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NSERC CGS/PGS-D 2017-2018


strange_quark

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Thought the e-mail wasn't real at first either! If it's real, PGSD3 here... but are we 100% sure it's legitimate? They're usually pretty strict about not sending out results via e-mail an I don't wanna set myself up for disappointment by getting all excited haha

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Congratulations, everyone! I got the email this morning, too. I'm just glad I'm done with the stressful scholarship application process for the rest of my degree :)

I got waitlisted last year and didn't receive an email, only a letter in the mail. The email is from NSERC (double checked the headers), so I think it's reasonable to assume it's real.

For people in Canada who received a PGSD, you may get bumped up to a CGSD since people outside Canada can only hold a PGSD.

Edited by purple_clang
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For people taking this up at a foreign institution, do you know what the phrase "Available start dates must coincide with the institution’s academic calendar." means with regards to choosing start dates? We can choose any month between May and October, with that restriction. For Canadian institutions you have the options of May, September, and January.

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19 minutes ago, MathCat said:

For people taking this up at a foreign institution, do you know what the phrase "Available start dates must coincide with the institution’s academic calendar." means with regards to choosing start dates? We can choose any month between May and October, with that restriction. For Canadian institutions you have the options of May, September, and January.

Like you, I turned my CGS-D3 into a PGS-D3 to take it to a US school. Your interpretation is right. My school's academic year began in October in the year I started the PGS, so my payment dates were October and April. Note that you need to submit a "request for payment" about one month prior to the payment date and this request requires your advisor's signature. So plan for that! I actually ended up receiving my first cheque, meant for October 2012 to March 2013 in mid-September 2012 because I submitted it in early September and they got back to me really quick. The timing doesn't really matter---they just want to be clear on which months the money is supporting you.

As you may already know, your payments are going to be in US dollars so the amount of money you get will depend on the value of the Canadian/US dollars. Make sure to make an arrangement with your department to cover the difference (unless you are lucky and your school just lets you keep the difference). When you get your cheque from Canada, I'd make a photocopy of it, because the cheque amount, for some reason, is usually different from the amount on the cheque stub/payment invoice that comes with the cheque. I think those numbers are probably computed using different exchange rates on different days. In any case, if the cheque amount is lower than the invoice amount, you want to use the cheque amount to prove to your school that you got X dollars. You might also want to use this for filing any state taxes (some states, e.g. California, will tax you on all worldwide income if it's earned/derived from working in California). 

Also, this means you are getting lump sum payments every 6 months so good budgeting is important! It was a relief to see the Government of Canada envelope in my mailbox each payment period. Even now, that brown-ish shade that the Government of Canada uses for its envelopes is still an exciting thing to see (recently, my Parks Canada pass came in such an envelope!)

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@TakeruK,

Thanks for the tax advice, that is good to remember. It's already enough of a headache filing in both countries!

So, to clarify: I'm already attending and would like to start the award as early as possible. Do I need to wait until the next academic quarter? My next quarter begins in April, so I couldn't take it up that soon. But then the beginning of the next quarter would be in the summer - and I won't be taking courses or anything (though I will be working on research), so could I even start it then? Do I need to wait until October (the next quarter after that)?

I'll email them for an official answer as well, though I suspect they will be rather flooded with emails just now...

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3 hours ago, MathCat said:

@TakeruK,

Thanks for the tax advice, that is good to remember. It's already enough of a headache filing in both countries!

So, to clarify: I'm already attending and would like to start the award as early as possible. Do I need to wait until the next academic quarter? My next quarter begins in April, so I couldn't take it up that soon. But then the beginning of the next quarter would be in the summer - and I won't be taking courses or anything (though I will be working on research), so could I even start it then? Do I need to wait until October (the next quarter after that)?

I'll email them for an official answer as well, though I suspect they will be rather flooded with emails just now...

Yes, as far as I know, you can start the award at the next academic quarter. I think basically any time after May would be okay as long as it's the start of some academic term. But emailing or calling them is fine, and they are actually very quick and responsive. 

I know you're already a student and I thought you were asking if you could start it later instead of exactly at September. You're finishing up your first year, right? If you have funding secured for the first year already, it might be better to have the PGS start right at the beginning of your second year. Then you will be funded completely through your 4th year. If you are in a 5 year program, your advisor only has to have funding for you for one full year. If your award stops in the middle of an academic/fiscal year (e.g. June 2020), then the remaining summer months might be trickier to manage. Also, since most schools lays out funding one year at a time, it will be easier for you to either be on the award or not on the award for the full year. 

I think the only exception is if you think you will graduate before August 2020. But even so, it's better to have the funding go through to August 2020 and then return the money than to not have it when you need it. Even if you originally plan to graduate in say, June 2020, having funding through August or Sept 2020 means that if you need to stay an extra month or two for whatever reason, you can! (For example, maybe your next position starts September 2020 and you want to be paid over the summer). 

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15 minutes ago, TakeruK said:

Yes, as far as I know, you can start the award at the next academic quarter. I think basically any time after May would be okay as long as it's the start of some academic term. But emailing or calling them is fine, and they are actually very quick and responsive. 

I know you're already a student and I thought you were asking if you could start it later instead of exactly at September. You're finishing up your first year, right? If you have funding secured for the first year already, it might be better to have the PGS start right at the beginning of your second year. Then you will be funded completely through your 4th year. If you are in a 5 year program, your advisor only has to have funding for you for one full year. If your award stops in the middle of an academic/fiscal year (e.g. June 2020), then the remaining summer months might be trickier to manage. Also, since most schools lays out funding one year at a time, it will be easier for you to either be on the award or not on the award for the full year. 

I think the only exception is if you think you will graduate before August 2020. But even so, it's better to have the funding go through to August 2020 and then return the money than to not have it when you need it. Even if you originally plan to graduate in say, June 2020, having funding through August or Sept 2020 means that if you need to stay an extra month or two for whatever reason, you can! (For example, maybe your next position starts September 2020 and you want to be paid over the summer). 

In general, I agree completely. But I'm currently two thirds of the way through my second year and have no summer funding, so I'd like to start it ASAP. Also, my department does all funding on a quarter-by-quarter basis (we are all guaranteed a full time TAships if we want them, but I could choose to take one quarter at half time, for example, or your advisor can fund you for just one quarter) so the exact timing in the academic year is less important for me.

I hope I can take it up in July, if not in May. I'll see what they say in response to my email!

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Hello everyone and congratulations to all the winners!

I myself won the CGSD3 and I am still in shock.

I have one question though. On the second page of the acceptance document there is an application number which goes like CGSD3-XXXXXX-2017. Those 6 numbers in the middle look like they are supposed to be a PIN number but it doesn't match up with the PIN number on my initial application (from October). Is this normal?  Or has NSERC fucked up and I didn't actually win....

I'm probably sounding crazy but I have a veeery common name and it still hasn't sunk in that I won so my paranoia is kicking in, haha

Edited by Liv57ac2
typo
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