Yay! GoingNuts!!!!!! I'm sooooo pleased you got it - had my fingers especially crossed for you (since they posted the damn thing so long ago). Well done BobNic too!

Miss Hopeful, I'm really sorry for you. But you seem to be going about it with the right attitude. I worked though the first year of my PhD, and like others have said, it really is do-able. Don't get me wrong, it can be tiring, but if it's really what you want to be doing, then I have no doubt you'll find a way.

Fingers are being re-crossed for tomorrow for those who *Still* haven't heard. Hang on in there!

Hey guys, thanks for the congratulations. I'm so sorry for you people still waiting. It makes me really angry that we're being put through this time and time again. I really have my fingers crossed for you all that you'll hear soon (not that that's any comfort). Despite having heard, I still can't leave this forum alone. Rooting for you all!

======= Date Modified 23 Aug 2008 09:48:03 =======
Post's just been and I GOT IT!!!!!! I can't believe it I'm absolutely walking on air, as it was my last chance.

It was panel 8, philosophy, PhD, dated 21st August.

Good luck to all those still waiting!

HUGE congratulations! What a great way to start the day...

Hehe, if it's not the old dot matrix, maybe they've reproduced a model of Caxton's original printing press and are using that (to preserve their supposed 'Arts and Humanities' integrity). It's probably unbearably slow because they keep getting their 'p's and 'q's mixed up. It's the only explanation.

GoingNuts - what a terrible position to be in. I can't believe the incompetency of the AHRC, each year you think it can't get much worse, and then, amazingly, it does. And WanWan, eek, that does sound pretty stressful. I suppose you could always tell your partner that they could go to the interviews and if successful accept or turn down in light of AHRC results later... If you put your life on hold because of the AHRC, things will start to feel worse and more unmanageable, besides, with the aforementioned incompetency, it might never get going again. No, only joking (remembering the optimism vow). I rang yesterday and the woman refused to tell me absolutely anything apart from the usual, ring back at the end of August if you've still not heard. She also said not to worry because they haven't printed off all the letters yet (?). I wasn't sure how to take that, so I'm just disregarding it...

Hang on in there Soarous and GoingNuts! I've been reading this thread since it started back in July and have been silently sharing the highs and the lows with you all. I'm waiting on news from panel 8 (doctoral) and am mostly managing to stay calm (a great improvement from last years hysterical post-vigils). Last year I didn't hear until quite late on in August, but I've got my fingers crossed that (given the slash in applications they've received this year) they'll get the news to us sooner than that... I'm working on the premise that a little optimism never hurt anyone. Not much, anyway.

Anyway, best of luck to those still waiting.

Incidentally - which panels are people still waiting to hear from?