by events elsewhere. Eventually I simply ran out of time. I realise I should have cut myself off much sooner, but in the moment it's harder to rationalise so well.

As a result of that, if the proposed new supervisor contacts my old department, he will hear nothing but bad reports based on my last few years when it was all falling apart. At the moment, I'm at a very early stage in querying a new PhD, and I haven't mentioned my first attempt to the proposed supervisor. I'm tempted not to mention it at all, but I can see how that would not be a good idea long term! Still, just have to account for that huge period of time on my CV somehow

celyn90

I find that even now I get asked (and it was a while ago!) why I left. I find that a simple keeping it short and honest "it wasn't right for me - I got offered a job and decided to take it" is a more professional way of explaining it than actually going into details. Don't get drawn into long conversations and don't apologise/make excuses/give blow by blow accounts of anything - you need to show you have moved on, hold your head high and talk about what you want from the future. I always work on the principal that people make judgements on news like that in the first few seconds, so don't bother spending more than a few seconds explaining. They will ask if they need to know more.

I wouldn't have got references from my first one either - that was a problem I could get rid of by providing references from more recent employers alongside academic references from previous study. You might find that working for a year might help you.

It is hard, really hard, to walk away from something like that - espeically when you have invested so much.

Is there anything salvagable from the first one - like a PGCert or MPhil? Or if you do have a number of years of work, can you write any of it up for publication to give you someting concrete to show you can perform?

Ferris

celyn90 wrote: »

I find that even now I get asked (and it was a while ago!) why I left. I find that a simple keeping it short and honest "it wasn't right for me - I got offered a job and decided to take it" is a more professional way of explaining it than actually going into details. Don't get drawn into long conversations and don't apologise/make excuses/give blow by blow accounts of anything - you need to show you have moved on, hold your head high and talk about what you want from the future. I always work on the principal that people make judgements on news like that in the first few seconds, so don't bother spending more than a few seconds explaining. They will ask if they need to know more.

I wouldn't have got references from my first one either - that was a problem I could get rid of by providing references from more recent employers alongside academic references from previous study. You might find that working for a year might help you.

It is hard, really hard, to walk away from something like that - espeically when you have invested so much.

Is there anything salvagable from the first one - like a PGCert or MPhil? Or if you do have a number of years of work, can you write any of it up for publication to give you someting concrete to show you can perform?

I agree that not getting dragged into details is probably a better idea, but it's hard to say "I found it just wasn't right for me" when I was well into my fifth year! :rotfl:

Still, good advice. Since leaving the uni I've mainly been self-employed, so no scope for references there, alas. Although I would write myself a brilliant reference

There is very little salavageable from the first one, alas. I presented a preliminary paper at a toy 'student' conference, and submitted several more to journals and conferences without success. I do, however, have two conference publications from my MSc, so that's some (minor) track record.

In the meantime the proposed supervisor has invited me along to visit the department, which is probably positive.

I'm still wondering when to mention the first attempt. I surely can't get away without mentioning it at all... right?