• Question: How long have you been in university

    Asked by anon-253720 to Debbie on 7 May 2020.
    • Photo: Debbie Daniels

      Debbie Daniels answered on 7 May 2020:

      Hi Elissia! I studied at uni for 8 years in total and have only just finished… so quite a long time! I did undergraduate degree for 3 years, a Research Masters for 1 year and then a PhD for 4 years. I worked as a lab technician for a year in between my undergrad and PhD so it wasn’t all at once. Even though during a PhD you are technically still a student, it feels very much more like a job day-to day. You are also usually get paid what’s called a stipend during a PhD which is like an allowance for living expenses, but it’s comparable to an entry level job salary. So most people are paid to do a PhD rather than an undergrad degree where you are paying to do it using student loans, so quite a different situation!

Comments

  • Photo: Laura

    Laura commented on :

    Hi Elissia! I’ve spent 5 years at university so far: one year doing a General Foundation Year (my A-levels didn’t go particularly to plan), then three years studying Biochemistry and Human Biology, and then another year studying a masters degree in Molecular Medicine. I finished my masters degree last year and I’m now in my first graduate job preparing DNA for sequencing! I would like to go back to univeristy to do a PhD some time in the future. But for now, I am making the most out of learning new skills and developing as a young scientist 🙂

  • Photo: Helena

    Helena commented on :

    Hi Elissia,
    I’ve spent 9 years at university so far but my studying has been a little different to most people’s full time experience of university!
    I did my undergraduate degree full time over 3 years and then got my first job after I graduated. I worked in a school for just under a year before I got a job at the university of Southampton as a research technician. I worked in my technical role for about 3 years before I approached my boss to discuss wanting to apply for a PhD position.
    Usually a PhD takes 3-4 years full time (as Debbie says, it’s more like a full time job than being a student) but I study part time alongside working full time so I have up to 7 years to finish! Mine is slightly different too as because I am paid to work full time at the same place I am doing my PhD, I don’t get paid additionally for my PhD and I have to pay a small amount towards university fees (this is much less than undergraduate fees). I am currently in my 6th year but aim to finish a little early, although that might not happen now we’re in lockdown!

    There’s no one size fits all approach to university and there is no age limits either. I have had friends who took a year out before going to university, friends who went straight from university in to their jobs and have stayed out of further education, and I have colleagues who went straight from school to college to university for their undergraduate degree and then straight into their PhD at university. I also know colleagues who are starting back at university in their late 30’s and early 40’s! 🙂