NOTES: Considerations for Choosing Place of Study (1.24)

make sure that there is a good ‘fit’ between your own personal interests and aspiration and the research culture of the School. 
  • Can the kind of research I wish to do be supervised by the current staff with the School/Department? Check the staff supervision interests on the website to find this out. Note here that staff will normally also identify ‘areas for possible PhD supervision’ – these lists might help guide your basic ideas!
  • Does my proposed work fall within the core strengths of the School/Department? Look at the ‘Research’ pages on the website.
  • How big is the existing PhD community within the School/Department and will there be other students doing similar research or with a background similar to mine? Review the ‘Current PhD students’ pages for this information.
other investigations
  • Visit the websites of institutions you are interested in to see if you can find the answers to the questions suggested above.
  • Check the staff supervision interests to find out whether the kind of research you wish to do can be supervised by the current staff with the School/Department.
  • Look at the ‘Research’ pages on the website to see if your proposed work falls within the core strengths of the School/Department.
  • Review the ‘Current PhD students’ pages to see how big the existing PhD community is and whether there are other students doing similar research or from similar backgrounds.

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