IRCHSS results

bonneidee

Hey everyone,

I came across this thread a few weeks back, and have since checked in a few times to see if there was any progress. No inspirational words or ingenious ideas ever sprang to mind, hence the lack of posts on my part. However, now, still without any inspiration or ingeniousness, I feel that I must say thank you to all those who provided info - and all who made phonecalls, sent emails, etc., in order to get some info - on this increasingly tedious situation.

I manage to put it to the back of my mind for the most part, but the thought of the IRCHSS letter still creeps in every now and then. I was relieved to find that there were several other people in the same boat.

Anywho, I want to wish you all good luck. And for those who are not succesful this time around, I hope that you will continue to believe in your project and realise that there will be many more opportunities in the future.

If only some of those dodgy brown envelopes (that circulated so frequently amongst our buddies in Dublin circa boom years) could make their way into the hands of us students

What a long process it has been. Thanks again for all the info. Good luck

LordOctane2009

Just wondering what people thought of the idea of the IRCHSS posting up previous successful applications with the idea of helping people in the future. Of course there would be some caveats to it.

1) No applications that are currently active would be published i.e. not until after the applicant has completed their work.
2) Post applications that are in the same or similar format to the current scheme - where changes have taken place in T&Cs etc they should be highlighted.

This is only an idea and there are obviously other issues that could arise but I do feel it would be of benefit if we were able to see successful applications as it would help applicants to see what is required. As I have found myself and from talking to other people feedback from these schemes tends to be very limited and does not always provide a clear indication of what improvements should be made. I completely understand the difficulty in providing in-depth feedback on every application.

Such an idea would also ensure that funding agencies such as the IRCHSS would have to stand over their decisions thus providing greater transparency within the operation of these schemes.

TJJP wrote: »

There is no politics, no elections, no subject bias, no institutional bias or otherwise.
It's down to money - or lack of it and how this might tie in with national policy.

I sorry to tell you TJJP the world does not operate in such a fair manner and I know because I have seen the evidence for myself. I speak as a student and as somebody who has worked on schemes similar to IRCHSS. What I have said in relation to applications being judged differently is fact and not fiction. I have had friends whose applications were turned down for the most pedantic and miniscule infractions of the terms and conditions, and yet other friends have had applications succeed but yet have had serious breaches of the guidelines. How this ties into to my point above is that it is extremely frustrating when I look at successful applications that have breached guidelines such as word count but at the same time I have read applications that have been rejected for the exact same thing!:mad: How are you meant to know what is it that you should do. At least if the successful applications were posted up people could keep track of the administration of the scheme and I think this is something that we as applicants to the scheme deserve and should demand.

This could be easily be achieved through an online application form which would restrict applicants from submitting an application that certain terms and conditions and at least we could be certain that every application looked the same.

What is also ironic TJJP is that at the end of your quote you admit that there is at the very least one bias – “national policy”. This has been clearly reflected within all Universities through the drive for 4th level research in particular in the Sciences and very much to the detriment of the undergraduate teaching and funding. This is not to get in to the argument of sciences vs. the humanities but I use it to highlight the point that are clear biases within all academia and that is fair enough. But what is not acceptable is when the body that organises the scheme does not operate in a fair and balanced manner. Either there are rules or there not – the IRCHSS should make up their minds.

And so ends my rant – As I say the posting of successful applications is only an idea that I am sure will have its issues but could help applicants in the future as would an online application. At least this year we didn’t have to submit ten copies of everything

Just to echo what was said earlier – Thanks to everybody for their posts, particularly Howyamissus, it has been great to see what other people in my position were thinking. Good luck to everybody in this application round but more importantly in their studies overall:)

bellg124

Hi Guys,

Well the post just arrived and I can confirm that 630 applications were processed of which 145 succeeded. Unfortunately I was not one of those lucky 145. Maybe this will help in calculating your chances. 629 applications left, still 145 chances of success.

Best of luck to you all.

Dowdy

bellg124 wrote: »

Hi Guys,

Well the post just arrived and I can confirm that 630 applications were processed of which 145 succeeded. Unfortunately I was not one of those lucky 145. Maybe this will help in calculating your chances. 629 applications left, still 145 chances of success.

Best of luck to you all.

Hard luck bellg124 - as people have mentioned already, it's not necessarily a reflection of the worth of your proposal. Keep up the work and you may have better luck next year. Christ, I won't be able to settle at work here today now, knowing that the letter is sitting at home waiting for me...

Mr dissidence

Howyamissus wrote: »

About that potential budget cut. Would you mind ringing IRCHSS enquiring about this and asking for an exact number of successful applications? It would be nice to know our chances.

Dear All,

Apologies howyamissus for not responding to your very reasonable request sooner, but I had to wait until this morning to call them. The IRCHSS man I was speaking to informed me that the offer letters have all been sent out to applicants (late) yesterday, so everyone should receive something in the post either today or tomorrow. Also, he was able to tell me that the funding level has been maintained for this year, so contrary to what I said in an earlier post, there will be no dramatic reduction in the number of scholarships offered. As a current applicant like most subscribers to this forum, I am delighted with this news. I am sorry if my previous posts upset anyone, but I was genuinely concerned and upset myself at what I was told.

Best of luck to everyone!!!!

wheresdlink

Hi Everyone!

I have been following this thread for quite awhile and I just called IRCHSS, I mentioned I have since changed my address and the man I was talking to id sending my letter via e-mail. feI will find out in 30mins! I just thought you all should know you can get the result via email if you have moved house or at work and can't wait!

Best of luck to everyone!

potoftea

Hi everyone. Well, the postie finally came! I just want to say best of luck to everyone. This has been a great source of support over the long wait, especially with the humour of pieye, Dowdy, Mr dissidence et al! If you ever need a jewel thief again, you know who to call!

scop

Came today and I was successful. I should add that for all of you who didn't get it this year neither did I last year so keep trying.

heidi123

First of all well done to whoever is succesful with their application ;-)

And can I just ask what year of the phd everyone is in here, or do you all intend to begin in September?

I am in the first year of my phd and i wanted to apply for the irchss in January 09 but i let my very lazy supervisor talk me out of it (despite having a clear plan of my research) and i now know that she was just being lazy and very unwilling to do anything to help any of her phd students with their research....

anyway rant over ;-)

so my question is - does anyone know if i can apply next january (i will be in year 2 then) looking for funding for my final two years??

LordOctane2009

I am in my second year and I applied - I know of people who applied in their last year so as far as I know there is not cut off point for applying. You can get an award for 1 or 2 years

Dowdy

Well everybody,

I have, unfortunately, been unsuccessful. I've got an application in for a fellowship with NUI Galway too, so all my hopes are now pinned on that.

Congratulations to all who were successful, good luck to those of you who don't know yet, and big thanks to everyone who hunted down information/harassed politicians/provided some consolation.

It's been emotional!

Dowdy

heidi123 wrote: »

First of all well done to whoever is succesful with their application ;-)

And can I just ask what year of the phd everyone is in here, or do you all intend to begin in September?

I am in the first year of my phd and i wanted to apply for the irchss in January 09 but i let my very lazy supervisor talk me out of it (despite having a clear plan of my research) and i now know that she was just being lazy and very unwilling to do anything to help any of her phd students with their research....

anyway rant over ;-)

so my question is - does anyone know if i can apply next january (i will be in year 2 then) looking for funding for my final two years??

I was going to set out on the first year of a Ph.D. myself.

heidi123

Thanks guys, very reassuring to hear that, i don't feel so bad now.

Well done again to everyone who got a scholarship this year... and to those who don't - most people (60%) who do a PhD are not funded, yes it is very very hard and sometimes you will wonder why on earth you bothered to start (and even question whether you are good enough since you didn't get funding) but just remember the reasons you are doing this and the rewards you will get at the end: a contribution to research you enjoyed doing, the satisfaction of having dedicated yourself to something you can be proud of etc. etc.
And I know it is hard to think of it like that if you didn't get good news today but just try to remember the bigger picture....
money helps and makes life easier but there are other ways to a PhD if you're determined to work hard.

LordOctane2009

Congrats to everybody who got funded and commiserations to those that did not. Unfortunately, I belong to the latter group. I am in no way surprised that I didn’t get funded but I am still frustrated.

This is not intended as sour grapes but I just don’t know what is required to get this funding. I spent four months working on my proposal. I had five senior academics from different disciplines review and approve my proposal along with help from more than half a dozen PhD students. I have what I think is a very strong track record for a 2nd year PhD student: A 1st in my MA, five years of tutoring in two separate subjects, publications and a number of conference papers. I was also asked to give two full lectures on my subject area to undergrads. In addition I am supervised by world renowned experts in my field.

As this is my second application I carefully studied the completely contradictory feedback that I received last year and improved what they seemed to require. I also followed the guidelines to the letter.

My only consolation is that there is literally nothing else I could have done to improve the application, irrespective of the feedback I might receive in a month or two.:rolleyes: And that is the best piece of advice that I can give to those that are intending to apply next year. Start early and get as much help from different places when you are working on your proposal because even if you don’t get funded at least you can say you did everything you could.

I have put this post up to support those who did not getting funding and to show how difficult it can be to get funded and that rejection by the IRCHSS does not mean that you are not a good student or that your work is not of merit. It is not intended in anyway as an attack or as a gripe against those that got funded. I understand the importance that it will make to your work and I truly wish you all the best.

As for me, I do not intend to apply next year because if I did not get it this year there is no point because there is nothing more I can do to improve the application. More over I won’t be able to continue on as a full time PhD student. As such I will be going down the independent scholar route. If anybody has gone this route I would be interested in their experiences.

And once again well done to those that got it and for those that did not get funded I would echo what was said heidi123 has said in that you do a PhD for the love of the subject because, as lecturer told me before I began, you don’t do a PhD if you expect to get a job out of it because it will not sustain you through the long slog to get there. I should know I will have to leave the country to get a job in my field –at least no more Kevin Myers Yeah:)

Mr dissidence

Hi everyone,

so finally the wait is over. Congratulations to all those who received awards (myself included ) And to those that were unsuccessful this time round, commiserations.

Best wishes!

Iskra

Does anyone know when IRCHSS send out the feedback on your proposal?

bonneidee

Hi everyone,

Congratulations to all those who were successful!!

I must, unfortunately, endure the pain of this process for a second time next year. Sigh, sigh, sigh.
To those who were unsuccessful: hope you're not too p***ed off and disheartened. Don't worry; there will be more opportunities.

I'm not sure when they actually send the feedback; I would imagine, with their track record, it will be in a "few" weeks time.

Can I ask, just out of curiosity, what year of study are those who were successful currently in? Or if it was your first/second/third time applying?

LordOctane: It sounds like you are an extremely dedicated researcher, and it's crap that you didn't get it. But that is what frustrates me about certain competitions: whether they be academic or professional or whatever, so many talented and hard-working people ultimately end up with this outcome. It's a real shame. But I guess one cannot get too disheartened; as we have all chosen the path of academia - an extremely competitive (and sometimes unfair) world. However, there will be more opportunities in the road ahead, for you and all of us not attaining funding this time around.

Well done again to those successful

lagreene

Is there anybody else who got all the previous correspondence from IRCHSS but did not recieve a letter today?

LordOctane2009

Hi LaGreene, the best thing to do is to ring them today and ask them to send them a email copy of your results. Good luck

LordOctane2009

bonneidee wrote: »

LordOctane: It sounds like you are an extremely dedicated researcher, and it's crap that you didn't get it. But that is what frustrates me about certain competitions: whether they be academic or professional or whatever, so many talented and hard-working people ultimately end up with this outcome.

Thanks for the kind words Bonniedee. Having not succeeded for the second time I have resigned myself to the reality that my topic was never going to get funded (Medieval English) no matter what I said in my application. The bottom line is that if an application put together by 5 senior lecturers and 6 PhD students, which included successful IRCHSS scholars) cannot get funded then my topic is never going to get funded.

That is why I will not be applying next year as there no point given my previous experiences. As I say this is only mine own views and experiences but it is these experiences and discussions with others that have confirmed my opinion that my specific subject area will not get funded. Unfortunately the area of Medieval English as a subject in Irish Universities is on the wane.:(

lagreene

LordOctane2009 wrote: »

Hi LaGreene, the best thing to do is to ring them today and ask them to send them a email copy of your results. Good luck

Thanks for the reply but just received the letter and am happy to say I got it. I think a lot of my success is due to having a project which is very much in the media at the moment,(banking related) so I think that helped!

LordOctane2009

Very Happy to hear that you got it and I wish you all the best.

lagreene

LordOctane2009 wrote: »

Very Happy to hear that you got it and I wish you all the best.

Thanks. I'm very happy and looking forward to starting research life in September.

Thanks to all who contributed to this thread, I think it was the solidarity that kept me sane waiting! The waiting was terrible, but relieved to finally know (whatever way it turned out). And I think we must be responsible to contributing to the longest thread on the postgard forum! Best of luck to all with their future research!

Ruki

I've been rooting for Howyamissus, but there's silence...

After all the hard work and the calming effect you had on others, were you happy with your post??? I really hope so. No need to respond - just to let you know that you have an army of supporters here.

All the best*

dandydon

My first thread...but I've been following this discussion about IRCHSS and felt I should contribute.

I applied this year and it was my third time...but this year I was selected for funding. I did not really address any suggestions from the feedback in the other 2 applications because it as obvious that whoever wrote it just did not understand my project.

I would most certainly recommend applying every year possible because it doesn't depend on the application as much as the 'areas' they want to invest in each year. If you look up the past recipients you will notice a primary area of research in each year.

Also, a couple of friends of mine also received it in their third year...so don't despair.

LordOctane2009

dandydon wrote: »

My first thread...but I've been following this discussion about IRCHSS and felt I should contribute.

I applied this year and it was my third time...but this year I was selected for funding. I did not really address any suggestions from the feedback in the other 2 applications because it as obvious that whoever wrote it just did not understand my project.

I would most certainly recommend applying every year possible because it doesn't depend on the application as much as the 'areas' they want to invest in each year. If you look up the past recipients you will notice a primary area of research in each year.

Also, a couple of friends of mine also received it in their third year...so don't despair.

Very happy to hear that you got funded DandyDon and I am sure it is a great relief. I was not suggesting that people should stop applying. I was only expressing my own views and the situation that I now find myself in. For many people, including some of my friends, receiving funding from a body such as the IRCHSS is the only way that they can hope to complete their PhD. With the structured PhD system I cannot continue on as a full time student as I am unable to produce the required amount of work due to work and time constraints. Nor can I afford to pay fees as a part time student (that is another great idea from the government that I will save for another thread:mad:).

The points you make are all valid but are also some of the things that have really annoyed me about this funding. Firstly, you are correct that there are certain areas that are funded, and that is what I have been saying in my previous posts. How is somebody meant to know what areas are being funded and moreover what are you expected to do if your PhD is not in one of these “areas” It is also a real slap in the face when you realise that it doesn’t matter what you do in your application or what you have in your CV, if your subject is not of interest then it will not be funded. I just wish that they would put this up on their terms and conditions. I know it won’t happen but it would be nice.:o
You are correct in saying it is often the case that applications are assessed by non-experts as it would be impossible to have one from every area, let alone a panel. This is what makes the feedback so confusing and therefore difficult to deal with.

Finally, in relation to being funded in your 3rd/final year –I think that you should put up 1/3(1/4) funded by IRCHSS rather than simply saying that you are an IRCHSS Scholar. Not really fair for them to claim credit for all of your work – I wonder what would be the reaction from the IRCHSS I will be very interested to see how many applications were funded in the final year or latter half of their PhD especially given what was being said earlier in the tread about Batt O’Keeffe’s reference to the “multi-annual nature” of the scholarships.
Once again, DandyDon I wish you all the best with your research

LordOctane2009

Just wondering if there was anybody else out there who has decided or has been forced to change your plans now that you haven't been funded?

the-jojo-axiom

LordOctane2009 wrote: »

Just wondering if there was anybody else out there who has decided or has been forced to change your plans now that you haven't been funded?

Yup. I too have been rejected by our esteemed Research Council. Now I'm applying like a mad woman for a second part time job, otherwise I won't be able to afford to travel in order to carry out my foreign research, which is essential, seeing as my PhD involves 5 different countries, including Ireland.

I thought this would give me a slight advantage, given the move to increase mobility in 4th level research that everyone in academia is harping on about, but no.

What's worse is that everyone is saying to me 'Oh, you'll get it next year, no-one gets it on their application', but the fact is that I need the money this year in order to carry out the bulk of my research in the coming year.

Next time will be too late, as I'm nearly finished my second year of postgrad, having upgraded from Mphil.

So yeah, I'm pretty much fecked completely, unless I can find a rich benefactor asap.

LordOctane2009

Hi the-jojo-axiom - I am sorry to hear you did not get funded - I was thinking of selling my body to the night but with the recession there is too much competition. Do you mind if I ask what your area is?

the-jojo-axiom

LordOctane2009 wrote: »

Hi the-jojo-axiom - I am sorry to hear you did not get funded - I was thinking of selling my body to the night but with the recession there is too much competition. Do you mind if I ask what your area is?

There has been talk of 'lady of the night' type activity in our department lately alright, plus the idea of bake sales came up. We're all getting pretty desperate for cash at the moment. Feckin recession.

I'm in archaeology, studying artefacts, which is rare enough these days, but even rarer is the fact that I'm actually looking outside of Ireland, to the whole North Atlantic region. Therefore, it's imperative for me to spend at least 2/3 months in museums in Scotland, and more time in Iceland, Faroes, Northern England and the Isle of Man. Luckily I managed to get funded by the Norwegian government last Autumn to study their collections...it's only now I'm fecked.
Wish Norge would take me back...
:rolleyes:

Sorry about your rejection too, Octane What area are you in yourself?