I got an offer from one university at the end of May where they stated they are considering me for a department bursary, which "will be decided in June (the exact date is not yet fixed)". On 23 June I sent an email to the PhD office asking if there were the results available or have they set the date at least. Also asked about university scholarships that I just found out about and wanted to get more information. And I never heard back. Today is July 6th. Any thoughts on what is happening?

hi Alex. am in exactly the same situation, but with one of my offers, i actually emailed my proposed supervisor & he instructed the admin office to let me know asap whether i had got the scholarship or not. the same day, i got news that i hadn't. so i suggest you email your supervisor so that you can know sooner & consider other options. meanwhile try not to worry. it doesn't make the situation better. if you're religious, i'd say trust in God.

Trust in God??? How is that going to sort out a PhD?

If you don't get a reply to your email, phone them. You should not be kept waiting like this and they will not think badly of you for calling.

hi Anon, only those who are in touch with their spirituality understand what am saying. so if it doesn't make sense try not to worry too much about it.

On Friday I had a wonderful day, did lots of shopping (you know, girls, how it helps sometimes). But when I got home and opened my computer, I saw an email from the university saying that I didn't get the departmental bursary! Got really frustrated. On the other hand they said that they entered my name into university research scholarships competition. But I think if I wasn't able to get the department one, it will be almost impossible to get the university one.

Now I will write to another university (that I was supposed to answer about a month ago), and ask if they still consider me for a scholarship there. As for trusting in God, I trust in luck, destiny, my efforts, God, and everything else that can in any way help me.