Phd Funding :cry:

melbury

hostie wrote:

Thank you everyone for your advice. This is turning into quite a heated debate, something that I didn't expect.

I am sorry to hear that your son has been rejected melrose. I know how it feels as I felt the same when I received my first rejection. I haven't received my AHRC one yet but no doubt it will arrive soon. I am now making plans for starting without major funding. I don't think it is a good idea for humanities students to hold out as cupid suggest above. Better funding may come along in science or more vocational subjects, but is unlikely in arts subjects.

It is reassuring to hear people say that if I fund myself my PhD will be no less valued. That was the main question that I wanted answered. On the strength of that advice I think I will start the PhD even if my AHRC application is unsuccessful. I can always re-apply next year. For the benefit of others who may be in the same situation as me, I would just like to point out that you can only apply to the AHRC for PhD funding twice in your life. If you are unsuccessful on two occasions, they will not consider you again.

All your advice is truly appreciated. I have started to act on it and since writing the first post I have been provisionally offered 200 teaching hours at one of the the universities I applied to. I would have to continue with my part-time job (because 200 hours wouldn't be enough to live on), prepare for the teaching work and begin my research. Quite a lot to take on! It would be tough juggling it but I am inspired by the post about the woman who brought up children at the same time as studying and also managed to win a nursing award.

I will now go and look at the links people have provided for information on teaching positions etc Thanks again and good luck to everyone who is in a similar situation.

Is it true that you can only apply to the the AHRC twice in your lifetime?

My son was intending to reapply next year, but he applied last year and this year and was turned down on both occasions, so looks like that is it now.

By the way, he received his rejection letter last year towards the end of August, whereas this year it came on 2nd August. When I saw it this year I thought maybe he had been successful because if was so much earlier than last year's, but alas no!!

Anyway best of luck with your search for funding, hope the AHRC come through for you.

My son is going to defer for a year, work, save and search for every bit of funding that may be available, as he is determined not to give up on the Phd.

Joey_3

I'm not 100% sure on this, but if I remember right I think the Terms and Conditions for applying for AHRC funding are that you can apply as many times as you like if you are initially refused funding for Masters courses, but I think you can only apply for PhD funding twice. I don't know if this means twice within the same area of research, or twice altogether no matter what research area.

DrFluffy

Barcode wrote:

A PhD is a job. Everybody I know doing one spends at least eight hours a day reading, writing etc. It is also a requisite if one wants to pursue an academic career (which I do).

8 hours a day? Sounds like bliss. My normal lab day was in at 7.30am home by 9pm (if lucky!)...

Rosie75

Personally, I would never have done a PhD if I'd had to pay for it. I finished mine in 2003 and have only just got a permanent job - it's been a long slog and extremely demoralising at times. Very few people doing arts PhDs end up with permanent academic jobs, and those that do are now securing these jobs in their 30s (I'm 31, other colleagues got their "breaks" at 31, 34 and 35, none of us were mature students when we started uni). We're all struggling to get on the housing ladder, and all of us had funding so are not too encumbered by previous debts. As a lecturer now I refuse to actively encourage people to stay on for PhDs, and try to point out all the realities of the job market (horrendous in subjects like English, History and Art History: my partner has just got a 2-year post in English for which 300 people applied - five years ago they had struggled to fill a similar post) as well as the inevitable lows of the lonely research process (most PhDs where I studied were on anti-depressants). If students really, really want to do it for the sake of the academic challenge (and not because they believe there will be a good job at the end of it - one of my peers who finished in 2002 is working in Kwiksave) then I am happy to supervise them and will give them all the support I can, but only after I have pointed out the state of the job market and ascertained whether they have the personal as well as academic qualities needed to cope with what can be a very isolating and demoralising process. I have known academics who are so keen to drive up graduate student numbers or supervise students for the sake of their CVs that they will lie to prospective PhDs.

DrFluffy

Problem is that undergraduated degrees have become devalued. Doctorates are the new bachelors (in a brown is the new balck kind of way)...

Rosie75

I don't know, though, how many employers outside of academia, teaching and the civil service would be willing to employ someone with an arts PhD, even in a so-called "graduate job" - whenever I've had to do jobs outside of academia to make a buck I've always left my PhD off the CV.
I've just been hearing on the news that there's no jobs in physiotherapy this year and physio graduates are complaining about their wasted three years. I know many people with arts PhDs for whom it is more like twelve years and counting if you include BA, MA, PhD and then the several years of postdoctoral slog without any secure employment.

melancholly

i have seen people go into very well paid (sickenly well paid actually!) jobs after a phd - some (although not all, granted) employers see it as proff that you can work independently, problem solve, 'project manage', communicate etc etc i've seen people go into accountancy and management concultancy and various other entirely random careers. i don't mean that you need one in any way, but there are plenty of places who will see it as a good thing.

as for me, i'm aiming to stay on in academia, so there's going to be a few more years of short term contract post-doc fun for me before i can get something permanent!

hostie

Hi All, great advice.

The tip on Dutch uni's is really useful Sobraon. I am going to look into it. My dad already suggested the US as apparently loads of undergrads are doing this since the funding is so comprehensive (even includes flights home) but I don't really fancy the US system.

Thanks Rosie for the reality check. I love studying. My mind has been opened so much that it just feels like the right thing to do with my life. I am not that interested in the job at the end but enjoy the research.

Melbury yes you can only apply to the AHRC for a PhD twice (were both of your son's app's for PhD?) There is loads of other funding out there. History isn't too obscure. Someone earlier in this thread provided a REALLY useful link for an academic site where phd positions were advertised. There was nothing for me but it might help your son. Also there are loads of other funds out there. Leonardo da vinci fund / EU funding etc.

Hi Barcode, I don't think it is necessarily a good sign that we haven't heard. I wasn't expecting to hear until mid Sept. It could just be that some of the panels have finished already or that some applications, for basic reasons (too many words, pasting bits of paper onto the application form etc) didn't get sent to the panels. If you don't get MA funding DEFINATELY go for it. I funded mine but after starting sent off other applications and got help from the Presidents Fund (for women graduates from Scotland) from The Royal Scottish Corporation (for study in London) and from the uni access fund.

Well done Joey on getting that job!

Hope that helps some people. I had better go and do my dissertation now. Good luck everyone and thanks again for all the useful and sobering advice.

hostie

Hi, I just thought I'd put the happy ending onto this thread. I received my AHRC letter today and amazingly, I have received funding. Good luck to everyone else and if you don't get funding, I suggest going for it anyway. The advice on this thread is really useful.

Barcode, good luck I hope you get it. If not, go for it anyway (I suggest doing a MA part time as it allows you to spend more time getting better grades) get a part time job as well and apply to lots of smaller funds. In your case I think you could also appeal your undergraduate results... might be worth a try? Good luck, hopefully you will have received a positive AHRC letter too.

Thanks again everyone

misskool

Congratulations hostie!!