dangermouse

this is basically what i did last year, and i don't necessarily regret it (i got a couple of offers and was shortlisted for funding at two UK universities, although didn't get it in the end) - but i do think it distracted me from the first term of my MA and made it a lot more stressful than it already was. if it were me, i think i'd devote myself fully to the MA and apply when you intended to - my research interests have changed so much throughout the MA and although i do think i would really enjoy carrying out the research project i wrote my personal statement around, i have SO many more interests and ideas and approaches coming out the other side of the MA. it sounds like it would stress you out more to work towards an application that will always feel 'incomplete', and not one you could throw your full confidence behind. that's just my perspective though and i think there is a good argument for giving it a go, so good luck for whatever you decide!

absolutely! for me, it came down to wanting the extra teaching experience as the main driving factor - in a lot of UK universities, the availability for teaching is a lot less secure and very minimal. the funding is also another factor - so i applied this year and got accepted and shortlisted for funding at a few places, but fell at the very last hurdle, and i much prefer the transparency behind the american system. i'm still applying for a few places in the UK but i really like the US set-up and i think the additional years of the program is much more a pro than a con

i'm finally taking the plunge and publicly announcing my phd application ambitions for this year! i've just graduated with a distinction from oxford in an eighteenth century/romanticism masters; my interests broadly revolve around the interaction between the french revolution and the rise in expatriate writing, and the concept of girlhood and adolescence in life-writing of the era, and i'm spending the summer doing a lot of reading in these areas to flesh out and refine my current research ideas. i'm also just about to move and start a new job so everything is very calm at the moment, as you can imagine!! i'm an international applicant (from england) so am quite daunted by the sheer number and diversity of american schools, but i have a massive spreadsheet and am slowly but surely whittling down my choices - i'm aiming to apply to 5/6 schools in america, and then a couple in the uk as well. GOOD LUCK to everyone on the thread, and if anyone ever wants to chat/scream/question mark about the application process, i am here for it.