Here's an interesting first-hand narrative with what seem useful tips about applying to British doctoral programs. One paragraph caught my attention that may be worth discussing by some of our readers in the know:
"Once you spot the academics of interest as it were, contact them. Many universities urge you not to contact the academics and rather send the application directly to general admissions. Don’t. You may not get an answer by those academics you contact, but you will definitely not get rejected for sending an email. On the other hand, if the academic is really interested she or he might reply back and might actually provide feedback and guidance. In any case, the more feedback the better, and the more familiar your name is to the ‘academic of interest’ the better. Of course, you should not be a spammer. The first email needs to include three short paragraphs: in the first introduce yourself and explain that you want to pursue PhD studies and in the other two (short!) paragraphs give a rough summary of your proposal. Nothing too much, nothing more than 500 words, and say nothing twice. If the academic does not answer the email, send the application anyway but don’t try to contact her/him again."
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