Exploring a place which needs to be appreciated.

I am very comfortable and happy at the place I am right now. My guide is one of the kindest and smartest human being I have come across. The university is also helpful in its own ways. The timings for a phd student are flexible hence it's easier to work according to your comfort. the labs are open till 11 pm so its good to carry out work.

I do not have any course per se. I have to submit an annual report of my workk along with a short presentation indicating my results so far. we do get opportunities to present our work in conferences and webinars where other researchers put their valuable points which makes the work worth it. we also collaborate with people to enhance the quality of the work.

I am carrying out my PhD under Prof. Angel Armesilla. I think he is the most patient and loved faculty in biomedical and pharmacy dept. He has allocated days for every student and each student has to present data every week on the allocated day. We have Monday meeting to discuss general issues and place work orders for the entire group. another person who has been helpful throughout is Dr. Vinodh Kannapan, he chose me for the student exchange and works as a honorary research associate in the university. he is very genuine, friendly and always explains things which are difficult to understand. I always approach to him if necessary.

The university has huge campus, with good wifi availability and a 3-floored library with all advanced books. it also has a sports centre to play badminton, tennis and much more. the PGR society ( postgraduate research) arranges events every alternate weekend like movie nights, get-togethers and dances as well. Student union is very active. Events are held all around the year. every laboratory is well established.

we have a careers placement where they guide you for jobs. No placement is provided. but options are offered. As PhD is the highest level of education, the people doing this is very less (about 2%). The pay rate is good between 35000-40000GBP/annum. Recession might bring some issues but if you are good and your profile is strong, you will land a job

I do not live on campus. I have rented a shared apartment near the university. I pay 475 GBP/month for a double room where bills are included. it ranges from 400-550 for a double room based on the area. Single room is cheaper which has a single bed. Usually bills are included which includes water, electricity, council tax. Apartment renting is good than university as they are cheaper and cleaner/hygienic as on university accommodation, bathrooms are shared.

IELTS 7.5 minimum, with each section no less than 6.5. A valid ATAS letter from Govt. of UK. I had to submit a CV and a SOP about why I am the best candidate for this position.SOP should be a reflection of who you are and what you desire. Mention the best points about yourself and why are you eager for this position. I did not have to give any LOR as I was already in this university as an Exchange student from India completing my dissertation. Interview round: I gave an interview with a panel of researchers. I was asked to make a 15 minutes presentation on what I can bring to the table for the advertised project if I was chosen. I basically had to give ideas on how my 3 year's of lab work should be and what methods I can go for that are relevant to the topic. I read about the topic in depth and tried taking help from YouTube to understand intricate topics as this project was something that intrigued me but I had very basic knowledge of it.

as I mentioned, I need to pay the international difference which is about 10,000 GBP/year for first 3 years. Last year is writing up so I need to pay 1000 GBP for that.

I received partial funding from the university which means my Bench fees were paid by the university and I had to pay the difference between the international and local student. This position was opened for a partial studentship for anyone who applies for it so I did not have to write any special thank you for the University.