Phyllis Stein

I just thought of a great idea: starting an older graduate students group at my university. I checked the listing a while ago and was sad to see that there was no such group...but there is nothing preventing me from starting the group on my own. I need to just make the time to do it! The rest of you, if you are interested, might look out for such groups at your school.

Congratulations on pursuing your goals. I agree with you that a little determination can go a long way. I'm guessing it might be a bit easier than you think to balance grad school and kids, simply because grad school is a bit more flexible/less course heavy than undergrad. The biggest challenge will be to remain focused and goal oriented and complete the degree. This doesn't sound like it will be a problem for you though! Yes, I enjoy conversing with my professors as well (rather than gossiping about them, which seems to be the favorite pastime of some of my peers). Old age Maturity really helps you to make the most of your experience and appreciate the privilege and opportunity you have been afforded. Best of luck to you with your applications!

I'm not a parent but I wanted to say congrats to you for going back to school to complete your PhD! In terms of funding, try to seek other funding opportunities you can apply for, like internal and external (government) fellowships/awards. If you are a good student and are productive, there should be opportunities for you out there. I'm just urging you to explore your options before you take the step of taking out a loan. Try to avoid it! My field might be different from yours in terms of other funding opportunities, but I applied for 4 different sources of funding this year. I may not get anything, but next year I will try again and sooner or later, I will succeed! Trying my best to avoid loans since I just got out of debt before starting grad school! Good luck!

This thread is heartening. It's easy to feel like you are alone out there as an older student. This seems more common in some depts than others, for sure. Sometimes I wish I was in a different discipline for that very reason. I would love to be in a department were there was more diversity in age and life experience. I'm 33 and in my first year and I feel really out of place in my dept. Many people are quite young and also gossip is really rampant. Also, I happen to look young for my age so there was, at first, an expectation that I would "hang out" with the other youngsters (LOL) a lot, which of course I didn't. I think this has probably earned me a rep of being "aloof" or "weird" but hey, you gotta do what's right for you. No sense in forcing yourself into social situations that will make you feel even more uncomfortable and alone. My solution is to try and meet people outside of school. Having been in the real world for quite a while before heading back to school, I know that there is more to life than the drama in grad school. This really sets me apart from others as well, because my perspective is so different. Certain things that people complain about just seem silly to me. We are priviledged to have the opportunity to go to grad school and no one put a gun to our heads. Also, it's up to us to make something of our time in school - no one cares about our future as much as we do. These things seem not to register with the younger folks or folks with very limited real life exposure. So I'm seeking friends and acquaintances who are more grounded in the real world. I'm starting to make some connections but it's still early so we'll see what happens. Anyway, good luck to everyone.

Thanks for the link to the spreadsheets! One could kill a lot of time examining them. I think I can see how it works. Perhaps there's no quota, but it seems that on average 65% of those who are forwarded from the no institutional affiliation/foreign pool will win an award. This seems higher than the overall average, if last year's results of 55% overall are average. The number of awards offered the no institution/foreign group in the last four years is 151, 157, 155, and 149. So, pretty consistent. This was probably discussed earlier in the thread, but sometimes you have to examine things for yourself. Anyway, I wonder how much they consider your department's reputation and the reputation/track record of your recommenders?

hmmm, my instinct tells me that you shouldn't worry about that sort of thing, except that you should avoid using buzzwords for buzzwords sake. i think you just have to pick a topic you are passionate about and plan the project the way you really think it should be done, and when necessary, explain why. and then show it to your referees or some other mentors and see what they think. in general i don't spend much time looking at what other people do...better to develop your own ideas/plans and then have a mentor look it over. good proposals come in many shapes and forms. i feel similarly in that i'm not in canada and there are already a few people at my institution with sshrcs...the pressure is on! but seriously, these things can never be entirely predicted and there are factors that are beyond your control that cannot necessarily be attributed to you, so you can't feel ashamed if you don't also get the award. besides, no one cares as much as you do (except that they are happy for you when you do get something). people apply for things and lose out all the time.

Does anyone know how things work for applicants who are applying from a university outside of Canada - are we evaluated separately from applicants at Canadian schools, i.e., is there a ratio or quota of the total awards that goes to internationally based students? Or are all forwarded applicants evaluated together? My letter said 230 of 825 applications were forwarded...does that refer only to the internationally based applications or total? Thanks for any clarification you can provide!

I don't think schools should accept students they can't fund, plain and simple. But it seems that they do because if you're willing to except the crappy circumstances, then why not. You will be there doing essentially unpaid work by assisting your advisor with their research (sure, it will be your work, but still an extension of their research program). I don't think this is a good circumstance under which to attend grad school. It will lead to resentfulness and possibly worse on your part. My suggestion would be to work and also do something to boost your application so that next time around you will get a more competitive offer.

I think SSHRC is later than NSERC, so I wouldn't pay too much attention to what's going on on that thread...That's just me speculating though. Congrats on getting forwarded this year! Good luck!

Hmmm, I think you may be predicting a late date so that when the results arrive early to mid April you will be delightfully surprised! That's my guess. The letter just said "April" and I'm thinking that after last years delays they'll make a special effort to be prompt.

This is just speculation...They are judging you on many factors so if you are stronger in some areas but weaker in others that should compensate somewhat. I think your proposal is going to be more important.

You were smart to look into it as thoroughly as you did, however I think NSF should be more clear about it! Obviously we're going to obsess over these things, and every word counts when there is such a limit on statement length.

Also, anyone finding it increasingly difficult to focus on work/school? I am.... :S

Let's keep this thread active so that we can distract ourselves from the fact that we haven't received any news in weeks and likely won't for several more! Checking the thread somehow makes me think things are moving.... Here's a question: what if you are in a PhD program where the MA is is rolled into it. It's a PhD program, but you get an MA along the way (if you want to). It was appropriate to apply for the PhD award, but are my chances possibly higher because technically I am at a master's level? (Probably not, but I figured I'd ask.) I'm also curious about whether anyone has insight into when in April we'll hear back. Early? Late? I know what the letter says but perhaps someone has dared to contact SSHRC to see what we can expect?

Without having read what others on this thread are saying, if it was me I would not do it. Take the next year to get more research experience, possibly take more advanced undergrad courses and do well, etc., and then reapply and get into a better program that will fund you. Otherwise, think about some other career options. It is not worth it to go into serious debt to get a PhD, only to be faced with the real possibility that you will not be able to get a job afterward. If you are confident that you are a good student and PhD material and want a career in academia, then take your time, put in more effort into making yourself a more competitive applicant, and get the funding you deserve! Good luck!