To PhD or not to PhD... THAT is the question

I have been giving a lot of thought to whether or not I want to stay in Cambridge for another three years. Actually, I am pretty certain that I do want to, it is just a question of whether I want to stay badly enough that I am willing to invest considerable time and effort NOW in applying for grants to fund my study. Uck... have I mentioned that grant and scholarship applications are not fun? After last year, when applications were my job, the thought of starting it all over again seems daunting.

But I am happy here, and there is no doubt that if I want to get a PhD, than this is the place and the time to do it.

I was talking with one of my housemates about her PhD research, and I realized that this endeavor would be a massive leap of faith: faith in myself to be disciplined, persistent, optimistic (and healthy!) enough to work independently for three years on a project. I do believe that it can be what you make of it, but I am also certain that I truly have no idea of what I would be signing myself up for.