Doing A PHD/Academic Research In London

[yyaldrin]

So I have read more than once that in the end people have found it rewarding, despite all of their struggles (depressions and all). But isn't this obvious, I mean after years of solitary existence, days and nights of reading will one really admit it wasn't worth it? I'm not saying these people are lying but what about the possibility of some sort of psychological process, what if these people have convinced their self that it was worth it? Of course we cannot exclude the possibility of it being rewarding and positive, I'm just saying, might be something to think about.

 

[Mr. Tea]

You don't know man, you weren't there...

*thousand-yard stare*

 

[baboon2004]

@ yyaldrin, i think that's highly valid. in a linked thought, i also noticed during my Masters the propensity of people (talking generally, and not casting aspersions on anyone here) to want to suffer in order to get a sense of achievement from their work. That was at Masters level, which wasn't properly stressful by any yardstick, whereas PhD objectively must be - so how much greater the tendency to link indulge the link between suffering and achievement/the sense that 'it's worth it'. Actually, the causal link int he opposite direction is what you're talking about - that achievement must be vaunted in order to validate the suffering, so runs both ways.

Basically, this society, as infused with the spirit of Christian religions as it is, encourages a link between the two, is all I'm saying.

 

[Mr. Tea]

Basically the academic version of the 'tortured artist' trope we're so used to in poetry, fiction and music, then?

 

[baboon2004]

In terms of the Masters? Different insofar as it's people judging their own achievement in this case, rather than the judging of others (as occurs with fans judging artists by this yardstick, rather than artists judging themselves; or at least in art it occurs both ways around) - when I realised this and how I'd behaved similarly in the past but couldn't be bothered any longer, it enabled me to have a better summer than the people who indulged their suffering, by all accounts (working on Saturday nights, chaining themselves to the library, foregoing new relationships etc etc, all of which were totally unnecessary).

 

[Mr. Tea]

All my hair fell out during the latter stages of my not-quite-PhD. However there was other stuff going on too. I'm OK now, mostly. *twitches*

 

[viktorvaughn]

I went to London over the weekend for New Year's Eve and its actually one of the first times I've gone and ended up thinking that I'd like to live there. Maybe my seratonin levels had just gone dippy, but I don't think so.

As for the PHD - thanks for all your advice (more wouldn't go amiss of course), I'm going to ring up the AHRC today and email a supervisor at UCL with my rag-tag 'thesis proposal' and see what they say. As far as I can tell by looking at the AHRC website (which I don't really understand 90% of, probably not a good sign) most people end up getting about 15 grand. Since their PDF for maintenance predicts London as at least 16 grand, this seems like another bad sign. But I'm probably reading the signs wrong. Hopefully a phone call will sort things out.


Once I find out how much I might conceivably be able to get I'll report back here and see if it sounds like pittance. I suppose I might just try and work in London for a year or so and see if I still want to do it after that...

can't comment on phd but as a place yes just go for it. as long as you've got mates and dissensus for your cultural/dining tips you're good to go!

 

[4linehaiku]

If you come to London I'll buy you pint.

 

[Corpsey]

Thanks all for the advice, I'm going to read through it all and carefully consider it. I'm certainly beginning to feel more and more that it might be something worth delaying, if not indefinitely.

I'm feeling pretty convinced about moving to London anyway.