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Re-patriate

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  • Gender
    Male
  • Location
    Hamilton
  • Application Season
    2013 Fall
  • Program
    U of T - PhD Political Science

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  1. For those waiting on the Trudeau... I received a phonecall today from the scholarships program director, who invited me for an interview. She has 26 calls to make, so I don't know how long it will take her to get around to everyone. Good luck to those who are still waiting!
  2. It seems quite different in Canada. Tuition is $8K and the 'funding guarantee' offered by my university is worth $15K, although this includes unspecified teaching requirements, the pay for which may or may not be included as part of the funding package. If the external award is worth more than $23K, everything disappears including the tuition waiver. I guess there's a lot of variation.
  3. Thanks, TakeruK. The thread wasn't intended as an entitled complaint about university funding. I just think that the current system is built to give universities maximum financial flexibility, but the cost of a lack of transparency for students. I'd just like to see a grant called a grant, and a job called a job. As for the comment by ANDS!: "I think only grad. students would find trading 20 hours a week of grading low level assignments in exchange for a free post-graduate education "deceptive and unfair. . ."" Well, I think only someone who hasn't held a decently-paying job would consider $8-10K in tuition a year a good salary for working 20 hours a week. But I digress.
  4. Yeah, I get it now. I didn't think I was entitled to a salary. But these conditional grants, tied to certain work obligations, and which are then rescinded when students win major awards, just seems like a perverse funding structure. Why not offer incoming students a fixed grant/scholarship that varies in value according to merit? Why not make TA-ships and RA-ships real work, instead of an obligation tied to funding? I realize it's the system, and it has certain equalizing merits, but something about it also seems deceptive and unfair. Not that I'm really complaining in view of my own situation, which is just fine.
  5. That's very helpful, both of you. Thanks. I do understand the rationale from the perspective of the university, and you have laid out this logic in a clear manner. However, this doesn't make it any less irritating to be congratulated by the Department as they gladly pull back their money out of your hands. Having done my grad work in the UK, I don't think a similar fake-grant process is common there. This is my first encounter with it in the North American system. Anyhow, I shall count my blessings!
  6. I'm a Canadian student going into a doctoral program at U of Toronto, and was fortunate enough to receive a CGS SSHRC, worth $35K over three years. I reported the news to my Department and was informed that both the funding guarantee and the tuition waiver would be clawed back (I believe that is the phrase). This is not a bad problem to have, given that I will come out more than $10K ahead of their funding guarantee, but it really surprised me -- like a strange 'tax' on winning a competitive award. In fact, it seemed that the best scenario would have been to receive a $9K award and take the guaranteed funding (about $23K), since the claw back only kicks in at $10K. Anyone else have experience of this? Can you negotiate with U of T? What do other Canadian universities do in this scenario?
  7. Yeah, my envelope was actually postmarked Monday.
  8. Oh, and on the subject of envelope thickness: there were only three pages in my envelope.
  9. Just got my letter in Hamilton, and thrilled that I was offered a CGS. Here are the stats: - Direct application (going into first year) - Score: 29.2/30 - 4.0 GPA undergrad - 4.0 GPA Master's - 1 co-authored peer reviewed book - 3 peer reviewed articles (2 co-authored) - several scholarships, including a large external award for Master's (Commonwealth scholarship) - multiple non-refereed articles - Several RA-ships and one sessional teaching position - 2 years in government and 2 years in non-profit sector - both policy research (after Master's) - 2 strong references - Proposal was written months before my application, and in hindsight I was worried that it was weak and unclear (compared to my PhD application). However, I did multiple drafts and had it reviewed primarily by friends in doctoral programs. I don't know what accounts for the high score, given that many others have similar stats. But today I will thank the academic gods and make sacrifices in their name. Best wishes to those who are still waiting.
  10. Many congrats! Although the news from posters about the more arbitrary aspects of the process makes me uneasy as I thought I had a pretty strong application... Still no mail in Hamllton
  11. Sorry to hear, FrauleinZaftig. It sounds like you are succeeding where it really counts: generating knowledge. Enjoy the beautiful day outside and don't let it get you down.
  12. Thought others might be interested in this. Canada Post delivery standards: http://www.canadapost.ca/tools/pg/manual/PGletterml-e.asp#1383779 Local delivery: 2 days Within province: 3 days National: 4 days So, Ottawa got letters yesterday, which means that Ontario should get them today. In case you weren't anxious enough already...
  13. Letters were sent last Friday, so depends on how long the mail takes across the pond. I'm in Hamilton and haven't received mine yet, but Ottawa and Montreal have theirs.
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