2 Plan your schedule

Most PhD study begins in October, but deadlines are usually much earlier because the application process is protracted, and there will be additional procedures to go through if you are applying for funding. There will be a gap between preparing and submitting an application, and actually starting the PhD. Look at the calendar and decide the earliest date that you might be able to begin, assuming you are successful in all your applications (check Session 1, Section 4 [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] if you’re not sure). You may want to consider what you will do if the gap is substantial. Perhaps you can use extra time to build up your application, for example, by improving your qualifications or gaining some relevant experience.