Programme: PhD Social Statistics, School of Social Sciences, University of Manchester
Project Title: Interactions Between Cognitive Traits, Geospatial Context, and Political Ideology
Combining geographic community predispositions and political attitudes with additional quantitative, qualitative, and cognitive measures, this project will develop a detailed and deeply informative profile of the North American political actor, connecting the domains of the individual and the political, the domestic and the societal.
Castlefield Roman Fort, Manchester, UK | Sep 19, 2025
Why a PhD?
I have been orienting myself towards a PhD for a while. I am fortunate to do work that I enjoy. My late father had a PhD in Chemistry, and both my parents encouraged my curiosity and work ethic.
I had a difficult undergraduate experience that culminated in taking a leave of absence. This break helped a lot, and I’m very grateful to my family for their support. I’ve prioritised my well-being going forward.
After graduation, I worked at Northwestern University in research administration; in about a year and a half, I transitioned to the Evanston campus as a full-time lab manager with two psychology labs. In total, I worked at NU for about two-and-a-half years.
Being around so many smart, driven people cemented my desire to pursue an academic career. I had worked with researchers, I had seen both sides of the research process, and I wanted to do it more. I got a couple professional certificates at NU, presented a poster at a conference, and then started my MSc at UOM as my next steps towards a PhD.
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Application process
There are two aspects to a PhD in the UK: programme acceptance and securing funding. Being accepted to a PhD programme does not automatically mean you are funded, and it can be very difficult to find sponsorship. I was used to the North American system where I hadn’t even heard of an unfunded PhD before. Similarly, I applied to a German programme where compensation was part of the package, not a separate process. I have read that the UK’s attitude is that education is a service remitted upon the student, rather than knowledge production being a service provided by the student.
It’s hard to believe last October/November I was cold emailing various projects and lecturers hoping to secure a position. It’s a big decision to be emailing strangers about. I had already done some research into PhD programmes over the past couple years. More than calendar reminders, I even set up automatic emails to myself that would send when applications are open again. That is all to say that I thought very carefully about where I applied.
I want to study human behaviour and attitudes at scale
My partner and I want to live in a city
We want to live abroad as a life experience
I want the institution to be well-regarded with good research impact
I don’t want to do a PhD for 5+ years
About to be rejected | Nov 30, 2025
The programmes ranged from three-to-four years in length. In the end, I only applied to two: Max Planck and UOM. It worked out for me, but I’m not sure I’d recommend it as a general approach. I remember that it was a difficult turnaround because my MSc courses had started in late September 2025. The timing was apparently difficult for a lot of people. I was one of the few in my cohort to even submit an application by the December 1 deadlines.
For the UOM application, I had 10 weeks to find someone accepting PhD students, gotten a response from them, met in person and drafted/redrafted a research proposal. The Max Planck application required rank listing the available mentors, which was another kind of sifting through information. If you have time, I would recommend reading a recent paper associated with your potential supervisor and reading the bios of current students. Both applications required letters of reference, personal statements, and so on.
Max Planck rejected my application in mid-December. I was accepted to UOM around late January. I found out after other application deadlines had passed, so technically that was kind of risky. I was writing first semester finals at the time the LSE application was due and I was already swamped. I decided if I was rejected from UOM as well, I’d (re)apply in the next round rather than stress about trying to do it all at once. All said, a 50% success rate is pretty good.
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Securing Funding
In February 2026, the programme director and my potential advisors helped me apply for studentship funding from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). I had to name some funding opportunities in my programme application, so this wasn’t entirely out of left field, but it was still stressful because the acceptance and application for funding were essentially back-to-back.
My hope was that if my ESRC application is rejected, that I would at least be internally funded by the university. Either way, it’s up to my ideas and qualifications to merit sponsorship on their own. I wasn’t joining an existing project that was already supported, although I know that’s more common in STEM.
Visiting the department courtyard to remember what it’s all for | Feb 25, 2026
I only had a week or two to write out my ESRC Northwest Social Science Doctoral Training Partnership (NWSSDTP) application, which involved revising my research proposal in addition to a personal essay and several thoughtful paragraphs about the programme fit. I treated this as basically a Round 2 interview. I am determined, I’m prepared to work odd hours sometimes, and I can implement feedback well. But I’m also seeing how this department’s researchers respond and give criticism. I found the process quite collaborative and helpful, which was a good sign.
Sidenote: I want to flag this part of the academic work culture. You will think you have all your ducks in a row, and then suddenly a surprise circumstance comes to light and it’s time to grind it out. Sometimes this gets toxic and people get overworked. Look into your local grad union.
On the other end, and which has luckily been my experience so far, these crunch times are balanced with weeks where I basically work part-time. For me, the flexibility is a good trade off.
The NWSSDTP is apparently quite competitive. I knew I was entering into a difficult lottery, but I didn’t really grasp the odds until afterwards. It was people’s reactions that made me check, and online numbers range from 3-10% award rate. My original programme was only 3-years long, but the award is for 3.5. I was told they grant extra time to help ensure that the projects get completed.
I found it reassuring that my previous work experience at Northwestern University seemed to sufficiently outweigh my turbulent undergraduate grades (ranging from Fs to Dean’s Lists). In my personal statements, I always directly addressed these times and talked about what I learned from them. Working through these challenges demonstrates resiliency and resolve. It was nerve-wracking submitting a vulnerable piece of writing to a mysterious council, but I’m really glad I did and that it worked out.
They don’t even know about the ESRC NWSSDTP yet | Apr 3, 2026
In April, a couple days after my wedding, I got the news I was awarded funding! So many strong emotions that week. Our little family had already decided that we were moving to England, but this notification really cemented and actualised that decision.
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In conclusion,
I went into this process confident that even if I didn’t get into a PhD programme, it would all work out. That positive attitude has kept me grounded and I am grateful for the opportunity.
I prioritised my health and sanity over clicking “submit” at a certain time (which sometimes means submitting early!). I intend to keep that as a central pillar in the coming years, understanding that my best work happens when I am my best self.
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