Beals
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Posts posted by Beals
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I got my results (got an email with my extranet account link + a message saying the results were up). It took several minutes of resetting passwords and error messages but - I got it!
I was in committee 3. I ranked 9/90 and my score was 5.13/6.
The letter says the last funded score is 4.84/6, and that overall in the competition 28% of applicants were offered a fellowship (much higher than previous years!).
Good luck to everyone else! As for me - I'm still shaking and cannot believe it!!!
Edit: forgot to mention - my letters were uploaded on Feb 24 so they really have been sitting on this.
- academicfornow and lilmiss90
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2 hours ago, Svaaron said:
I definitely agree that the pay should be higher, but I believe it is minimally taxed, and to be fair in a Canada that makes a big difference in terms of net income. A 45k/yr govt fellowship is like getting 60k or so gross from a private employer, depending what province you’re in. I’ve seen other postdocs here in Quebec that are 45k, but are administered by a private university that taxes it as standard income, deducts for benefits, etc. That’s a pretty sour deal for sure.
Yes, those are certainly factors to consider!
I had been under the impression SSHRC postdocs are taxable at the regular rate, unlike SSHRC doctoral scholarships (see the 'value and duration' section: https://www.sshrc-crsh.gc.ca/funding-financement/programs-programmes/fellowships/postdoctoral-postdoctorale-eng.aspx ). For folks in Ontario their after-tax take home pay would be just over $33,000, though as you mention folks in other provinces with a lower tax rate will see a higher amount.
However - I just did some digging and I saw a McGill webpage saying SSHRC postdoc tax info is included on a T4A.... within which income is generally considered non-taxable (that's where my non-taxable SSHRC CGS is listed anyway)???
Svaaron, if its true that award holders take home the entirety with no tax deductions you have just made my day!!
Edited to say: feel like I can't get too excited about this fact since I've still only got a shot in hell of getting the award. Stay humble, Beals!!!
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3 hours ago, lilmiss90 said:
Also, I thought this terrible process was just one of the quirks of academia you have to get used to over time, but in talking with international colleagues and collaborating with them on SSHRC grant applications I've seen SO much confusion and irritation with the system on their part. Why is there no set date when results are announced?? Why is it that we're in the year 2022 but it's so difficult for them to release emails or results at once?? Why is there seemingly no rhyme or reason to situations where your application might score higher the year prior and then the next year when you have more publications and presentations and research experience your score plummets?? Why is it often the same groups of people on these review committees?? Why is there so little funding available?? Why are there a million different websites and platforms to submit applications (ResearchNet, Research Portal, the really glitchy 'web based forms') when they're all going to the same funding agency?? I know I'm just ranting now but so many questions...
I'm applying to hold internationally too, and I've also appreciated the outside perspective reaction to SSHRC. All the issues you reference above, but I also had a 'funny' interaction with the research office at my prospective school: as he was reviewing the fellowship details to make sure there'd be no issues with me holding SSHRC at the uni he saw the funding sum and said "$45,000? You know that's not equivalent to full time funding, right?" Because here postdocs generally speaking start at $90k. Like, yes Mr Research Officer Man, I am aware Canadian postdocs are exploited, but I still want the fellowship ?
Nothing like some honest international perspective. I think at home everyone is so used to SSHRC that while we complain we don't really expect anything different.
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I'm currently living on the other side of the world, where we're technically a day ahead due to time zones. I think the time difference has reduced my stress while waiting a bit, because if I don't have a result by the time I wake up I know I'm probably not getting news that day.
That said .... I really really really really really hope I wake up to an email with (good) news tomorrow! Fingers crossed for all of us that we can avoid another week of anticipation!
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On 2/18/2022 at 7:34 PM, Hopingforthebest2022 said:
Does anyone know if we are awarded, how long we have to make a decision to accept and choose our start dates? I ask because I have some other things I applied to that I won't hear back from until end of April that would be considerably more money.
I imagine the turnaround time to accept the award is somewhat short (before end of April). However, I know you can accept the award and then reject it before starting with no issue (and maybe your award would then be given to the next person down the list - I think? If this operates like a SSHRC doctoral award? Anyone know?). I am basing this off a personal anecdote of a friend who won a SSHRC postdoc, accepted, and then several months later got a TT job and thus rescinded her acceptance of the postdoc. She had no issues doing this, and I assume it's a fairly common occurrence as the folks who are competitive for a postdoc are often the same folks who are competitive on the job market.
I'm not sure what the protocol is for those who start the award but then quit part way through. I assume this is common as well (scenario: someone accepts a 2 year SSHRC postdoc, starts it in November, but gets a TT job that starts the following July and thus only actually holds the postdoc for 8 months). Don't know what the funding repercussions of that are though (does the unused funding $ go back into the pot to open up another postdoc? Seems unlikely since the number of people awarded does not vary from year to year).
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Do you think you could actually finish your PhD in the two years of funding you have left? You use the word 'paralyzed' which implies the answer is no. Personally, I don't see the point in spending two years running into a wall and making no progress, and then upon reaching the end of your funding either leaving the program anyway (and thus having been miserable for two years to no end) or taking on heaps of contract work while trying to complete your thesis (and thus extending your misery for extra years).
I think if you can do as PsyDuck suggests and bang out a mediocre thesis just to get it over with - go ahead and do it! If that's what you want! But if you're in anguish ... is it worth it?
Which leads to my next question - you're interested in teaching. At what level? Only CC? Would you be interested in teaching at the high school level? I have heard that hiring criteria is quite different for those schools (rather than at a uni) as they don't care about research, so you very well might be able to get a job without a PhD (even with a PhD you still face the chance of not getting a job - having a PhD doesn't guarantee anything, for any job).
From my perspective, if sounds like you already know what you want to do. It sounds like if you stay a certain amount of misery is guaranteed - I guess the question is whether enduring the misery is worth it to you. Good luck making this decision - it sounds like a tough one.
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On 2/9/2022 at 2:05 PM, gleefullygloomy said:
I am curious where people will be taking their post-docs if they are successful?
Oh wow, I read that as IF, not WHERE. To answer the actual question you asked - my proposed host institution is a university in Australia!
On 2/12/2022 at 5:18 AM, Mrazy said:For those finishing up their programs, what stage are you at? I have a mature draft of my dissertation, and am in the (hopefully) last round of edits before I submit to my full committee. I'm hoping to defend in early April, submit my final dissertation by the end of April, and graduate in the fall. *knock on wood*
I've submitted a complete first draft to my supervisor a month ago, and hope to get comments back by the end of Feb. I really hope to defend in July/August, but I feel as if I can't bank on anything given how common timeline disruptions are (at any point, but especially in this pandemic context!). That said, my SSHRC funding ends in April, and I'm grumpy enough about paying tuition with no funding for the summer semester - I'd better defend then since I'll be super peeved at having to pay for two semesters!!!
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19 hours ago, gleefullygloomy said:
I am pretty lucky in that there will be a permanent position there if I want it. That's a big if. While the field is interesting, my PhD has nothing to do with it and I would much rather get the post-doc and continue on. Also thinking of perhaps making a move into another discipline (Data Science) at a German university if this doesn't pan out. But it's all up in the air until SSHRC results come in.
Oh, it's wonderful that you have options! If you moved into Data Science, would that involve more education or is there a job in Germany you might have lined up?
10 hours ago, PhdMultilinguaEd said:I hate to start things off on a down note, but if anyone on here is also waiting to hear about a Banting, I got my results today and wasn't successful. Fingers crossed for better results for the rest of you who applied!
Sorry to hear that! I hope you get better news when the SSHRC results come out!
3 hours ago, Mrazy said:And Beals - I'm constantly thinking about back up plans! It's not a wonderful plan, but if I'm unsuccessful I'll still finish my PhD either this semester or early in the summer. I plan to get a day job (something that pays decent so I can get on a better financial footing) and continue to teach part-time contract classes in my city, publish a few articles, and continue applying for jobs and postdocs. I'll re-evaluate later if I want to continue working towards an academia job or go alt-academia. Either way I know I'll continue researching, writing, and publishing! I love the field too much to walk away completely.
I think I'll do the same re: putting off the decision to enter alt-ac for a few years (ie trying exclusively for an academic job for a while). You sound very resilient with your many plans so I'm sure you'll be successful no matter what path you follow
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I wanted to ask a similar (but more depressing) question, Gleefullygloomy!
If successful I will take the postdoc - though I still hope to find other (more lucrative and long term!) work before the postdoc starts (i.e., TT job). Though - if I apply to another postdoc scheme using the same project/supervisor/school and am successful ... can I hold both SSHRC and that other award? Scanning SSHRC's conditions it seems that I can (as long as its not Banting), and I think I've seen other folks hold both SSHRC and Killam.
I do want to know what ideas folks have regarding work if they're not successful? What other employment is everyone looking at as a backup? If I defend over the summer, as I plan to, but don't get SSHRC I plan to apply for international postdocs I'm eligible for (where I live now many postdocs apps open in Sept/Oct and the award starts in January for those successful), and in the meantime do contract lecturing and RA work (through which I would actually make more money than on a SSHRC postdoc - go figure).
As you can see from this post, my brain is spinning with all the different possibilities! Oh, the uncertainty of academia!
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On 1/20/2022 at 4:13 AM, Mrazy said:
Hi Beals,
I applied last year, and they sent out the results electronically at the end of February, slightly staggered (they started sending out the results February 22nd or 23rd, and people received them whenever they were uploaded to their file). I received my decision letter February 25th. SSHRC will likely follow a similar schedule this time around! Good luck
Hi Mrazy,
Thanks for the info! I thought we received letters via snail mail - so great that we can check online! Much more efficient! And hopefully we hear in Feb this year too!
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I'm applying for the first time. Currently ABD, applying to hold the postdoc at a uni abroad.
Based on last year (and, ya know, how SSHRC operates as an institution) we'll likely have to wait until early March ... but would be thrilled to be put out of my misery within the next 4 weeks instead!
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They don't sound like they mean well and they do sound like terrible people.
If they're not interested in teaching you the skills you need to successfully do research that is not your fault. If they wanted someone who already knew advanced research techniques, they should have hired someone with advanced research techniques - not a fresh college grad. It is the responsibility of senior researchers (postdocs) to mentor new hires with less experience. Anyone with even a cursory understanding of pedagogy would know that showing someone something once and then expecting them to be an expert is NOT good pedagogy.
I'm sorry they're treating you like this. You don't deserve to work in a toxic environment like that.
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The difficulty I'm facing is that postdoc applications are due 11 months before I plan to graduate, so I need a good number of pubs by Sept 2021, even though I'll probably defend in July/August 2022.
By the time I graduate I should have 7, two of which will be co-authored and five sole-authored. Six will be in peer reviewed journals, five of which have an impact factor. One is a book chapter. I'll probably have several under review at that time too.
I've learned over the past few years it's hard to make any solid guesses when it comes to publishing though, so who knows! I currently have 3 publications with 2 submitted/under review, and two more in the works. I have plans for at least two others, but haven't started yet (and won't start for a few more months).
Also am beginning to suspect there's a point of diminishing returns for pubs when it comes to the TT job market so am trying not to stress too much. -
Do you mean to find CfPs, or to publish one for a conference you're organizing?
If the former, I've had the best experience identifying key conferences in my field and going to their specific websites, and joining a field specific listserve.
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An integral part of grounded theory is that analysis is happening at the SAME TIME you're collecting data. So, for example, if you're interviewing subjects you might start off asking certain questions. After each interview (or a small group more realistically) you analyse the data and try to pick out the emerging themes which results in you changing the questions you ask your interview participants. The idea with GT is that you fine ONE main theory and you follow it. So if you start interviews asking questing about A, B, C, and D, and then after analysing you realize something interesting about D, you change your interview Qs to start exploring various facets of D, moving away from questions about A, B, and C.
If you're not doing this, you're not doing real GT. But, most people don't do real GT as they collect all their data and then code, reanalyze code, and then write about the themes. But many folks manage to publish saying they're doing GT (or doing work inspired by Gt which I think just means its inductive coding) when they technically aren't, so ... take that as you will.
Charmaz has many good youtube videos you could check out. I also recommend reading published work of folks who do Gt and see how they mobilize the method.
Good luck!
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On 12/8/2020 at 10:47 AM, MtrlHstryGrl said:
At this point, I’m really rethinking going into medieval history and especially my specific subfield. I’m just feeling really discouraged and I’m not sure what to
You've received lots of great feedback from others in this thread about how to increase your knowledge and ability to write papers, so I won't touch on that.
As for your future in the field: I think most grad students are high achieving people who have always excelled academically - big fish in small ponds during lower levels of schooling. Once we get to grad school that changes, and all of our colleagues are excellent and suddenly our 'amazing' performance is standard. That can be a hard adjustment, further compounded by the fact that failure is an intrinsic part of grad school. Even folks who breeze through classes are going to get scholarship rejections, journal article rejections, etc. It's tough, and the only way to adjust is to get used to criticism (ideally seeing it as useful) and accept that we all fail at some point.
If you decide that this failure and unpleasant interaction with your advisor is enough to turn you off the subfield - that's fine! Choose another path. But I do think it's important to note that any other (academic) path you choose is also going to be tough, riddled with challenges and failures, and that you do need to develop strategies to deal with it. That said, if you end up with another supervisor who might be more willing to guide you, then dealing with those challenges can be easier (the hard part is finding a supervisor who does support you in the way you desire - bad or neutral supervisor relationships seem more prevalent than great ones).
It's valid to be frustrated. At the same time, that's just academia. So - good luck!
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Hi all,
I'm finishing up my PhD in the social sciences in Canada and want to do a postdoc in Australia. I'm familiar with the ARC DECRA and can see that many universities have their own postdoc schemes, but I'm wondering if there are any other opportunities I've missed? It seems strange to me that the only national competition for social sciences would be the DECRA.
(it is also bonkers to me that TT profs can apply for the DECRA and that you must have already received your PhD to apply for it - unless it isn't supposed to function as 'postdoc' funding, in which case - where is the postdoc funding!?)
Thanks in advance!
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Go ahead and take the funds OP.
The only time I'd advise not doing so is if you don't plan to defend. But assuming you do plan to defend and graduate, at some point in the future, you should take the money.
I don't think it matters what you intend to do with the money. I view fellowship funding transactionally - you're paid it with the expectation that you put in the work it's buying (e.g., defending the PhD thesis). Who cares how you spend it? Who cares if your timeframe is 7 years instead of 5, and those last 2 years you work full time? That's your business alone.Canada's grad education system is wildly exploitative. The fact we have to pay tuition at all, but especially in upper years once we're out of classes, is ludicrous! Not to mention the poor funding - IMO every single grad student should have funding comparable to a CGS, or at least a SSHRC.
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For those curious about how the scores shake up-
Last year I was waitlisted with a score of 12.8. I did not get in off the waitlist and I have no idea what my # on the list was because I didn't ask.
This year I won the regular SSHRC doctoral with a score of 13.5.
Both years I applied to whatever the group/stream that has sociology is.
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11 minutes ago, IndgStudies1234 said:
I apologize for all the questions - I am a first generation student and the people at school I asked did not know.
If you were to win a SSHRC or Bombardier, is it automatically for the amount of years you are eligible for depending on current year in your PhD? I.e. if you get a bombardier and its your first year do you automatically get 3 years... or does SSHRC decide how many terms you will get. For example me and A are both in first year, we both get the bombardier - is it possible they award me only one year and A two?
No need to apologize- that's what the forum is here for!
You'll get the max time you're eligible for, so 3 years in your case for the CGS. The number of people in your dept who also got it is irrelevant at this point.
Also - congrats!!
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Carleton notified me unofficially a few weeks ago, and officially confirmed it yesterday. Both via email, with the official linking to the school portal.
Good guess as to timing
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7 minutes ago, nbc21 said:
Sad thing is, I actually know/have met Dwight in passing lol.
oh, yikes. i was perhaps 50% joking, but in all seriousness, that is pretty cold when you have a personal relationship.
I hope you got in somewhere else and go on to have a great graduate experience
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9 minutes ago, nbc21 said:
Yeah, the stock decision letter sucked. Thanks Dwight, for your 2 sentences of "regret". I think even Berkeley's, curt though it was, was nicer.
yeah, like, full offence @ Dwight: I could use some placating over here!!!!
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Got rejected from Northwestern as well- got an email to check the portal, and a stock decision letter was available. Blah.
SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowship 2022-2023
in Waiting it Out
Posted
Congrats to you too!!
It was in the 'notice of decision' letter.