Are you looking forward to pursuing a PhD? You might be weighing down the merits of each university. Every PhD university has its own culture and environment. So you should gather all information about universities beforehand to avoid nasty surprises. Here is what you should look for.
Equality and diversity
Knowing the commitment of universities towards equality, diversity, and inclusion is extremely essential. You are going to spend years in a university so find out whether your university department takes steps to address gender-based violence. Interrogate association officers and read the prospectus.
Self Funding
Apart from funded and scholarship programmes, some universities allow PhD candidates to apply for self-funded PhD programmes. Before grabbing the self-funded option, you should look out council guidelines to ensure that it would be worthwhile. Talk to your supervisor’s previous scholars. Ask them whether they could complete their programmes, whether they got enough assistance from the university department to conduct research etc.
Paid Employment Policies
Don’t forget to find out the paid employment policy of the university in which you are applying for. Some universities restrict work hours for paid PhD scholars. This might be due to forcing them to accept underpaid work.
Workspace
Look out for workspace and work environment in universities. Some universities provide open-plan space, and some universities provide hot-desking arrangements. Before enrollment in any university you should be aware of workspace and work environment.
Internal Opportunities
Look out for the structured training and assistance for preparing conference papers, writing book reviews, publication strategies etc. Find out what kind of teaching method you are eligible to take. You should also ask about opportunities after thesis submission. Look out for academic positions in universities and also check how many seats have been filled through internal recruitment.
Recruitment
You should seek recruitment data of your university. It helps you know how the PhD recruitment policy responds to PhD scholars. You should look out for the data of past 5-10 years. You will be able to analyse the acceptance rate by PhD scholars. Find out how much PhD scholars have been working under your supervisor, and how long they have been working under him. This will help you know the completion rate.