I still can’t believe that I am writing this, but a few minutes ago I accepted my unconditional offer to study for my MPhil/PhD in Modern Languages at the School of Advanced Study, University of London!
My PhD interview with Dr Godela Weiss-Sussex and my future supervisor Dr Joseph Ford was only yesterday – less than 24 hours ago. I didn’t expect to hear back until the end of August, but I am so relieved that I made it.
From October I will be studying for my PhD! My research will be based at the Institute of Modern Languages Research and my topic concerns multiculturalism in Pacific Literature.
I’m actually amazed by how quickly I got this place! I had reached out to my Top 6 University choices (SAS University of London, University of Sussex, Manchester Metropolitan University, University of Leeds, Anglia Ruskin University and University of Birmingham) and all except Birmingham got back to me within less than 24 hours, interested in my project. My future PhD supervisor even gave me feedback on my research proposal within 24 hours of receiving it. And most of that feedback was along the lines of “take out that sentence” or “reword this bit” or “will you also consider xyz?” My application was completed on 30th July (that’s when my last referee sent in a reference) and within three hours of getting the application complete message, I got invited for an interview. My interview by video call was on August 5th at 3pm and on August 6, 2020 at 11.01am I got the following letter:
I got an unconditional offer to my dream PhD programme!!!
Of course I accepted immediately. I get to finish my education in the UK, where it all started with my B.A. in 2007. And because I start in the academic year 2020/21, I will still be classed as an EU student despite Brexit. This was my last chance to study as a Home/EU student in England. It will all be by distance learning, and I am studying part-time to be able to work alongside my studies.
That also means that I will be crazy busy over the next 6 (yes, six!!) years and I get to dust off my blogging skills! I’ll be learning even more about researching at doctoral level, I will read a lot of Pacific / Pasifika Literature and as always, I will be writing; both academic and creative. And I’m sure that I will have a lot to share while studying for this PhD!
So, let’s pop open a bottle of bubbly, because there’s every reason to celebrate! I’m the very first in my family to be admitted to a PhD programme! I just wish my grandparents could have seen me reach this milestone.
