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The Official Funding questions/moans/possible joy Thread

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after 4 rejections, finally success - Nottingham have just offered me ESRC funding. Am currently trying not to bounce too much around my office. Good luck to everyone still waiting to hear :-)
Reply 501
Original post by flying plum
after 4 rejections, finally success - Nottingham have just offered me ESRC funding. Am currently trying not to bounce too much around my office. Good luck to everyone still waiting to hear :-)


Congratulations :smile:
thanks :smile:
Reply 503
Hi folks,

Been stalking for ages, and waiting nervously, but I got offered one of the AHRC BGP scholarships at Oxford a couple of days ago (I was a reserve candidate...) - but then today I got rejected for the one at Sheffield. I have no idea how they make their choices, it seems completely arbitrary! But good luck to anyone still waiting.

Also, in my weeks of panic, I also looked at a lot of the charitable trusts. There are quite a few if your parents are in any of the public services (my dad is a police man, this is how I found that...!).
Original post by Queenie!
Hi folks,


Also, in my weeks of panic, I also looked at a lot of the charitable trusts. There are quite a few if your parents are in any of the public services (my dad is a police man, this is how I found that...!).


Currently in my weeks of panic at the moment - feeling less and less confident about AHRC funding! Just wondered how you went about finding the opportunities for charitable trust funding? Have attempted a search but not really sure where to begin... well done on the AHRC bgp!
Reply 505
Original post by eighteenSmiles
Currently in my weeks of panic at the moment - feeling less and less confident about AHRC funding! Just wondered how you went about finding the opportunities for charitable trust funding? Have attempted a search but not really sure where to begin... well done on the AHRC bgp!


In our library there are books of charitable organisations, and post graduate funding. There are some for worldwide, and some for UK only. If you ask your librarian, I'm sure they'll be able to help you out. I'd imagine they're in a communal/reference area...
Original post by eighteenSmiles
Currently in my weeks of panic at the moment - feeling less and less confident about AHRC funding! Just wondered how you went about finding the opportunities for charitable trust funding? Have attempted a search but not really sure where to begin... well done on the AHRC bgp!


See if your uni has a copy of the Alternative Guide to Postgraduate Funding (http://www.gradfunding.co.uk/), which gives some good advice on where to start. Then, if you're at Uni at the moment, see if your library or careers service has copies of:

The Grants Register
Directory of Grants Making Trusts

these might be in your local library if you don't have access to Uni facilities.

There is also this: http://www.grantsforindividuals.org.uk/Default.aspx, but you have to pay, and it's a bit steep (unless you can get a group of people together).

Good luck!
Original post by Queenie!
Hi folks,

Been stalking for ages, and waiting nervously, but I got offered one of the AHRC BGP scholarships at Oxford a couple of days ago (I was a reserve candidate...) - but then today I got rejected for the one at Sheffield. I have no idea how they make their choices, it seems completely arbitrary! But good luck to anyone still waiting.


well done! silly Sheffield, don't know what they're missing :wink:
I managed to get a copy of the worldwide grants books pretty cheap from Amazon - it was an ex-library book from America.

The Guide to Education Grants 2011/12 has just been released but costs about £70 +. A lot of the information is also in The Educational Grants Directory 2009/10 which is about £40+ for a new/nearly new copy.
Reply 509
The MA I applied to didn't have separate funding application, but considered all applications for funding. I received my offer letter for the course a few days ago, but there was no mention of funding. Does that mean I didn't get it, or does the rejection/approval letter come later? The funding would be from the department itself, not AHRC.

I'll ring the school next week, but it'd be nice to know for definite, so I can start looking into other sources!
Reply 510
Original post by avalon
The MA I applied to didn't have separate funding application, but considered all applications for funding. I received my offer letter for the course a few days ago, but there was no mention of funding. Does that mean I didn't get it, or does the rejection/approval letter come later? The funding would be from the department itself, not AHRC.

I'll ring the school next week, but it'd be nice to know for definite, so I can start looking into other sources!


Most offers are given out independently of funding; you will receive a decision on that later on.
Hi,

I got an offer for MSc Latin American Studies at Oxford University. I come from Slovakia and I have been resident in the UK for the past three years (doing an undergraduate degree at University of Bath).

Could you please give me any advice on how to obtain some funding? I have run out of ideas by now unfortunately. Anything would be helpful, even loans that I would be eligible for. But if you know of any scholarships I might be able to get, that'd be even better!

Thanks a lot,

Simona
Reply 512
got told i had been awarded the AHRC full funded award at UCL (full confirmation letter addressed specifically to me, dated etc.) only to then receive an e-mail three weeks later - (after i had accepted!!) - saying that it had been sent 'in error' and i was actually first reserve.

pretty crushed/furious!

now holding out hopes for funding at the Courtauld Institute but pretty unlikely seeing as its top in UK :frown:
Original post by jenny121
got told i had been awarded the AHRC full funded award at UCL (full confirmation letter addressed specifically to me, dated etc.) only to then receive an e-mail three weeks later - (after i had accepted!!) - saying that it had been sent 'in error' and i was actually first reserve.

pretty crushed/furious!

now holding out hopes for funding at the Courtauld Institute but pretty unlikely seeing as its top in UK :frown:


oh well that's just *******s! cross your fingers - that person may still turn the place down if they get funding somewhere else.

really rubbish on UCL's part though - I hope they were suitably repentant!
Reply 514
Original post by simona.hrncirikova
Hi,

I got an offer for MSc Latin American Studies at Oxford University. I come from Slovakia and I have been resident in the UK for the past three years (doing an undergraduate degree at University of Bath).

Could you please give me any advice on how to obtain some funding? I have run out of ideas by now unfortunately. Anything would be helpful, even loans that I would be eligible for. But if you know of any scholarships I might be able to get, that'd be even better!

Thanks a lot,

Simona


First of all congrats mate for getting admission. Now, If I am not wrong Slovakia is a member of EU, if yes then call barclays & ask them for loan otherwise I tried direct.gov.uk and got nothing from them for my postgraduate finance.
(edited 12 years ago)
Reply 515
I'm gutted. I just found out that I've been given '2nd reserve' status for ESRC funding to study my dream PhD. I've been waiting 3 months to hear the outcome and I was hoping for better news than that :frown:

My question is - has anyone ever been on the reserve list for a PhD and if so, what was the outcome? Do you think I even stand a chance?

I just can't imagine - knowing how difficult it has been for me to try to secure funding - that 2 people will turn down their offers :frown:

Also, does anyone happen to know how long the reserve list for ESRC funding usually is? I mean, do they only have 2 reserves, or do they have loads?
(edited 12 years ago)
Reply 516
Original post by DawnB
I'm gutted. I just found out that I've been given '2nd reserve' status for ESRC funding to study my dream PhD. I've been waiting 3 months to hear the outcome and I was hoping for better news than that :frown:

My question is - has anyone ever been on the reserve list for a PhD and if so, what was the outcome? Do you think I even stand a chance?

I just can't imagine - knowing how difficult it has been for me to try to secure funding - that 2 people will turn down their offers :frown:

Also, does anyone happen to know how long the reserve list for ESRC funding usually is? I mean, do they only have 2 reserves, or do they have loads?

Hmm, I think it's impossible to say, really. Essentially you have to hope that several people will pull out of their ESRC grant because they've been given more attractive funding offers. But there may not be very many of those, they may not go to people who have already been successful with the ESRC, and even if they do, those people might decide to go with the ESRC anyway.:dontknow:
If I were you, I'd probably remain cautiously hopeful, but I wouldn't count on it...
Reply 517
Original post by hobnob
Hmm, I think it's impossible to say, really. Essentially you have to hope that several people will pull out of their ESRC grant because they've been given more attractive funding offers. But there may not be very many of those, they may not go to people who have already been successful with the ESRC, and even if they do, those people might decide to go with the ESRC anyway.:dontknow:
If I were you, I'd probably remain cautiously hopeful, but I wouldn't count on it...


Thanks. I know I can't second-guess it really, so I guess the waiting game continues :frown:

You said I have to hope that several people pull out - does that mean '2nd reserve' status doesn't mean that I'm the 2nd person in line? Is '1st reserve' not one person but a whole list of people before me? I hope not :frown:
Reply 518
Original post by DawnB
Thanks. I know I can't second-guess it really, so I guess the waiting game continues :frown:

You said I have to hope that several people pull out - does that mean '2nd reserve' status doesn't mean that I'm the 2nd person in line? Is '1st reserve' not one person but a whole list of people before me? I hope not :frown:

I don't really know about the workings of the ESRC, sorry.:frown: Personally I'd read '1st reserve' and '2nd reserve' as categories in which they place applicants whose applications they thought strong enough to be given a grant if possible. I may well be wrong about this, though, so you'd better wait for a more qualified reply...
I know several people who've gotten funded as ESRC first reserve because it's not uncommon for people to get a couple of offers if their proposal really hits the spot, especially in less popular subjects. People can also move around quite late as offers come in. It's a bit less hopeful if you're second in the queue but it depends on the number of places they have funded - if they have five funded places, say, that's 7 people who might move around, I.e. Quite likely. If it's one funded place that's three of you after it and therefore much less likely.

Hope this helps - commiserations and I hope it turns out to be good news for you :smile:

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