US citizens doing PhDs in the UK

[mallow]

I am wondering if those of you who have applied to PhDs in the UK have received funding and if so how you obtained it - i.e. was it through a US-based grant or an ORS or something else? I have been admitted to a PhD in the UK without funding and one in the US with funding and am wondering if there are good sources that people have found (other than loans) for funding a PhD in the UK. Thanks in advance for any info.

[yoshiko]

Eeek. Which UK school may I ask? I have friends doing PhDs in Edinburgh and they chose to just fund it all on loans, which I think is ridiculous. I would not recommend it because you can't even work many hours with a student visa, thus making no money.

Scholarships are the only way to go for UK funding and from what I hear, they are limited and competitive because most of them are for UK/EU residents and not for US residents. I honestly dont think a UK program without funding could really be better than any US program with funding. When you have funding, you will be a part of the department, working for them, publishing with them , and making more contacts. My friends at Edinburgh hardly know anyone in the department (besides students) because they don't need to take classes and aren't teaching/tutoring. For a PhD program, I wouldn't find that ideal....

[mallow]

Thanks for your reply. Funding all on loans...yikes. I agree that it seems like a pretty bad idea. The school I posted about is Goldsmiths, University of London. I'm waiting to hear from LSE.

[new_to_kin]

FWIW, I would be wary of doing a UK PhD if you intend to teach in the US - because there are no comps the field of knowledge is less wide, plus you might not get the same teaching experience as in the US.

I speak as someone from the Eurpoean system - it's different and IMO not very compatible with the job market in the US

[mallow]

I would like to work in Europe actually, though I would certainly want to have the option of teaching in the US. What I like about the British system is the lack of coursework. I also think it's fair to get the PhD in 3-4 years rather than 5+.

Does anyone have any more info. on possible funding sources? Thanks! just fyi I could not apply for a Marshall Scholarship as I did my MPhil in the UK.