biisis

Canadians can also get in on the surveys-for-cash thing over here: https://legerweb.com/VOQK2 You could also find work on campus in the library (shelving books is a great way to relax after a cognitively heavy day) or even through the Office of Students with Disabilities (some schools pay grad students to take notes, proctor exams, or tutor). On campus work is great because there's usually more flexibility/understanding when it comes to your own time constraints.

Also- don't kill yourself. Also, also- don't joke about killing yourself.

To second the above comment, I don't know of any external grants that you could apply for and hold in advance of your program starting. The timeline is a bit unforgiving here. I would look instead to supplementing my loan income with TA/RA positions through my department. International students can usually also work on campus, so there may be jobs to be found at your school's library or admin offices. It's tough working while in grad school (particularly in the first semester) but it could be an important way to lessen your debt. I would also urge you to be quite upfront with your department about your funding situation. If your graduate program director (GPD) knows that you're hurting, they may be able to free up loose funds, or nominate you for internal awards. They can also give you advice about which scholarships to pursue over the course of your degree. When contacting them about your situation, however, it is important to write/speak in a very respectful and formal tone. GDPs hate getting (for lack of a better word) really whiny requests about how you need more money. They expect you to understand the risks and challenges of undertaking graduate studies, and really dislike dealing with demanding students with unreasonable expectations. Here's a sample of what you might write: Hello Dr. X, [small talk about the program and how you're excited to join the department].... However I was hoping to talk with you about the matter of graduate funding. As an international student I am facing several financial challenges in budgeting for the coming years, and while I know that the department's resources are limited, I was hoping that you could let me know if there were any internal opportunities for scholarships, assistanceships, or grants that I could pursue to better support myself financially. If possible, I would also love to know if there are any external grants that past Columbia Msc students (particularly international students) have applied for and won. I'm a little unfamiliar with the funding terrain in the states, and would welcome any information you could offer. Many thanks for your consideration, Z

Give up as many books as you can bear to be parted with. They end up taking up so much space, and the library will have whatever you need, most of the time.

Hey lighthouse- I think it depends what category of scholarship you're doing. For example, a 13 might be CGS material in history, but not in literature, or some such.... which does make our habit of sharing our scores a little bit of a moot point. Though there is an undeniable satisfaction to it...

I can't point to a concrete source to back me up here, but I know friends of friends who are currently holding the SSHRC in the states and they say that they don't have to pay tax on it. I think this follows from the Canadian/US tax treaty (where you can't get taxed twice on the same income, and you'll be taxed based on the country of origin of your funding). So either the SSHRC funds show up as Canadian income for tax purposes (which are tax free in Canada because Canada isn't a douche like the States in terms of taxing fellowships) or the SSHRC is perceived as US income, but coded as some manner of tax-exempt status in the states (unlike the fellowships, you douchey douchey American tax code).... So this is my baseline awareness of the issue. I'd love to learn more!

A very very late answer, but I just heard back from the fonds with good news for a 17.34/20 score. They break down the 20pt total into three subcategories: A ) Dossier Universitaire (6 pt) B ) Aptitude et experience en recherche (6 pt) and C ) Qualite et interet scientifique du projet de recherche (8 pts). So- basically your grades are only a small part of a larger picture, and aren't weighted as heavily as your CV/reference letters/program of study. I hope you also received some good news today!

Yeah- the 6 best ones in terms of prestige and cash monies. It seemed to work!

Does anyone have any experience turning a category A SSHRC into a category B? It turns out that I'll be studying abroad, though I applied via my Canadian MA university. I didn't end up receiving the category C (pick between the CGS or regular SSHRC) option, and now I'm in fellowships@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca limbo waiting for a response. A little assurance that it won't be an all-or-nothing situation would be greatly appreciated!

They have arrived in Montreal! : )

Unfortunately the free classes aren't totally free. They recently raised the fees to about $75/course, which runs for about 2 months. Still probably the best deal around though!

Any NYC folks looking for roommates out there?

A bit of a random question to a very active forum: I just received the American Fulbright Award (I'm Canadian! I'l be studying at NYU). I know that Americans come to Canada with the Fulbright undergo an orientation in Ottawa with all the Fulbright scholars in their national cohort that year. I'm wondering- is there an American equivalent for Canadians studying in the USA? I would love to go to America-camp.

But we have to pay taxes too... Taxes without proper free healthcare.... : (

Thanks for the excellent advice, fellow Canadian!

I can't speak to the intricacies of the Econ departments, but in my field UofCalgary's placements suck. Plus Montreal is cheaper to live in, and then there's the prestige of McGill, yada yada yada.

Concordia's star is on the rise, and there's lots of great resources and people there. I've found the level of students discussion to be a bit lacking, but you can always take classes at McGill. Concordia offers more support than most schools, but you may lack for a particularly stimulating community.

So I've been admitted into two pretty excellent programs with good funding and exciting faculty. I'm finished up my MA in department A in Canada, while department B is in New York. I thought I'd figured it out after a trip to NYC where I found the city to be exciting, but perhaps a touch abrasive, and the prospect of an international move really spooked me. Now I just found out that I've been offered a Fulbright, which might make New York/the move a little easier. (Inter)national grads- I need your help. What are the costs/rewards with moving abroad? Is the prestige of the Fulbright something to take into serious consideration?

I've heard great things about the University of Chicago- the art history program there is innovative, energetic, and has staffed about half of the art history faculty here at McGill. I haven't hear anything about the Texas program or its graduates, however, so that might be telling.

I would also like to learn more about this! Besides Blue Cross/BlueShield, what are some other insurers I should research outside of my school's (ridiculous) dependent plan? Also, does health insurance costs vary from city to city in the USA? Private health care is confusing and scary!

It's a tricky thing to glean from a meeting with the prof directly. I'd say that the richest source of knowledge might be to ask the department's grad students. If there's an unsavory history to this prof's treatment of grad students, it may be the only way to know for sure.

I am truly damned for choice. I got into three great PhD programs with reasonable funding packages in three great schools with good placement rates. Picking between them is rather paralyzing. It's a question I could phrase two different ways: THE SPECIFIC 1) Does anyone have any insight, anecdotes, or words of caution/encouragement about the following programs? - New York University's doctoral program in Media, Culture, and Communication - McGill University's doctoral program in Communication Studies - MIT's doctoral program in History; Anthropology; and Science, Technology and Society I'm looking to work on the early and recent histories of computers with a humanities bent. THE GENERAL 2) What factors are more important than others when comparing the strengths and weaknesses of my options? - Access to archives - Supervisor support - Rigor and length of coursework - Critical mass of scholars in your department, working in your research area - Prestige of school/program - Fit of research interests/methodology between you and your potential supervisor Everything is too awesome, Internet! Please help me by grounding all these musings in your collective experience.