New BA International Fellowship Rules - and venting

Hello everyone!

Just read the email in which the British Academy announces some new rules for the International Fellowship to try to increase the success rate, namely

1. Applicant eligibility will move to 0-5 years post PhD, instead of 0-7;
2. The applicant must have had their viva by the time the International Fellowships Final Awards Panel meets on the 1st of June; 3)The UK sponsor will now only be able to support one application per round.

The first change does not impact me, but the second one does, because I'm not sure I'll be able to have my viva by that date. I can definitely try and it's not impossible, but the previous rule was more accommodating and now this adds some extra stress to my life as I'm finishing the PhD.

The third one is also obviously quite impactful: I'm not sure how many applications the sponsors were able to support before, but being allowed to only support one will diminish my chances of getting through the internal applications.

Although I had decided to apply for the fellowship, I never had high expectations, since I know it's incredibly competitive - nearly impossible to get. However, now I'm feeling demoralised since even the application process has become difficult. This email just awakened be to the reality of the post-PhD life.

I'm finishing a fully funded PhD and, despite the lows, being able to research, write, and present at conferences full time has been a joy. And every way I look it seems like I won't be able to get an academic position after I graduate. I'm already grieving for this taste of academia I had. Imagining that this time next year I might be working on something other than research pains me, but it's unfortunately the most realistic possibility.