Hello everyone!

I'm a nervous wreck and wished to hear some experiences from others...
I applied to ESRC Area Studies specific 1+3 but was told by the department that I was unsuccessful in my application and that they wouldn't nominate me for quota or open competition (I guess they had better applicants).

Then couple of weeks ago a professor e-mailed me and told me that if I changed my proposed MA, they might give me a second chance. So I changed my proposed MA course to more research specific one (applied and got in) and have now been nominated for a quota place. I have not been informed what happened within the department (or with the ESRC committee) for them to suddenly change their minds and also I know that the ESRC deadlines have all passed long ago and the department I applied to has thus been unable to provide me ANY timelines on when I might be hearing the final decision from ESRC White Rose DTC.

I've speculated that I might've been the department's "3rd choice" and the ESRC committee declined one of their candidates for what ever reason. (Apparently had something to do with "not being UK" etc...)

Has anyone else had any experience on being nominated for an award long after the deadline has passed? Any idea what my chances are as I have been nominated as quota, but apparently the department got declined by the ESRC before, I keep fearing the worst... :,) I'm an EU myself, but lived in UK for my 4 year BA.

What has probably happened is that one or more of their successful candidates has turned down the funding. Because ESRC funding is so competitive, many people apply for a few DTCs and the best may well get several offers. Thus rather than lose the funding, they can go back to their other candidates. What your chances are now depend on how many departments are being offered the chance to do this, so it's a guessing game, but at least you're in with a shot.

Oh, right, that seems actually very likely! :)

I don't quite understand what you mean by "how many departments"... Like, White Rose DTC offers 2 discipline specific scholarships when it comes to Area Studies this year (according to their website). And there are 2 universities within White Rose DTC that do Area Studies pathways (Sheffield & Leeds), and in the Leeds website they say they are able to offer 1 and Sheffield one says they are able to offer 2, but that one is funded by the school, so one is ESRC funded.

And I had understood that a quota place means the school has a spot which they can "always" fill. But what I understood from your text is that now Leeds and Sheffield are both offered the chance to nominate someone for a quota place as someone turned it down? So "quota nomination"s are not school specific?
I just find all of this very confusing, sorry! Haha~