IRCHSS results

IvyTheTerrible

the-jojo-axiom wrote: »

Boasting is the right term alright

Yup, 8,000 with a bit of temporary work would keep me going perfectly.

Anyone know what the official IRCHSS line is on applicants already in receipt of funding? I know it asked us to declare if we're already getting any, but do they actually check up, or take it into consideration at all? I know someone who go it, it's her THIRD source of governmental funding, so she's now on a nice hefty salary of 40,000+ per annum. Share the wealth IRCHSS, share the freaking wealth.

Report her to the Revenue? I know I had to sign a revenue exemption form because my funding (not IRCHSS) was below minimum wage...

the-jojo-axiom

IvyTheTerrible wrote: »

Report her to the Revenue? I know I had to sign a revenue exemption form because my funding (not IRCHSS) was below minimum wage...

I'll have at least a word with them. If it's fraud, they should bloody know.

LordOctane2009

From my experience IRCHSS have no interest in dealing with such problems and will try and get rid of you but that deosn't mean you shouldn't try.

brianthebard

Actually thinking about it more I'd be surprised if this person will be getting that much funding, I know that if you are one of the Uni scholarships you have to give that up if you get the IRCHSS funding, and there aren't that many scholarships out there for these disciplines, so its hard to see how someone would manage to come up with over 40 grand in funding per annum.

SD1979

Hey folks,

Just thought you might be interested...the following has been posted on the IRCHSS website.

"IRCHSS Awards 2010 (Statement 19 May 2010)
IRCHSS has issued results to all applicants of its 2010 Postgraduate and Postdoctoral Schemes. All applicants, unsuccessful and successful will be advised in letter post only (not email). If you have not received your letter by 26 May 2010 please email info@irchss.ie with your correct address details. Please note, we cannot in any circumstances, email you the results or relay them over the telephone. Institutions will be notified shortly of their successful awards, however, successful applicants should contact their institutions and supervisors/mentors as soon as possible.
As per the letter feedback will only be issued by the end of September 2010. Feedback, including scores and percentile ranks will ONLY be provided in writing.
Feedback cannot be discussed over the telephone or by email. IRCHSS does not operate an appeals process and the decision made by the International Assessment Board is final. Whilst we appreciate the disappointment of unsuccessful applicants we hope you will also understand how competitive the process was this year due the high number of applications, for both schemes, and the reduction in awards made due to budgetary constraints."

So it seems most of us (for those who applied), for better or worse, should know by the middle of next week. Personally I have recieved nothing yet. Well done those who got a positive outcome.

mountainview86

Hey guys.

Just a quick word to say my application was successful! Couldn't believe it. It's my first application and I'm just starting the phd in October. Thesis is on the subject of nuclear deterrence, so may have been lucky due to the ubiquity of such a topic in the news these days.

Have first class honours degrees in both BA and MA. Unlucky to those who didnt get it and congratulations to those who did. Don't give up though, if its something you really would like to pursue.

Anyone else starting a History/Politics phd in UCC this year?

SD1979

Hey mountainview,

congrats, seems like you were one of the lucky ones! Topic choice has a large baring on the success of your outcome I think.
I still havent received anything and we're now past the date....time to email them.

sandee

I def think that topic has a huge influence. Current social crisis, or hot topics, make for attractive research projects in the social sciences. Especially anything that might inform or challenge policy.

One surprising factor is the influence of the reference, I have heard of two applications being turned down based on the reference even though the feedback said the projects were great - the supervisors appeared disinterested, or had no real faith in the student.

Fortunately I was successful this year and I am in first year. My friend also a first year was also successful so I am not sure that the awards were confined to those further into their research.

mountainview86

In the letter I received, it said there were nearly 700 applications, and only 90 awards made, so demand far outweighs supply, especially given the current climate.

I'm sure the reference in my application had a huge bearing on mine because I was convinced that my topic (nuclear deterrence) was too left-field, especially when you see the titles of past recipients' thesis titles.

Still, I'm very thankful that I got it.

LordOctane2009

I have just been looking at the list of the successful scholarships http://www.irchss.ie/awards/scheme01.htm I am very happy to see that while the number of scholarships has greatly decreased the projects that are being funded cover a very wide range of topics and they are not so Irish centred

I never understood why so many Irish centred projects were being funeded in the past when they never had the potential to develop beyond the scope of the project itself. Ireland has very limited academic audience so academic funding should reflect this instead of producing material that is not of use to the general academic community.

That is not to say that Irish projects should not be funded, far from it, but if governement money is invested there is a need for a viable return other than just PhDs. Projects should be able to contribute to Irish, as well as International, academia.

What do other people think?

stewbacca

Hey Everyone,

Sorry if I'm posting this in the wrong forum, I wasn't entirely sure where to post these questions. I'm looking for some information and advice on PhDs and applying for funding with the IRCHSS. I'm hoping to start a PhD within the next year and I've been doing some research in the past few months trying to narrow down a topic (in the area of business and human rights) so that I can submit a proposal to a college. I wanted to ask if people had some info or ideas on the PhD process in general and on the best way to go about applying for funding. I was wondering if it is better to have already started your PhD research and then attempt to get funding from your second year onwards or is it possible to get funding before you begin (but in that case would you need to have been accepted by the college and have a supervisor in place?)

I'm trying to get myself organised and put a bit of a timeframe in place so that I'll focus more and get a topic together but I'm not sure about whether you're supposed to apply to a college first, hopefully get accepted and then apply for funding or should funding be the priority? Or is it possible to apply to a college for a PhD place, get accepted and then hold off on starting the PhD while you look to get funding for your first year?

From what I've read and heard it's extremely hard to get funding anyhow and I've been told that getting it with the IRCHSS is beyond difficult so I wanted to ask aswell how people have managed to go about a PhD without funding?

Sorry for all the stupid questions I just couldn't seem to find the answers to them anywhere but if they've been asked before somewhere and someone could point me in the right direction that would be great. Otherwise and advise/info would be much appreciated.

Thanks a million

LordOctane2009

A few things I have learned about doing a PhD without funding are the following:

1: You have to ask yourself how will you manage if you do not get funding?Virtually all of the non-funded students I know are living at home or are supported by a spouse, so consider this before moving out if you haven't already done so.
2: If you are an independent student go on the dole for at least 9 months and then apply to get the back to education grant. They will not give it to you once you start. There are issues in relation to the grant but it is at least worth a look plus you can work on your PhD while you are on the dole. You can also hold on to certain benefits when you go back to college. http://www.citizensinformation.ie/categories/social-welfare/social-welfare-payments/back-to-education/back_to_education_allowance
3: Try to get a full time or close to full time job. This may sound like a strange thing to say but the reality is that trying to survive on part-time jobs take up more time than a full time job would and mess with your schedule. Regular hours help you structure your day. I find doing a PhD is like trying to get fit - it is better to do something small on a regular basis rather than forcing everything in very short, random starts.
4: Allow for the possibility that your PhD will take longer than you intended. This happens to funded students as well.


The best piece of advice that I was given before starting was that I was told not to do a PhD if I thought I was going to get a job out of it because that idea would never sustain me through the PhD. I should only do it if it was something I loved.

I hope that this was of some help and I wish you the best of luck.

brianthebard

LordOctane2009 wrote: »

A few things I have learned about doing a PhD without funding are the following:

1: You have to ask yourself how will you manage if you do not get funding?Virtually all of the non-funded students I know are living at home or are supported by a spouse, so consider this before moving out if you haven't already done so.
2: If you are an independent student go on the dole for at least 9 months and then apply to get the back to education grant. They will not give it to you once you start. There are issues in relation to the grant but it is at least worth a look plus you can work on your PhD while you are on the dole. You can also hold on to certain benefits when you go back to college. http://www.citizensinformation.ie/categories/social-welfare/social-welfare-payments/back-to-education/back_to_education_allowance

Have you actually tried to get the BTEA? You have to be on the dole for at least a year for a start, plus you can only get funding for a teaching postgrad if you already have degree. And you have to be over a certain age and fulfill a number of other criteria.

LordOctane2009

Thanks for the update Brian - when I had asked about it a couple of years I wasn't told it was limited to a teaching position.

Ostrom

brianthebard wrote: »

Actually thinking about it more I'd be surprised if this person will be getting that much funding, I know that if you are one of the Uni scholarships you have to give that up if you get the IRCHSS funding, and there aren't that many scholarships out there for these disciplines, so its hard to see how someone would manage to come up with over 40 grand in funding per annum.

It has happened unfortunately, and I have known one personally. I dont think it is as common now

consilience

Hi everyone,

This is off topic, but I thought here might be a good place to ask... have any of you or anyone you know left an IRCHSS-funded PhD? I am going into my second year of a PhD, and am considering dropping out. I was wondering if any of you know what the consequences of this might be... I know the IRCHSS require repayment, but can you do this over a period of a few years or does it have to be all in one go?

TJJP

consilience - sent you a pm.

roesia

Right
Got turned down for IRCHSS twice, once for a 2 year one a couple of years ago and last year for a 3 year. This year thanks to glowing feedback from reviewers I planned to re-apply for a 3 year and have been informed that two previous apps make me ineligible to apply. WTF? I thought you had five years after your PhD in which to apply but now it only seems to be two. It's the only big source of funding that Humanities research has. I can't believe that they are locking people out after two attempts. I mean I know people who have applied for research posts and grants several times over years and finally got them. For eg one mate of mine applied to DIAS three times and got in on the third attempt. I think they made that change this year - I don't remember a stipulation about that last year...

brianthebard

There was always a stipulation but it may have been three years instead of two previously.

partabande

Has anyone seen the IRCHSS application form for 2011 yet? Or can anyone tell me what it generally entails (even from other years)? Thanks!

brianthebard

Applications don't start until January, keep checking the IRCHSS site for more info.

IronWolf

Anyone looking to apply for the IRCHSS Scheme 1 this year? My understanding is that they are now making the applications an on-line process rather than by post similar to what has happened with the post doctoral scholarships and the IRCSET Embark program.

Can anyone share some light on what to expect with regards to getting the usual college approval stamps and the like?

Also regarding the IRCHSS merger with IRCSET, does anyone here know what are the practical ramifications of this regarding applying for what was the IRCHSS Scheme 1 scholarship? Hopefully the application form for this years enrolment will still be posted on the IRCHSS website!

Thanks for reading, any advice appreciated!

gutenberg

IronWolf wrote: »

Anyone looking to apply for the IRCHSS Scheme 1 this year? My understanding is that they are now making the applications an on-line process rather than by post similar to what has happened with the post doctoral scholarships and the IRCSET Embark program.

Can anyone share some light on what to expect with regards to getting the usual college approval stamps and the like?

Also regarding the IRCHSS merger with IRCSET, does anyone here know what are the practical ramifications of this regarding applying for what was the IRCHSS Scheme 1 scholarship? Hopefully the application form for this years enrolment will still be posted on the IRCHSS website!

Thanks for reading, any advice appreciated!

Hey IronWolf, I'll also be applying for Scheme 1 this year, but everything seems to be a bit confused at the moment. No one seems to know how the merger of IRCHSS & IRCSET will affect applications at the moment, I guess we'll just have to wait & see!

I personally hope that the 'online application form' will be truly online, and therefore not require the usual plethora of university/departmental stamps- if nothing else, because I'm doing my Master's in the UK at the moment, so it would be great if they'd got rid of that... Although I suspect that it will involve an online application form, and that you can upload your research proposal, supervisor reference etc., but that you might need to scan documents with stamps on them, which wouldn't be much of an improvement! We shall have to wait & see, hopefully they'll announce the scheme soon.

TJJP

I'd expect that for this year at least the IRCHSS scheme might run as normal and that the merger won't mean any great changes in the immediate future. A launch in mid-February for a closing date in mid to late March is likely but forms and further information may be available sooner. As to the application system, I’d expect some kind of online registration with an electronic version of an application form to upload. Referees and potential supervisors will probably have to provide some support to the application via the online system and ultimately the proposed institution may be requested to sign off on the application. Stamps, scans and such like are likely to be unnecessary at application stage but close coordination between an applicant their referee and proposed institution will probably be important. This is of course only speculation on my part.

I_p_freely

does anyone know, or have any idea what subjects make up the majority of applicants for IRCHSS funding? sociology? history? eng lit?

what is the allocated amount of funding? is it massively competitive?

IronWolf

They've uploaded a sample .PDF registration for the postgraduate scholarship application(along with an overhaul of the overall website).

The form itself is a bit of a nightmare however, they've disabled the ability to check for spelling errors (rather ridiculous), and the enforced word limits in each field box seem to take into account the spaces used in between paragraphs

Buyingahouse

IronWolf wrote: »

They've uploaded a sample .PDF registration for the postgraduate scholarship application(along with an overhaul of the overall website).

The form itself is a bit of a nightmare however, they've disabled the ability to check for spelling errors (rather ridiculous), and the enforced word limits in each field box seem to take into account the spaces used in between paragraphs

I can't imagine it will be worse than last year's form. I spent more time on formatting than on my methodology section. Hmmm, maybe that's why I didn't get funding?

Might have to leave my programme this year (after year 2) if I don't get any money. School says they're skint and can only offer internal funding to new students.

cassElliot

does anyone have any words of advice or experiences with the irchss application to impart? i'd be so so grateful. i'm applying now and if i dont get funding i cant see myself continuing on with the phd, the money issues are becoming too great and are having serious negative consequences

the-jojo-axiom

cassElliot wrote: »

does anyone have any words of advice or experiences with the irchss application to impart? i'd be so so grateful. i'm applying now and if i dont get funding i cant see myself continuing on with the phd, the money issues are becoming too great and are having serious negative consequences

A few tips I've got from successful candidates in the past:

*Use buzzwords like 'interdisciplinarity'...'integration of ideas', etc. You'll know yourself which buzzwords apply to your own area.
*Don't be afraid of blatently stated your theoretical viewpoint, they want you to put your money where your mouth is.
*Obviously, avoid the use of the first person, as well as repetition.
*Use bullet points
*As you should later do with your thesis, get someone not in your field to have a look over the application. It should 'jump out' at a non-expert.
*Stress the publication potential of the project if possible...the IRCHSS is under strain like every organisation to produce results...if they think that your research has potential to be disseminated to the wider public as well as the academic world, it will arouse their interest.

Good luck!

PS Don't let it wreck your head too much would be my best advice.
I applied twice and didn't get it either time, but managed to get tutoring for two years to cover the fees and a foreign scholarship which let me come back to Ireland with a profit. I also worked night shifts on and off and lived off of this for the last year, plus I received finishing-up funding by the Arts faculty (a godsend!). So there are ways and means of surviving without the IRCHSS

cassElliot

wow, thanks so much for such good advice. sad to hear you didn't get it! what field are you in? if you dont mind me asking.

i know i shouldn't let it bother me, but its difficult being without any money for such a long period of time! esp as i get older and my friends have full time work!

when you say dont be afraid to state my theoretically view point, could you expand on that point? i'm in psychology, so avoiding usage of the first person has been drummed into me.

thanks again for the wonderful advice. glad you got some funding tho!

oh also, the people reading my proposal are my supervisor, my friend who has the same degree as me, but went into a different area postgrad and another friend who is in engineering so a totally different field. i figured if there is something he cant understand then i am not being clear about my argument. i dont know who else to ask and i went through college being told that my work is all i have as a researcher/academic and not to flaunt it about. paranoia!!