PHD conundrum

[Dean Bowman]

Dear KineJapan members,

I have been an interested observer on the list for several months now,
but this is the first time i have written anything. I am a graduate of
the MSc programme in Film Studies at the University of Edinburgh.
Currently unemployed and in debt i am already tired of the 'real
world' and am considering the prospect of a PHD on the topic of
Japanese Cinema, which is the thing that interests me most in the
world.

However i am uncertain what opportunities exist and which institutions
are the best places to apply for such a PHD. I guess a lot of you are
already PHD students or professors, so any advice you could give me
would be great. One thing i have considered, for instance, is to study
at SOAS in London where i hear Isolde Standish is a lecturer. Does
anyone have any experience of this department?

Any helpd would be much appreciated, at the moment i feel quite adrift.

Dean