elodie

I also don't really know the answer to this, but just so everyone knows there is more than one "committee 3" or more than one committee for each listed committee. Example there is a Committee 3A and Committee 3B etc so that makes things a bit difficult to compare definitively since SSHRC is no longer letting us know these details or our rankings or our score breakdowns (or anything helpful for that matter). I'm Committee 3 with a low 10 and waitlisted, so it sounds like you're at the higher end of the waitlist, however we don't know which specific sub committee we are on. Also its good to remember that roughly 20% of all SSHRC applicants are waitlisted, and that's quite a lot (I'm guessing 450 people). I've seen old threads where someone was notified by SSHRC they were top 1 or top 10 on the waitlist, and it was mid fall and they still hadn't heard. Sorry you're in this position. My advice would be try and prioritize what type of career you want to have the most. Do you want to practice law or do you want to be a professor or some other Phd related field? If you really want to practice law it may be worth the investment. Good luck! Also remember that universities aren't very forthcoming about funding packages when it comes to Phd's, they often have clawbacks on scholarships and you typically end up taking home less than what was advised (depending on the school).

Yeah I have no idea but my guess is there are something like 13 committees in total (2204 applicants).

Yeah I think every letter / every committee is interdisciplinary. And each category you could have picked upon submission has sub committees. So only SSHRC knows which one reviewed your proposal. Previously they would tell us by email, though this year I'm not sure if they are.

Did someone on here post winning SSHRC with an 11 even or someone you know? That provides a bit of hope. I know some committees have overall higher ranks than others. But I was rejected last year with a 10.5 (112/170 no where near winning) and waitlisted this year (10ish) with an even lower score, uhg. The only way to know which specific committee is to email SSHRC directly.

Waitlisted with a 10. something (low). Going to try to move on now as I'm likely at the end of the waitlist based on the other posts, and will try again next year. Good luck everyone!

In response to your theory, Toronto typically takes longer to receive SSHRC letters year after year, I'm guessing because of the population density. It's not unusual for people in BC to have received their letters before GTA.

That must be new this year because for the last two years they have forwarded me my exact committee ranking. So they give you no indication whatsoever on roughly where you are on the waitlist? That's disappointing. Thanks for the update though. I guess all we have to go on is our score.

Based on my committee last year, 72 awarded, 33 applicants were waitlisted, 64 rejected. Old threads from quite a few years ago claimed that the waitlisted applicants from each committee are amalgamated into a mega waitlist. Claiming you may be 5th on your committee, but then 30th on the mega waitlist? Don't know if this is still the case or accurate? Again if anyone with experience being waitlisted from previous years could chime in with details on how this works? : )

Did your physical letter provide any details on how the waitlist works, when you would be updated, or anything like that? Or it just provided your score/committee?

Here for this! I'll update when I learn my score/ waitlist position. Hopefully someone with previous experience being on the waitlist can give us some insight as to roughly how much their position moved on the list in the past.

I'm also waitlisted but don't have my score yet. Anyone want to start a new SSHRC 2018-2019 waitlist thread? We could share resources on how this works and make sense of waitlist movement/ what we might try and do differently for next fall (for those reapplying)? @phd_imposter_syndrome How much did you move on the waitlist before reaching top 10? Do you know what your initial waitlist position was as well as your final position on the waitlist? That would at least help us understand how much the list may move. Please let us know if possible : )

I can confirm that when I applied as a direct applicant two years ago my institution did not have my results, and I had to wait 7+ days for it to arrive in the mail as SSHRC would not communicate results by email until I had received my letter.

Can anyone provide any insight on waitlist movement, from experience or otherwise? If I remember correctly, my committee last year was something like 1-70 awarded, 70-108 waitlisted, and 109-170 unsuccessful. If someone had a general idea or access to stats on waitlist movement that would help some of us waitlisted people manage our hope/stress once we know our scores. Thx! congrats to the winners

Keep in mind departmental ranking is only one part of the application, and I'm sure they are aware that different cohorts in different departments will have varying levels of strong applicants. I've seen people with lower departmental rankings win SSHRC over someone with a higher ranking. This whole thing is so subjective as we know. I received a very high departmental ranking last year and still lost. Anything is possible!

They see our department ranking, but not our institution level ranking.

Here is a question for everyone while we are all nervously on edge -- I'm trying to balance being optimistic and hopeful regarding winning SSHRC, while at the same time staying prepared for a rejection, and thinking through how I'd move on from that (change of research plans, travel plans, another year of living below the poverty line in an expensive city etc.,). As a direct applicant, and first year applicant, I was rejected with a 112/170 on my committee, so I'm a little less anxious at this point having been rejected twice already (the first time was soul crushing). At the same time I've made a number of changes in the last year on my application and hoping they will be significant enough, and thankfully I was ranked highly in my dept (without SSHRC I would have to change my proposed dissertation research all together, which will be hard to accept). How is everyone managing expectations? Do you have a plan B?

Ok, thank you. My institution is holding off on formal OGS results all together until May. My guess is that they still haven't heard from the Ministry as to how many they have. It seems at this point everyone is just speculating further cuts, though obviously (and unfortunately) we have good reason to expect this.

Hi can you clarify, did you hear gossip among grad students in a meeting, or did you hear from administrative staff in a meeting that OGS will be cut (as in eliminated or as in expected to be reduced based on the ON gov agenda thus far)? Yikes -- thanks!

Well put! On that note, I realize this is a SSHRC thread, but does anyone expect upcoming OGS grants to be slashed by the ON government? My institution has delayed announcing OGS results by an extra two months, and I was wondering if these cuts may be in the work? Are these delays also happening at other ON institutions? Hopefully we get results next week, but recent history has shown that SSHRC sends out letters around the last business day of April.

So sorry to hear this -- I also lost a close friend in PhD1 and know how hard that can be, hang in there. Hoping for SSHRC for everyone here! 2.5-3 weeks to go now. What is everyone doing to stay positive through this time?

It really depends on which university you attend. For example, at my university there is a clause in our collective agreement that allows the university to limit a TA-ship to one semester instead of two (a year), if you win over 15k in awards. My funding model also allows the university to withdraw any funding commitments entirely outside of what's earned in your TA-ship (which I personally think is unfair). So it really depends on the institution -- I'd recommend talking to your program director/student awards officer.

What are the figures you've been given re: total amount of applications forwarded to national compared to total applicants awarded? Thanks

Last year my letter didn't arrive until May 5th (Toronto), so I wouldn't get your hopes up on them going out today. They only claim that they are mailed in late April, not received (unfortunately for us).

I did not apply for a joint of special initiative, nor fill out an early Micahel Smith Foreign Supplement application. Also, it doesn't appear on my profile at first, but when I click "create new form", it brings me to a link where it is listed as an available form. Who knows though.

I also see the CGS Michael Smith form on my portal as an available form, so it remains unclear if this theory is correct. Old Rene's theory above seems useful if anyone has friends who didn't make it to the national round who would be willing to confirm : )