u/Weekly-Extension8925

I’m 25 now, but I honestly don’t feel like a real adult at all.

Sometimes I feel like I’m still mentally in high school. Maybe it’s because I’ve stayed in school for too long, but a lot of people I went to school with already have stable jobs, and some of them even have their own little families now.

Meanwhile I’m still studying, just kind of drifting through life day by day. I don’t really feel like I’ve taken on many “adult” responsibilities yet, and sometimes my mindset is basically just trying to enjoy myself and get through the day.

I also still have some pretty childish thoughts and habits. Like if I see a slide in a park, I genuinely want to go on it. When I’m with friends, we still mess around, chase each other, joke around and behave like teenagers sometimes.

I know there’s technically nothing wrong with enjoying these things, but when I look at other people my age, I sometimes wonder if I’ve actually grown up at all.

Does anyone else feel like this?

Hello everyone, I have received a fully funded PhD offer in the UK, starting in mid-Sept. I have already received my CAS and I am preparing my Student visa application.

However, I am currently completing an Master degree at a university in Europe. Because of the schedule of my internship, dissertation and defence, there is a possibility that my defence may take place after the PhD registration date.

My original conditional offer only required evidence of English language proficiency. It did not state that completing my current Master’s was a condition of the offer. My CAS also lists my Bachelor’s degree and English test as the evidence used to obtain the offer.

The PhD project’s published essential criteria only require a relevant Bachelor’s degree, while a completed Master’s degree is listed as desirable rather than essential.

However, during the CAS process, a member of the admissions team told me:

“You will need to provide evidence of completion of this Masters before you can register on your PhD. The degree does not need to be awarded, simply that you have submitted/completed all work for it.”

I had already informed them that my current Master’s might only be completed around September, but they later issued my CAS anyway.

By the time of registration, I expect to have completed my internship and submitted my dissertation, but I may still be waiting for the defence or final jury.

Has anyone experienced a similar situation?

Would submitting all the required work normally be considered “completion”, even if the defence has not yet taken place?

Could the university accept a letter from my current programme director confirming that I have completed and submitted all my work and am only waiting for the defence?

Since my offer and CAS appear to be based on my Bachelor’s degree, could the university still refuse registration because my current Master’s has not formally finished?

Has anyone been allowed to register a few weeks late or defer a funded UK PhD to January while keeping the funding?

Thank you very much in advance to anyone who can share their experience or advice !

Hii I am currently doing a Master’s degree in EU at a university ranked around the top 50 in QS. I have received a fully funded PhD offer from another university ranked around 500.

At the beginning of this year, I was not seriously planning to apply for a PhD, so I only applied for this one project because it matched my research interests quite well. I did not expect to receive full funding. However, to be honest, I do not know much about the university, and its ranking is quite low. Because of this, I have been struggling with whether doing a PhD there would have a negative effect on my future.

I also do not really want to wait until next year. My personal situation and immigration status may change by then. I am also very worried about uncertainty, and spending another year without knowing what will happen would cause me a lot of stress.

To be honest, I do not have very high expectations for a PhD, and I do not have very strong academic ambitions. My main goal is to do a PhD to reduce some of the pressure of finding a job. However, I still care a lot about the university ranking. I think I might be able to accept a university ranked around 200, but a ranking around 500 makes me feel quite uncomfortable.

For people who are currently doing a PhD or have already completed one, how much does the overall ranking of the university actually affect future job opportunities? Does doing a PhD at a lower-ranked university have a serious negative impact? Thank you !