I know who you are...
IIRC, you're at the end of your second year. That's a good time to start thinking about your next move.

If it's an academic career you want, there's no two ways about it: you need a PhD. You know Margot Brazier? She's one of the world's best medical lawyers, an honorary QC... and she wouldn't even be called for interview now because of her lack of PhD. I know someone else who has a Cambridge double-first, a Harvard MA and 4 years teaching at Harvard, and who was told by Manchester that it wouldn't even be worth her while filling in an application form.

Now: since you're a humanities type, the chances of you getting on to a PhD without experience at Masters' level is low. It can be done in the sciences, but not arts and humanities unless you're on track for a good first - and even then, the change in culture is such that you'd find the transition difficult.

Now: the difference between MA, LLM, MRes, MPhil and so on is... well... baffling. MA and LLM degrees are largely taught, and demand (usually) a dissertation by independent research of around 15-20k words, depending on where you go and the subject. An MRes is slightly more orientated to research, although that might be a research project as one of the course units.

MPhils are - usually - almost entirely research based. As such, they have a slightly higher prestige than an MA. Usually, they'll involve some kind of taught component as well in research methods, or as a leg-up. Having said this, Birmingham offers a "taught" MPhil - the so-called MPhil(B) - which has a slightly higher taught aspect. In general, though, your main assessment would be by dissertation - somewhere around the 30-40k word mark, generally. MPhils are usually done over 2 years, though they can be done in one.

On top of that, Oxford offers the BPhil. I've no idea what one of those is.


Now: funding. Funding at M-level is hard to get. It's hard to get at D-level as well. I did my MSc and the first year of my PhD self-funded (well: doddery-grandmother funded, but you get the picture). I got a fellowship from the Royal Institute of Philosophy for the second and third year of the PhD, which was worth £5000 each time. Clearly, that's not enough: more than half of that was needed to pay for registration.

If you can get AHRB funding, then go for it. Pester your tutors for help in framing your application. Bear in mind, too, that there are other sources of funding: given that you're a lawyer, there is, I think, a body specifically devoted to funding female law postgrads. There are various charities and things - again, being a girl, you might benefit here. Go and pester the careers service. It's what they're for.

Funding will be easier to get in the second and subsequent years of PG life - you'll've proven your bona fides, and others'll've dropped out, reducing the competition.

Occasionally, there are funded M-level studentships advertised. Sign up to email listservs for news of them - I'm not sure what the lawyers' one is, but I'll find out and gaz you.

There are other ways to save and make money - once you're a postgrad, there'll be opportunities to teach and mark, which pay. Also, consider being a supervisor in halls - that makes for cheaper accommodation.


Is it worth it? Well, I was almost 30 before I was earning minimum wage - in fact, I didn't even earn enough to pay tax before that. An academic career is a very hard treadmill to mount. On the other hand, the fact that I went so long earning so little is testament to the fact that I think it's worth doing. There are times when it's horrible - but there are times when it's fabulous. The pay is reasonable once you get it, and the conditions and hours, I've found, are pretty good too. There'll be times when you're up into the small hours - and there'll be times when you've got weeks ahead of you with nothing to do but to write a kick-ass paper on a problem that fascinates you.

Yep: it's scary. You do have to be a little...erm... different to be an academic. But, look at it this way. We could all be earning much more money as lawyers or accountants - but we aren't. We're here because we love what we do. (I even love teaching.... Christ!) We love pointing to stuff on a blackboard and saying, "Have you seen this? Isn't it cool?"

If that's you, then go for it.

And, come September, start pestering your lecturers. Failing that, you know where my office is (or at least how to find it). Finally, keep pestering people like me, CHCB, Rakky, K2k6, Negative Armadillo, and the rest of the b3ta academics. We don't bite - we suck.
( Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Thu 21 Aug 2008, 10:13, Reply)