The Student Room Group

PhD DTP Funding

Hi guys!

I've applied for a funded studentship with a UK Doctorate Training Partnership. The process was application, interview with project supervisors, the supervisors then rank candidates based on the interview and passed this on with a recommendation to the DTP, and lastly the DTP choose from all candidates put forward.

I was ranked first in the interview stage! I have at least a month to wait until I hear from the DTP and I'm feeling super anxious! I just want to ask if anyone has been through a similar application process and has been rejected by the DTP despite being the supervisors' first choice?

Thanks!
Original post by socresstu
Hi guys!

I've applied for a funded studentship with a UK Doctorate Training Partnership. The process was application, interview with project supervisors, the supervisors then rank candidates based on the interview and passed this on with a recommendation to the DTP, and lastly the DTP choose from all candidates put forward.

I was ranked first in the interview stage! I have at least a month to wait until I hear from the DTP and I'm feeling super anxious! I just want to ask if anyone has been through a similar application process and has been rejected by the DTP despite being the supervisors' first choice?

Thanks!

I was my supervisor's 1st choice nomination, and unfortunately I was rejected by the DTP at the last hurdle. The sticking point was my undergraduate classification: while my supervisor was willing to overlook it (due to my excellent MA performance), the DTP was not. I think I was unlucky tbh - I would have preferred to have been rejected earlier on due to my past qualifications, rather than be given what was basically false hope. If you don't have any glaringly bad element in your application, you'll probably not have this issue.
Original post by PhoenixFortune
The sticking point was my undergraduate classification: while my supervisor was willing to overlook it (due to my excellent MA performance), the DTP was not. I think I was unlucky tbh - I would have preferred to have been rejected earlier on due to my past qualifications, rather than be given what was basically false hope. If you don't have any glaringly bad element in your application, you'll probably not have this issue.

I was just placed on reserve despite being the supervisor's first choice. I have not had feedback yet but I suspect the issue was my mediocre results when I was younger...a bit like yourself. I'm a late developer and don't fit the idealised template. As you say, hope hurts the most.
Original post by nighttrain123
I was just placed on reserve despite being the supervisor's first choice. I have not had feedback yet but I suspect the issue was my mediocre results when I was younger...a bit like yourself. I'm a late developer and don't fit the idealised template. As you say, hope hurts the most.

Being on the reserve list is better than nothing! One of my lab group was the reserve for DTP funding, and she got it after the awarded person chose another funder.
Original post by socresstu
Hi guys!

I've applied for a funded studentship with a UK Doctorate Training Partnership. The process was application, interview with project supervisors, the supervisors then rank candidates based on the interview and passed this on with a recommendation to the DTP, and lastly the DTP choose from all candidates put forward.

I was ranked first in the interview stage! I have at least a month to wait until I hear from the DTP and I'm feeling super anxious! I just want to ask if anyone has been through a similar application process and has been rejected by the DTP despite being the supervisors' first choice?

Thanks!

This is a common DTP format, bear in mind you don't know how many people applied to your prospective supervisors project so whilst its great you haven't been rejected yet (probably), don't get too ahead of yourself.

My first two PhD interviews were this position. For the first one I was put forward by my prospective supervisor, interviewed, got put on a reserve list and ultimately didn't hear anything further. I don't know how many people they interview for how many places usually, but I suspect it could be at least 2 people for each "place" they have.

My second one was a bit different, I applied to a pool of projects but ultimately couldn't choose which one until the end of my first year (it had an integrated masters aspect), I got great feedback about my interview but was told that because of the whole 1st year setup (where I had to do 3 miniprojects then choose one of them to continue as a PhD), the department didn't have enough neuroscience projects to be suitable for me. Which makes it sound like it wasn't my fault at all, they shouldn't have even offered the neuroscience project at all etc. Would have been better nowadays with virtual interviews but I travelled the length of the UK for that interview as well :mad: still not over it as you can tell

Anyway...basically yes, you can still get rejected at the "funding application" level, but it's not over by any means, so best wishes and hopefully you can soon be celebrating an imminent PhD start!
Original post by PhoenixFortune
Being on the reserve list is better than nothing! One of my lab group was the reserve for DTP funding, and she got it after the awarded person chose another funder.

Yes, you're absolutely right. There is much positive for one to take away from a semi-successful application. A chance to consider what one did well and what one didn't, for example, and knowing that the goal is probably realistic. Personally, I'm happy the interview went better this time although I can certainly improve in this regard.

Staying positive and not giving up is half the battle in my mind, and it's a hard thing to do.
Original post by socresstu
Hi guys!

I've applied for a funded studentship with a UK Doctorate Training Partnership. The process was application, interview with project supervisors, the supervisors then rank candidates based on the interview and passed this on with a recommendation to the DTP, and lastly the DTP choose from all candidates put forward.

I was ranked first in the interview stage! I have at least a month to wait until I hear from the DTP and I'm feeling super anxious! I just want to ask if anyone has been through a similar application process and has been rejected by the DTP despite being the supervisors' first choice?

Thanks!

I have no idea how my application was ranked internally or at DTP stage (and I'm kind of glad I don't know to be honest - I was nervous enough as it was because the wait to hear about funding is just interminable!).

When I applied for my funded studentship, I applied to my university (Keele) and was advised that my application was being put forward to the DTP for consideration for funding (i.e. I'd 'passed' the internal application/interview process). As far as I'm aware, the process was then that the DTP Pathway Leads from all of the institutions in the DTP met to look at all the applications for that particular pathway (in my case, English Literature) and ranked them, then funded as many as they could starting with whoever was ranked first and ending when the funding pot for the year ran out!

I have no idea how many students were funded that year for my pathway across the DTP. As far as I'm aware, there were maybe three or four students within my pathway at Keele whose applications were submitted to the DTP for consideration and two of us - myself and one other student - who received the DTP funding.

So in short it is possible to be rejected at the DTP stage but it's excellent news that your supervisor has ranked your application first and means you stand a really good chance at the DTP - it will just depend on how many other applications are received from other institutions and who you're up against in any given year. I'm sure your supervisors and pathways leads will do their best to make a strong case for your application so best of luck with it! As others here have said though, don't give up if you don't get funded this time - I've had friends whose applications were rejected by one DTP but accepted elsewhere or who had their applications accepted the following year/funding round.

Amy Louise :smile:

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