08. Complete and Submit Trinity Application for PhD

Currently working on :
Step 1 : Print out application form, check when I need to apply by, and what I need to send
Step 2 : Make a list of what needs to be done and by when
Step 3 : Contact anyone that I need information / references from
Step 4 : Gather anything needed for submission
Step 5 : Complete forms
Step 6 : Submit
Well this task is on hold until 2011/12 at least. :)

Update : 28 May 2011

Since I've decided to do a 2 year, part time Masters before beginning the PhD, this task won't be done until late 2012 / early 2013 and may not make it to be done within the time limit :)

02. Get funding for PhD

1. Apply to IRCSET – denied!
2. Apply to Westmeath Co Co – denied!
So initial applications have been a bust, looks like 2010/11 will be spent searching for funding options!

Update : 28 May 2011

As with 08, this task may not get completed in time for the end date of the list, since I'll be taking on a 2 year Masters!

01. Graduate from NUI Maynooth

Having started university in 2002, I was starting to think I would never get through it all!

02/03 First year – I did Maths, Chemistry, Experimental Physics and Mathematical Physics. I’d covered pretty much everything in Leaving Cert, so got through that year fine.

03/04 Second year – Dropped Mathematical Physics, continued with Maths, Chemistry and Experimental Physics. Did very well in Maths, not too bad in Physics, and scrapped through Chemistry.

04/05 Third year [1] – Dropped Experimental Physics and Chemistry, and took up Pure Mathematics and Statistics in the Maths stream. Did good in Statistics, but got totally lost in Pure Maths with about a million theorems.

05/06 Third year [2] – Repeated changing from Pure Maths to Applied Maths, and scrapped my way through the year.

06/07 Fourth year [1] – Got diagnosed with depression and agoraphobia that year and ended up not sitting any exams.

07/08 Fourth year [2] – Only completed January exams this year, with a breakdown at the start of the second semester leading to dropping out. Did very well in Applied Maths exams, but failed Statistics.

08/09 Year off after much thinking

09/10 Fourth year [3] – Sat Statistics only in Semester 1 with good results. In Semester 2 things got a bit tough, but managed to achieve good grades in Applied Maths exams. Repeated Statistics exams in August and finally got them all done!

Graduating in October 2010 with a 1st Class Honours degree!

12. Apply for Grant with WCC for PhD

 

Downloaded application form – June 2010

Gather necessary forms – partially completed August 2010, but wrote letter explaining why there were some missing forms and why (results not out yet etc!)

Apply – application sent in on 30 August 2010.

Rang them on the 15 September 2010, informed that because of a rule regarding changing status from non-mature dependent to mature independent needing a 3 year break between undergrad and postgrad, my application was rejected.

Due to complications, it’s not possible to apply elsewhere, and so PhD is now on hold until I can find an alternative funding source!

06. Complete ECDL

Part 1 : Register and Buy Skills Card

Completed 20:00 Tuesday 08 June 2010

About a month after getting the card, there were finally some exam times put up on the website, and so I booked them all.

Part 2 : Complete each module

I decided to just get them all out of the way as quickly as I could, and managed to get through them all over the space of 8 days!

21 July 2010 – Powerpoint – 97%

22 July 2010 – Word – 88%

26 July 2010 – Basic ICT – 94%

26 July 2010 – Windows XP – 97%

27 July 2010 – Excel – 97%

28 July 2010 – IE 8 / Outlook – 97%

29 July 2010 – Access – 91%

Considering I started to study the modules on the 18th of July, I think I did pretty well!

Go me!