PhD Application Process

[Solomon Agbanyo]

Hello

My name is Solomon and I'm new on the forum. I am planning to pursue a PhD degree in Management and Organization Studies. I recently emailed a faculty member in a UK university briefly describing my intentions and research interest. He immediately replied writing that my proposed topic aligns with his research interest, and  that, he would be happy to explore the topic with me. Further, he stated that, he is willing to give me a date and time that he will be available in his office to receive my call. Alternatively, he suggested an appointment with him in his office. However, since I don't live in the UK, we have agreed to have a discussion on phone.

The problem is that, I am not sure what questions to ask him during the discussions. Is it OK to ask the amount of support he can offer me in refining my research questions/research proposal?. What about funding issues? I would be happy to receive your response regarding what relevant questions to pose to him during the discussions. Thank you.

[Solomon Agbanyo]

Hello Eternally...

Thank you for the response. Very insightful.

Thanks once again.

[eternallyephemeral]

Hi Solomon! I applied to Management and Organizations as well (but in the US and Canada, not the UK).

I also spoke to professors (either through Skype or on the phone) before applying. You can definitely ask about your research questions/proposal and where he sees that going. You can ask about his supervisory style, whether you can go to conferences and where his students typically present at/travel to, and other research-related questions.

It's best to look up as much as you can about the administrative stuff (deadlines, funding issues, application procedure) before asking the professor. Usually these things are out of their hands and they don't know much about them. It's not wrong to ask, but they probably won't have a lot of answers for you.

As well, definitely look up the state of funding for international students in the UK, because so far I know it is very dismal. I know many people that get unfunded offers in the UK as international students, but aside from being a Rhodes Scholar, I don't know anyone who received money to study in the UK, even for a PhD. From what I understand, they are having a lot of funding issues, just as public schools in the US are. Those schools often do not have the money to support international students as well, and the one thing I wish I knew before applying was that public schools in the US often don't have money for international students. Of course, you could be a really outstanding exception that is better than any domestic student, and in that case they could prioritize you, but for us average or even above average people, that isn't likely.

Good luck with your interview!