Nor me... So tedious

Well done to the three with good news! Let's hope there's more on its way...

Bad luck Dervish but everyone's right: don't let the news close doors for good that you don't want closed.

Congratulations mskoncept: that's brilliant news. Great to hear some positive news but also about the envelopes. I really didn't like the idea of knowing before I'd even seen the content of the letter... Let's hope there's more news on the way. When I worked in admin we used to send all our post 2nd class and it would often take ages to arrive, floating around in the world of the Royal Mail, so that won't help, especially if we're trying to discern a pattern of sending!

I'm away for a week: I've just asked not to be told if any letters come at all...

Thanks for letting us know that. I'm very surprised the figures are so high: I know in % funded that's about the same as before but I thought the stats from last year only listed 2200 applicants?

You're right. One of my best friends is one of the most talented young academics I know, lectureship in his second year of PhD, no corrections on the thesis, senior lecturer at 30, etc, yet he didn't get funding for his PhD. Although at first I thought when he told me that if he didn't I had no hope, I now realise that it just goes to show that it really doesn't reflect how good you are, just if you tick that year's boxes. And it's certainly an inspiration to go for it (if you possibly can financially) regardless.

I rather like the idea of tuition feeds...

I'm really hoping that could be the case, but also trying to reamin fairly pessimistic: it's harder to be disappointed if you're a pessimist! I'm also quite aware that I'm really prioritising my vocation to the academia by considering using savings on it and so on, when I have a boyfriend who wants to get married and have children (all very expensive stuff!) so I feel I'm almost obliged to have some sort of back up plan. On the other hand it's so difficult when you can't imagine doing anything else...

Well, I've been using the MA as a focus (/excuse!) too, but it has been suggested that I'm being a little irresponsible not having a plan B yet. My amazing parents have been supporting me through this year but that will end with the MA and I really don't know what I'll do after that if I'm not funded. I've just been planning since my first year as an undergraduate to do a PhD, and it's not until now as I get more and more worried about funding that I've had to start considering the fact it's not as easy as all that...!

For those people who haven't started yet: what will you do if you don't get funding? I'm really stuck and am trying not to think about it (especially as I get so disheartened when I look for other jobs). My boyfriend has a good income but we couldn't both live off it and there's very little chance of me getting any other funding as the dept has little money and I'm only on a reserve list for other internal uni funding. I don't know whether I'd go part time or spend savings trying to get by for a year before reapplying for funding or trying to get related work to support myself.

Bad luck Error404. First of many of us I expect. I suppose it shows us panel 8 are coming through anyway, if there is any order.

I'm panel 1 and last year successful friends in that panel heard very early, so that would correlate with it going out in panel order, but it might be coincidence. I was told that in the past people from the same discipline heard around the same time though. On the other hand, with all the other changes that have been happening this year I don't know how much we can really rely on past experiences. I certainly doubt that the stats from last year can be carried across too well (sadly, as it was quite good for female Classics PhD applicants aged under 25 - like me - last year!).

I'd heard it was the other way round, though nobody on this forum has mentioned hearing about any successful letters yet this year! Certainly last year I also got an MA funding rejection very late: I think it might even have been September by the time it arrived! I'm not sure I'm convinced there's much rhyme or reason behind it...

Ah well, maybe better to know than wait... Good luck all!