biograd7

FYI to those still on the waitlist from last year (or waitlisted this year and want a better idea of prospects), I got an offer of award in September 2021 after initially being waitlisted (20th percentile). Things vary so much from year to year so it's hard to compare, but maybe this is helpful to someone.

congratulations biogr!! i'm so happy for you. i'm just sorry you had to stress over it for an extra night! but i guess there are many more people here still stressing so we should be grateful...

thanks biogr! our pub record really isn't that different, i only have one more 1st author pub than you. i think if your proposal is good your chances are great! leadership activities are important too. anyways let me know what you find out today, she said our department did very well this year so my thoughts are with you!

don't worry Clarrien, i'm in the same boat with my papers still in prep (which is why nserc doesn't really count them in your application!). i broke up my leadership activities the same way and spent a lot of time on every word of my application, emphasizing my passion and enthusaism for the work i was doing. i'm assuming i wasn't weak in the research portion seeing as i got the CGS, so i suppose it was my leadership, but i was told my application was the strongest from my school so i (and grad studies) was kind of surprised i didn't get it. the only thing i can think of is that my leadership activities are extensive, but they are lots of smaller/more typical types of activities (elected student leadership positions, a few community volunteer activities) and not any "big" things (such as starting some sort of organization or doing something else incredible). anyways i'm just trying to figure this out because i just had a major change to my research plan, so i'm considering turning down the CGS and applying for both again in the fall. the way the timing works out, i could take up a new award (assuming i got one) the following may, or start the one i got in january. i'm confident my application would only be stronger in the fall, but it's risky. sorry for the long post, i'm just trying to figure this one out!

thanks Clarrien! congrats to you too! you won a vanier (and a PGSD) if i recall correctly? i'm 15 months into my MSc so i haven't started my PhD yet. now i have to figure out whether to transfer now or finish my MSc then start my PhD right away. anyways i have 1 first author pub, 1 coauthor pub, 1 first author submitted, 2 first author manuscripts in progress and 3 conferences. the work spans three separate projects. my question for you if you'll entertain it, is how do you think you got the vanier? i mean, what do you think stands out from your application. i was unsuccessful for the vanier so it would be interesting to know the key differences between our applications. i also have a lot of leadership activities, teaching, and other presentations.

another lurker here, but I'm from Dal in biology as well and was informed this morning (in person, in my office, by the department's scholarship coordinator) that I got a CGSD! she said she was not allowed to send the results by email so she was just walking around the department telling people. she didn't mention anything about saying results over the phone. so biogr I would say find her in person tomorrow if you're around or call her. good luck! and thanks everyone here for the riveting commentary over the last few weeks