Nerd_For_Life

Yeah, I agree, none of us look like dicks, only dot does

This thread is not being made in the spirit of complaining or any negative experience. Rather, it is a celebration of the fact that I just finished my MA coursework! Whoot! Last term paper has been submitted and now all I have left is my thesis, to be completed over the summer and submitted in August Edit: It's not necessary to reply to this thread, but if anyone else is celebrating the end of term, feel free to roll around in your happiness here

Going to dif universities demonstrates that you can thrive in a variety of settings What's wrong with Calgary? It's a beautiful city and it sounds like UCalgary is a better fit for you anyways

I hope I'm wrong too! It would be lovely to get unexpected mail that would end the wait. Fortunately for the moment I have MA term papers to write so they are distracting me. Once I hit around the 17 or 18 though I will be out my most major distractions! On the upside, a book I ordered off amazon arrived today so my trip to the mail box wasn't completely disappointing

Agreed. SSHRC results are not out. They send out acceptances and rejections at the same time (or very very close to the same time) and I don't expect we'll be hearing anything before the end of the month.

Can you provide more details? Did these rejection letters include rankings?

If you're sure you're not planning on going further in academia, I'd go with the non-thesis option.

I would be shocked if the results were out that soon....but also happy (maybe, depending on the result). I think I'll bank on last week of April/first week of may and then be surprised if it comes sooner.

Congrats, that's awesome that they nominated you for this Keep in mind that your tuition and student fees will need to be paid from the total amount of the award (as far as I know) when you are calculating what it would leave you with for a living stipend.

I just bought a new laptop from the Microsoft store here in Toronto and they have a 10% student discount! I saved about $100 dollars on my new laptop XD

Part of my funding required me to do TA work, but in addition I hold a pt position, working one or two shifts a week at a cafe to be able to afford groceries and stay out of debt. Thankfully my PhD funding is enough that I will get to quite that job at the end of the summer It's really hard to juggle everything, although for me it's better than the alternative.

I think it is really unlikely that you will be able to negotiate a better funding package if you're in off the wait list, but it can never hurt to try!

My gut reaction is Yikes! I can't imagine doing a PhD without a longer funding guarantee, but I also don't have experience with the US school system (in Canada). My MA funding was for 1 year (1 year program) and the PhD program I'm going into funds for 6 years, versus 4-5 years at the school I turned down.

Oh my goodness I would LOVE if this year they magically got everything done really fast and we were notified in the beginning of April. Sigh.

Agree with above. Some schools that have set unionized funding that is advertised on their website do not change their funding, it's set across the board. The only wiggle room in that case is if a supervisor has extra research dollars and takes you on as an RA. It never hurts to ask though You don't even have to tell them they are your top choice, something as simple as "While I am very interested in undertaking my research at __University__, I have received a funding offer of $X from Xschool. Are you able to match or compete with that offer?" or something along those lines. The grad committee knows that finances are a consideration for pretty much anyone applying to the program so it is not uncommon for them to receive a request for an increased funding package. Heck, sometimes even just asking for an extension on the timeline you need to respond by or otherwise delaying your acceptance to a program can gain you more money. Edit: You can also ask them if there are entrance scholarships available that they would be able to nominate you for and other things like that.

No, they don't compare year to year. Can you imagine the amount of paperwork and bookkeeping, not to mention time consumption, that would result in? There are A list and Alternatives sent forward so that if there are not enough successful A list applicants, they will consider those on the Alternative list.

What are your long term goals? Do you intend to go onto your PhD? Is the supervision available at NYU strong and a good fit for you? Also, in terms of debt, how much debt are we talking about? Could you wait and reapply to more schools next year, maybe get funding the second time around?

First impressions can be pretty misleading. At the school I am currently at the first impression was great, but the reality is less than desirable. It is a really competitive environment paired with next to no support, sort of a 'sink or swim' there are hundreds of students waiting to take your place kind of feel. That being said, when I visited the school I am going to for my PhD (starting this Sept) I fell in love. It's not just the department that feels like a good fit, but the university as a whole. I thrive on being interdisciplinary within a single discipline program, and the department I'm going into is really supportive of that strategy and thinks that my 'dream team' will be amazing. I'm hoping my feelings on this one are accurate, but having been in a small department to a big department for my MA, I'm feeling really good about going back to a smaller department and am confident that I am recognizing an environment that I will thrive in. Also, I've always wanted to work with the particular faculty available at this university (since my undergrad) and while I was initially woo'd by going to a 'prestigious' school for my MA (which resulted in me not going to my PhD school for my MA), I've realized that it's better to be somewhere that is enthusiastic and supportive of my research than somewhere that could care less as long as I bring in the research dollars. I guess what I'm trying to say is you really won't know until you are there and months into the program. If it's your ultimate goal to work as a professor and this doesn't feel like the right school for you, maybe apply to more and different schools next year.

Just wait. If you haven't heard by April 1 and/or you have other deadlines that you need to decide by, then you are in a position to be asking them again. If you don't and you have until April 15, then just be patient. Others are in the same position as you are and some programs don't notify until the end of March.

So after tuition comes out my stipend is in the $15-18k range, providing I am unsuccessful in securing external funding (in which case it would go up:). It's comprised of a TAship and various scholarships. How do I survive on it? I also work pt at a coffee shop while going to grad school 10 hours a week since it's the only way to make ends meet. Thankfully this upcoming year I will have a good chunk of savings and money left over from my MA SSHRC funding so I won't have to work in the coffee shop anymore! I will also continue to apply for external scholarship (even the small ones! It adds up!) and seek out RA work and TA work, maybe admin work or something, in other departments on campus to supplement if need be.

Thanks for the update and congratulations! That is fantastic news

School A but work it so that you can also work on something that interests you (incorporate some of your personal research into the curriculum? Via papers, independent projects, etc.? Not sure how it works in non-anthro programs) ?

Found out details of York PhD funding in anthropology. Not posting for the sake of anonymity, but contact me if you would like details. Hint: it exceeds the majority of Canadian anthro PhD funding including UofT. Certainly gives York a lot of pull in my decision making process!

I had this feeling last year when I was waiting for admits and to hear from SSHRC (MA). This year, applying for my PhD while doing my MA I have so much school work that I have to get done that I am less anxious about the whole ordeal. That being said, I still find myself enjoying weekdays more, solely for that fact that mail arrives and university correspondence happens *sigh*

Might want to check that it applies to the school you're contacting(in case you've applied to schools outside the US or schools that are known not to abide by that deadline)