Nerd_For_Life

This bolded line! Now I wonder if I shouldn't have posted. Hopefully I'm anonymous enough on this forum and my score doesn't give away my id to sshrc. That said, according to that bolded line we shouldn't even be sharing that we won the award, let alone the details of it. Given the explosion of twitter and facebook posts I've seen though I'm not terribly worried. SSHRC (I imagine) has better things to do than to police the internet (not to mention all the universities that told their students their award status in advance of the formal letters arriving and even being mailed).

Not sure about US taxes but I know in Canada even though you have to declare all scholarship monies, you do not pay taxes on them. I realized this for the first time this year when I was filing my taxes and none of the scholarship monies I was awarded (which included two MA SSHRC installments) were counted towards the amount of my income that was taxable.

I'm fortunate in that in my program you get to select every member of your committee, including your advisor. For my advisor I went with the person in my department whose field of expertise I felt would be well suited to my research. I took a class with that professor and we clicked well enough that I felt confident it would be a good fit. My advisor is also really great at thinking up new angles to approach a given question from, something that is really valuable to me as I sometimes get tunnel vision. My second committee member is outside my department/discipline, but also the expert on my research topic. I'm intimidated by this person because I really look up to and admire the work they have done and this person has so much knowledge to bring to my project. However, I'm glad they are a committee member rather than my advisor because I don't feel as comfortable or confident in discussions with them (always worried about making the best impression!). My third committee member has little research overlap with my project but I get along with this person fantastically. They are super supportive and the kind of person that you could go to with anything - super friendly, easy-going, and supportive. For me, having three committee members who each bring something specific and different to my research is important to me. It provides me with a sense of balance because I can go to different members for different things. So I guess my advice would be that, if you only get one supervisor, pick someone that can contribute to your research in a valuable way, but also make sure that you are comfortable talking to this person, brainstorming with them, etc. You need someone who will support you through the ups and downs of your PhD and who can also challenge you to produce the best work that you can. Be aware that not everyone will be the best fit and that your both have responsibilities to each other.

CGS is the 35k/3 years. The fellowship is 20k/4 years. Next year the fellowship is set to change to 25k/3 years. Not sure about the eligibility expansion but I think others have already spoken to this.

This is my interpretation as well - an overall reduction in funding if you receive it early, but beneficial to those who are successful in later years.

Yup, this. Last year I was waitlisted with 16.9 (but the scoring wasn't out of 20, it was out of 25 or 30? Can't find my old letter to confirm), but someone with a lower score than I had received a fellowship while I never got off the wait list. It definitely varies by discipline and committee/subcommittee that considers the applications (which is what I think Konstantin meant to write rather than "there is a uniform cut-off score", "there is not a uniform cut-off score"). We should also consider whether the ranking the rankings for CGS will have a different significance than those ranked and awarded the fellowship (ie. a 16/20 in the fellowship competition might not get you a fellowship, but in the context of the CGS competition it might).

I was wait listed last year and did not get off it, but I know the year before that some people posted in the 2012-13 SSHRC thread that they made it off the wait list.

Ooo, interesting question. I would not take those odds either lol

This, but also a bit more as there is a ranking system involved. Applicant eligible for CGS and the fellowship are considered for both and then the highest ranking (eligible) CDN applicants are offered CGS (and then if they are planning to take the award outside of Canada they can downgrade to the fellowship), while those who have successful applications but are not as highly ranked are offered the fellowship (eg. you can be a first year PhD CDN student and be awarded a fellowship but not a CGS, even though you are eligible for both). If the applicant is not eligible for CGS (eg. later in their program of study, already enrolled in a US program, etc.) then they will only be considered for the fellowship.

Congrats Konstantin!

Thank everyone! Sending positive vibes to all those who are still waiting, were waitlisted, or need to apply again next year!

I got a SSHRC CGS! (35k/3 years) Mail arrived 10 minutes ago at my place in Toronto. I'm through the roof with excitement!!! Score: 16/20 MA+PhD Average: A Publication: 0 (common for anthropology, most don't publish until after PhD3/fieldwork) Presentations: 4 Fieldwork+research experience TAships: 2 RAships: 2 Substantial+relevant volunteer experience Strong letters and strong proposal Forwarded A-list from department. Second year applying (wait-listed last year) Received MA SSHRC Let me know if you would like to know any other stats related things

Nothing in my Toronto mailbox today (but I did get the flu so at least I'm getting something >< )

Yes please! And thank you

Could be Friday, could be Monday (depends on the powers that be at Canada Post). My fingers are crossed for Friday ><

Annnddd I'm off the waitlist! I now have the breathing room of knowing that I will be receiving OGS if I don't receive SSHRC. I hope you receive similarly positive news Konstantin and that we both receive SSHRC.

I've been in contact with my GPD and GPA and I'm fairly certain they actually don't know. I do think that the Faculty of Graduate Studies does know and that they are just slow or following SSHRC's rules and not sharing the information. My uni is quite large so this situations seems somewhat likely to me as there is quite a bureaucratic divide between my department and FGS.

It might also be that your department does know but that they do not divulge the results to students before the official letters have been received. Saying that they don't know might be easier than 'we know but we can't/won't tell you.' Or maybe I'm being cynical? I just want to know!

UBC too

Congrats everyone! I wish my department would notify me, though they said they didn't expect to know until I know and that I would be notified by mail, I'm tired of waiting and knowing that others have found out makes me so anxious >< Found out today that I was waitlisted for OGS so getting SSHRC would be a pretty big relief. (first year applying for ogs, second year applying for doctoral sshrc)

Heard from my department today (I'm at a uni in Ontario) and I was waitlisted for OGS. Fingers are crossed that SSHRC comes through! and I'm not too surprised about not receiving OGS as my department is pretty up front about favouring later year students who are going into the field work phase of their phd and I'm only in first year.

I'm waiting on OGS as well but will hear back re: SSHRC before I hear back on the OGS front. Department deadline was the end of January and I've been told results will be released mid-May (such a long wait but since the department had to do decide in Jan/Feb on new grad applicants, March MA SSHRC decisions, and now April/early May OGS, I can see the reasons for the delay)

PhD SSHRC is tied to you, not the institution you apply through or the one you might reference in your application. If you receive SSHRC I would let the institutions you applied to know as it will very likely increase your chances of being accepted. If you receive SSHRC but aren't accepted to a PhD program then you forfeit the award.

This is what my GPA and GPD told me last week. They said it was because SSHRC wants to be the ones to inform the lucky recipients rather than departments getting to be the bearers of good news (which seems silly....it's not like we're getting a phone call or meeting them in person....it's a letter)

Talked with my GDA and GPD today and they are expecting end of April, as per usual.