Xiaoquan Liu
PhD Finance, 2005
I spent four years in Lancaster, one year on the MSc in Finance and the rest on the PhD in Finance. When I was choosing the Masters programme before coming to England, I knew that I wanted to continue to a PhD. Therefore, academic reputation and strength were what I was looking for.
After one year on the MSc in Finance, I had little doubt that Lancaster was the place to continue with the PhD – I was impressed by the depth of knowledge the lecturers had shown during the course and their responsible and approachable manner towards the students.
“It was a dynamic and close PhD student community, so I never felt I was alone – I was always able to find someone to talk to and hang out with”
During the three years of my PhD research, I benefited tremendously from discussions with my supervisors, who are world-famous scholars in their fields. They are sharp, supportive, always encouraging, and full of ideas. They helped lay a solid foundation for my future academic career. In addition, I was pleasantly surprised to find that much more had been offered apart from excellent supervision. There was a collegial and friendly atmosphere in the department, whereby you can talk to members of the staff and draw from different areas. It was a dynamic and close PhD student community, so I never felt I was alone – I was always able to find someone to talk to and hang out with. The administrative staff in the University, the library, and accommodation offices were always willing to help. There was also the extra bonus that Lancaster University is close to the Lake District, to which I have paid many a visit – I always felt very relaxed and sometimes inspired when I was in Lakeland.
All in all, I had such a wonderful and fulfilling time in Lancaster that I hope my experience would encourage more people to come and enjoy it.
I now work as lecturer in finance with the University of Essex.
