NUI Galway PhD Pits

phdstewdent

I want to post this to warn any prospective students from *ever* applying to NUI Galway. I am a final year PhD student and I have spent enough time and money at this university (I feel like using inverted commas here) to feel I can offer a fairly honest evaluation.

When I was accepted to register for my PhD, there were many funding options advertised. The money might not have been great, but my other half told me I should go for it while he held the fort with mortgage and bills etc. So I applied for all the funding going. And I didn't get anything. Zip. I paid my own fees. I paid for myself to attend conferences, I had a supervisor who had far too many students to give me the guidance I needed. Why? Well, it's true I certainly didn't have to do it and am more than qualified to go out and work if I really felt hard done by with all this rejection. However, every time I successfully completed one of those PhD milestones, like the completion of the required structured modules, the completion of the first full draft, every successful graduate review...I would think 'maybe this time- it'll all be worth it in the end'.

So at the final stages as I am now, I applied for the PhD write-up bursary. It's basically a little money to offset the crippling fees you've been paying all throughout your studies- possibly designed to give your mind a break from worrying about financial matters when you're making that final effort to get your thesis in. I was rejected again. I have my full draft, my supervisor certified that I would finish within the stipulated time limit, I have not ever received funding- yet I finished in the 40% of applications who were unsuccessful. I asked NUIG to kindly explain to me why they'd issued me with this final kick in the teeth. Guess what? The staff are all 'out of office' because...well it's May, duh! And let's face it, if they were in the office they probably wouldn't give a ****e either. I'm just another one of those eejits that has paid NUIG to please, please, please let me boost their research profile by conducting PhD research which I'd like to generously pay for (I actually think one of those Indian writing services might have been cheaper- I'm guessing a little more honest about it anyway).

I'll finish off my thesis. I've spent too long at it and I accept my share in the blame. But I'll never stop warning people to stay away from this circus. They're trying to tell you something with the big top tent in the grounds during the Galway Arts Festival every year. I'll walk away from this university with a PhD but I'll never stop warning students with a genuine wish to make a new contribution to learning to stay the hell away from this place.