The Official Funding questions/moans/possible joy Thread

I’m working part time in Sainsbury’s and by the time my course is due to start I should have around £5000. I’d rather take out a CDL loan and use some of that money to pay for my fees which are £4300. I get my wages paid into my Barclays bank account; I just wondered whether it would increase my chances of getting the loan if I wasn’t seen to have £5000 cash in the bank account?

You can apply to the Co-op for your career development loan if it bothers you, but I would not worry too much though.

Barclays will only query you if you ask, say, for £10,000 and suggest that you need half of it for living costs when you already have enough money in the bank to cover living costs. If you are just asking for money to pay your tuition fees then there will be no problem whatsoever.

Reply 481

tigrrmilk

11

hey guys. i have an interview for an ahrc bgp award this coming thursday, which i only found out today.

i've got an offer to do a creative writing MA, and wasn't expecting to be considered for funding, but could really really do with it. i have no idea how these interviews work – should i just make sure i know my application very well & can talk about the ways in which the course will benefit me, or do i need to know more technical stuff to do with money/have a career plan, or what? oh man.

Reply 482

tigermoth99

13

Original post by tigrrmilk

hey guys. i have an interview for an ahrc bgp award this coming thursday, which i only found out today.

i've got an offer to do a creative writing MA, and wasn't expecting to be considered for funding, but could really really do with it. i have no idea how these interviews work – should i just make sure i know my application very well & can talk about the ways in which the course will benefit me, or do i need to know more technical stuff to do with money/have a career plan, or what? oh man.

I'd talk about how the MA benefits you and what you plan to do afterwards. Focus on your achievements and what makes you a good candidate for AHRC funding.

Reply 483

Daniel1987

Funding has been praying on my mind so much, I felt compelled to sign up here. Just heard back from Queen's Belfast today saying my MA funding application had been turned down. Not sure where to turn from here. These PCDL's appear to be my only option....can anyone recommend them or otherwise? Ive seen on some websites it saying these loans are only available for Vocational courses...is that true? If it is im f**ked.

I'm really starting to panic about funding. I have a few applications in to charitable trusts but am not holding out much hope.
I will apply for a CDL but I'm expecting to not get one. I just want to know so I know whether I can go to Keele or not.

I think CDLs are for people doing a course that will improve their employability, but I'm not completely sure.

Reply 485

Kitty Pimms

17

Nah, you can get one for pretty much any course - it seems to be quite random who they accept or not, so just give it a go and see.

Reply 486

evantej

18

Original post by ~ Purple Rose ~

I'm really starting to panic about funding. I have a few applications in to charitable trusts but am not holding out much hope.
I will apply for a CDL but I'm expecting to not get one. I just want to know so I know whether I can go to Keele or not.

I think CDLs are for people doing a course that will improve their employability, but I'm not completely sure.

Original post by Daniel1987

Funding has been praying on my mind so much, I felt compelled to sign up here. Just heard back from Queen's Belfast today saying my MA funding application had been turned down. Not sure where to turn from here. These PCDL's appear to be my only option....can anyone recommend them or otherwise? Ive seen on some websites it saying these loans are only available for Vocational courses...is that true? If it is im f**ked.

I do not think a masters in European Literatures makes me more employable, but Barclays still gave me a £10,000 career development loan! :tongue:

Reply 487

Daniel1987

Original post by evantej

I do not think a masters in European Literatures makes me more employable, but Barclays still gave me a £10,000 career development loan! :tongue:

£10,000 is the maximum so I was a bit dubious about applying for that much, thinking I wouldnt get it. That said i really might require a sum in that area. I read somewhere you can only get up to 80% of your fees if youve been in employment 3 months before the course starts? Really?

I will be applying for the maximum probably, but it depends on what happens with accommodation. I will have to pay for 8 hours of counselling and possibly supervision depending on where I get a placement as well, but at the moment it is the fees that are stressing me out.

Reply 489

u02dpb7

7

This funding situation is stressing me out so much, I can't sleep most nights :smile:

I have applied for a PhD in History at Aberdeen, St Andrews and Royal Holloway and they are hoping to inform applicants by May. I know it's not very long but it feels like an age. I just want to be put out of my misery one way or another :smile:

Reply 490

Haloface

5

If it helps, before I heard about funding I was feeling physically sick. Literally, I got very depressed and stressed I had to take a day off work! Dramatic, eh? It didn't help that I had to take another day off when I finally found out and got as pissed as a fart when celebrating and contracted the world's worst hangover.

I would say that for anyone not successful with funding, take a year off to work (if even part-time). I did that after my undergraduate degree when I was turned down for MA funding. I worked for a year, restructured my research, broadened my knowledge, and refined my proposal. The following year my funding application was successful (and that's for an MA, which is quite rare as we all know!) so I definitely think it's a viable option. I would select that over gaining a loan, any day. What's a year, indeed? And I earned a nice little splash as well; it was even nice to take a break from intensive academia and go on a few holidays etc. I'm obsessed with my research so if it was a pleasant experience for me, I'm sure it could be for you too! Worse case scenario, the year can be used saving for your MA if you're not successful again. But for godsake, just stay away from contracting more loans, the CDL is dangerous.

Anyway, good luck for anyone else waiting to hear about funding.

The thing is, I have been working full time for the last 18 months but have hardly managed to save anything because of low salary and the fact I live alone so pay a lot of rent.
I'm about to start a new job that is barely above minimum wage so even if I took another year to save up I wouldn't be much better off.
I am hoping to do some agency work while I am uni but can't guarantee it will be enough to live on while I'm there.

Reply 492

Cesca86

I was supposed to hear about AHRC Doctoral funding by last Friday and it's been deathly silent - can't help checking my e-mail inbox every 15 minutes or so. Now it's passed the deadline it could be today, tomorrow, next week, next month - who knows?! I've applied for a PhD at Durham - anyone else having the same issue? Driving me nuts!

Reply 493

u02dpb7

7

Original post by Cesca86

I was supposed to hear about AHRC Doctoral funding by last Friday and it's been deathly silent - can't help checking my e-mail inbox every 15 minutes or so. Now it's passed the deadline it could be today, tomorrow, next week, next month - who knows?! I've applied for a PhD at Durham - anyone else having the same issue? Driving me nuts!

Hi I know the feeling, standing at the door/computer looking for news lol. Try and relax, I know its impossible though. I have been told by the end of May, a long seven weeks :smile:

Reply 494

Cesca86

Original post by u02dpb7

Hi I know the feeling, standing at the door/computer looking for news lol. Try and relax, I know its impossible though. I have been told by the end of May, a long seven weeks :smile:

Wow, did you apply to Durham too? If so, they said on the website they anticipated letting candidates know either way by Fri 8th of April, so end of May is quite a long time after that..!

It's reassuring that other people are feeling the same way though, good luck to you! :smile:

Reply 495

King_Duncan

Original post by Cesca86

I was supposed to hear about AHRC Doctoral funding by last Friday and it's been deathly silent - can't help checking my e-mail inbox every 15 minutes or so. Now it's passed the deadline it could be today, tomorrow, next week, next month - who knows?! I've applied for a PhD at Durham - anyone else having the same issue? Driving me nuts!

I applied to Durham last year (for a history MA) and heard about AHRC in mid-May. So if they're running on a similar schedule this year it could be a good few weeks yet =/

Reply 496

flying plum

14

well, i'm getting rejections left right and centre, if it makes anyone feel any better. nominated for ESRC at UCL, but didn't get it. didn't even get shortlisted for AHRC at Manchester...or School of Law or GTA studentships there.

have been nominated for ESRC at notts, but not holding out hope, and def won't get School of Law studentship at UCL. so looks like it's the Education Grants book for me...

alternatively, perhaps the educational gods are telling me to chill for once, take a year out, and go and do a ski season :wink:

Reply 497

Daniel1987

Original post by ~ Purple Rose ~

The thing is, I have been working full time for the last 18 months but have hardly managed to save anything because of low salary and the fact I live alone so pay a lot of rent.
I'm about to start a new job that is barely above minimum wage so even if I took another year to save up I wouldn't be much better off.
I am hoping to do some agency work while I am uni but can't guarantee it will be enough to live on while I'm there.

I'm in the same boat. It wasnt very reassuring to hear the person above say "Take a year out to work! Stay away from loans!" given that I finished my undergraduate degree in 2009 and have been working full time since. A worthless f**king job where I just earn enough to get by each month. So being told to take time out and save is pretty soul destroying as it is, worse to be told the only funding option available is "dangerous".

Reply 498

Cesca86

Original post by King_Duncan

I applied to Durham last year (for a history MA) and heard about AHRC in mid-May. So if they're running on a similar schedule this year it could be a good few weeks yet =/

Ahh OK thanks, I did think 8th April sounded a bit optimistic! Saying that, my stepsister was also applying for AHRC MA funding at Durham this year, and she heard about 3 weeks ago that she hadn't got it. I want to know for my boyfriend's sake as much as my own, - I'm driving him nuts :biggrin:

Reply 499

Razedabode

Got my rejection from King's AHRC funding, but doesn't surprise me given the competition and that my course was one of the most expensive (6700)..

Will have to dig into my savings that I've scrounged together, just seems to be absolutely nothing in way of funding etc that I can see of.

Good luck to everyone else

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