That's what it feels like having a PhD place but having failed to secure a university scholarship.

My intended supervisor was positively brimming with enthusiasm over my proposal and extremely eager to supervise, declaring that he would definitely support my funding application.

In reality, it seems, the process is as much political as it is about how good your research idea is or how much prior research experience you have. It seems to me a common thread that runs through faculties that unless the faculty member who is sold on your ideas also has some clout, it's not going to happen. My supervisor is well published but mostly through book chapeters, a book of his own, and conference papers. There aren't too many journal articles in his resume - another peer judgement that can go against a supervisors PhD scholarship candidate.

The total lack of feedback is also frustrating. A miss is a good as a mile, I suppose, but it would be refreshing to be told what advantages the successful applications had over yours.

So now, I will probably defer to 2012 and beg, steal and borrow to fund it, and will probably have to work more or less full-time, though with the increase in fees, it seems more like a pipedream rather than a realitistic goal.

Off into the wild blue yonder of foundations, charities and benefactor funds, which will probably total a grand number of two at the most by the time I've read the multiple exclusions included in them.

Anyone else been given a place but come up short on the scholarship?