Splendid Isolation

Hi @inthewake, if you email the address on the results letter and request a breakdown of your scores and committee they should send it to you. cheers

Hi socphd20, i just got a response from SSHRC about why lower scores in same committee/program get awards over higher ones. Warning: this might be boring to many! So it might be common knowledge to others, but they explained that within committees are sub-committees (I was in 3A for example). Each sub-committee is assessed in isolation and 42.92% of applications in each subcommittee are successful. Therefore, someone can get a higher score in 3A (like in my case) than someone in the same program in 3B, but the lower score gets the award if they are in the top 42.92 % of their subcommittee. In my case they said that 3A were given a total of 65 awards (from 152 applications), and I came 76th. The "waitlist" would then be determined within each sub-committee, so I would receive an award if 11 of those 65 bow out. Not holding my breath! Hope some of this is helpful to anyone else confused by scores. Wishing everyone well, win or non-win! Cheers

Hi, from what i can gather from these postings, the score within committees does not seem to be the final determining factor (I was 16.28/20 rejected, committee 3 Sociology). I assume there must be other factors at play that explain why lower scores in the same committee and same subject area receive awards over higher scores. I don't think it has anything to do with quota numbers to institutions as in the past the quotas relate to the number of applications an institution is able to forward to SSHRC, not the number of SSHRCs awarded to the institutions (this is what was explained to me at my uni anyway). So really it could be anything, haha. Speculating here, but there might be another review after the scores are tallied, where they make sure that there an equal number of applications across different entry years or demographics etc. I might just inquire to SSHRC out of curiousity. I did think the score was the sole determinant but now I know differently! Regardless I am so happy for all the award winners and I am trying to give SSHRC every benefit of the doubt as to how they make their final decisions. Naive sociologist here perhaps! Cheers and let me know if you hear any explanation of how scores matter (or don't!)

Yah it's a baffling day for sure. Big congrats to my fellow sociologist though, 15.93 is a very high score too! The only explanation I can think of is that I am in my second year phd so perhaps they try to balance out fellowships across the years (most 2/3 year phd students would get higher scores anyway based on having done more research, conferences etc.). So maybe the awards are not based on the score only, but making sure that there is even balance of 1/2/3/4 year winners. God only knows, I really am curious though.

Hi all, just rejected with a 16.28/20, no waitlist. Sociology committee three. Oof. These are head scratching numbers this year. Congrats to anyone who found their way in.