1Q84

I haven't heard of that kind of arrangement before. From my understanding, you have to "devote full-time hours to the research or studies for which they were funded" in a continuous manner, so hopefully, your supervisors and institutions are supportive. Best of luck!

My committee to 2A twin! Very close score and both 3/47. Evidently, there is an undeniable causative relationship between being on this thread and being 3rd in Committee 2. 
@SSHRC frustrations @1Q84 @PhDOG,ESQ
I really feel for all of you. I didn't get a SSHRC Doctoral. Some of it was my project. I was told to apply for CIHR, and they said apply for SSHRC, and SSHRC wasn't sure if it should be CIHR, so I stopped applying. The other thing was some laziness in undergrad led to some B's, which took the wind out of my sails as a competitor. Toward the end of my PhD, I worked really hard to get a lot published, in part with the help of one of my committee members. In the end, I got lucky.

Good morning winners and ragers! I’m pulling myself out of the gloom. My closest supports have been pretty disappointing so this board has been a big help. (sorry for my big font; no explanation)
@UC-23 Similar profile to you! This means you ROCKED it! ALL on your OWN merits! 
@1Q84 thank you for sharing the numbers, yours and the rankings etc. And congrats again! I remember it used to be (a decade ago) that getting SSHRC once was basically a lock for future SSHRC, ad infinitum. I’m starting to see a different picture now. It is good that SSHRC is being less insular and relying less on its own previous (de facto problematic) judgment.  
And thank you for confirming that  too @SSHRCDreams  
@SSHRC frustrations If it were me doling out this money, you  sound like an exceptionally strong candidate.  The fact that you worked centrally on the core funded project and were unsuccessful is maddening. 
Two insights, hopefully helpful for all:
First is re: career trajectory and teaching, mentoring
Earlier in my time in academia I got advice from some long-seasoned top faculty (TF, hereon) who ~knows things~ about how these ~things~ happen. They told me to stop teaching, in firmer language. At the time I was really focused on teaching to the detriment of my own research because I needed the money, and because there were complications with access to my research sites, beyond my control. But TF’s view was to avoid teaching at all costs; it gets in your way etc etc. 
I think this is expresses the shitty but realistic closed-loop political economy of early academia.
I didn’t take the advice but I see in hindsight its shrewd value. (spoiler reminder, I was unsuccessful this round). 
When hiring early faculty at major research universities now, they expect faculty divides their time 40% research, 40% teaching including mentoring grad students (!!!!), 20% admin. SSHRC only cares about that first 40%. That is all. They don’t care if we have mentored struggling students who are now making a difference in the same field, if we redesigned whole programs and revitalized our department’s ranking…. If we facilitated research that’s changing the world. That falls into the second 40% for them. They just don’t care. 
TL;DR SSHRC doesn’t care about a lot of the work that keeps the universities going, no matter how closely it is tied to the likely very high success (“impact”) of the applicant’s research.  
@SSHRC frustrationsIt sounds like you’ve done a lot of meaningful work that they have simply decided to ignore in their evaluation criteria. SSHRC is always yabbering about impact and community (see my first post!) but I think when splitting hairs in applications they don’t care unless they can see an immediate benefit to them. In this case they already funded your project so they may (wrongly) assess your specific role as repetitive. This is all speculation. But I am gobsmacked by your situation - it is so counterintuitive. 
Second insight: a TF-type just reminded me of this. SSHRC is mandated to equitably spread funds across the country, with consideration to University size of course. 
Let’s say 75% of the top picks for committee X are at U of T. Committee X can’t give 75% of that pool of money to U of T; they can give 40% at MOST. This means they have to pull that top 75% of applications back out and rip them apart at a new standard, tougher than the one met by the 25% whose spot is secured by university location, tougher than the original standard altogether. 
So 35% of the winning pool gets dumped. Then they pull from the originally lower ranked applicants to fill up those openings, or most of them, if the lower applicants were quite weak. (Messy program of study, meh reference letters). The new goal is distribution ratio.  
TLDR, applicant’s success is also tied to representational geopolitics. 
….Opening the floor on another topic closely related. The “committees.”
I’m starting to wonder about the politics in these selection committees… like if there is some unspoken coda or some such. 
I was comm 3 - I think. Whichever one was sociology and anthropology but also folklore and mythology. (Or similar?)
I’m a social scientist. Maybe my project was too “hard science”-y for this committee. Of course we will never know. So shall we speculate?!
Do you think the reading committee makes a big difference? Surely each reviewer must be UNfamiliar with 90% of what they read, respectively, so I wonder if it’s a crapshoot that depends on individual committee composition. (maybe a different committee would have LOVED a losing app). 
We’ve all been in universities for ages now so we’ve had our hand at reading a lot of work and applications in progress. I am trying to think sincerely about what biased (not prejudiced) my readings because we are all biased. 
 
is it time to make a separate MORALE thread!?

Hey everyone!
 
another loser here lol and HAHA - to think I was the one who came here with some insider knowledge!!
 
CONGRATS to @HeatherCT (thank you for the tips too!) @SSHRCDreams (you killed it!) and to @1Q84!!!!! And their spam folder  This is wonderful news for you all! Pour out a little liquor for us when you toast  
 
And to my comrades 
 
@fmlfmlfml@Boudicca
and @brert
Did all of you get the “merit review recommended you but we don’t have the money” line? I’m wondering if this is gaslighting or actually means anything. It’s SSHRC so I’ll bet on the former. 
 
My results are a lot like @Boudicca , same committee, and (humbly) I was pretty taken aback with how “meh” I was ranked.  
 
I have the urge to speculate but I also know how unhelpful it is. But I’m down to share some moral support with you all if you still want it 
 
Edited to add: I am working up the guts to tell my supervisor and referees the bad news. It feels crappy to disappoint the people who rallied for you. (But not as disappointing as it feels to tell my $$debt). 

I didn't get anything?!?! Are they only letting successful applicants know first?
 
EDIT: WAIT CHECK YOUR SPAM EVERYONE. I GOT THE AWARD!!!!

I didn't get anything?!?! Are they only letting successful applicants know first?
 
EDIT: WAIT CHECK YOUR SPAM EVERYONE. I GOT THE AWARD!!!!

I didn't get anything?!?! Are they only letting successful applicants know first?
 
EDIT: WAIT CHECK YOUR SPAM EVERYONE. I GOT THE AWARD!!!!

Hi everyone! Agreed with all, this is horrible! This is my second year applying. Last year, they sent an email on Feb 25th I think to say that results would come the week of Feb. 28th (which was a Monday). They came on March 3rd. Since we haven't received an email yet saying the results will come outside of February, I'm holding out hope it'll be today! I emailed yesterday to confirm the results would be posted online and not sent through the mail (I also panicked when I re-read the confirmation of receipt email). I heard back, and they said results would be on Extranet and they were "aiming for" the end of February. We'll get an email with instructions on how to access the results once they're available.
Also (and sorry to prolong obsessive refreshing...) my results email didn't come until almost 9:00 p.m. EST last year. I wasn't the only one, either. They started sending the emails towards the end of the business day and it apparently took hours to get through them.
Wishing you all very good luck!

I'm having a lot of weird mood swings. Sometimes I'll be lying in bed and it'll occur to me that I *could actually maybe* get into at least ONE program and then I'll feel okay for a bit.
 
Then sometimes I'll be sitting at the kitchen table and I'll groan because whatthehellwasIthinking applying to so many top tier programs I'm going to get shut out of all of them and have nothing.
 
Sigh. Just goes to show we have no idea really what's going to happen.

I have nothing to contribute yet but are folks calling or emailing to turn down offers? And to whom are you all addressing the message?

Showing solidarity and support is more helpful than telling someone to grow up. Maybe you could've done the same.

And I don't think ignoring bad behaviour is the best way to go. It should be addressed and confronted... much like what you do to me on a regular basis.

I'm not sure how helpful it is to tell someone to just "grow up" and not be bothered by things. It's obviously much easier said than done. The point that our reactions to everyday experiences are a choice is true but it's not much comfort when you face (what sounds like) pretty intense discrimination simply based on place of birth.

As a native speaker of English but one that was born in Asia, I feel your pain. Despite majoring in Latin and English, I don't know how many times I've had people talk to me like I'm handicapped when I simply didn't hear what they said the first time. It's ridiculous.

Interestingly enough, I also face discrimination from other Asians as they deem me unworthy to teach their children "real English" because I don't fit their vision of what an English teacher should be.

Or, you know, you could go to a fully-funded program with a solid placement record. Just a thought.

All invaluable information from ProfLorax as per usual but this one really stuck out to me. 
To get my armchair psychologizing on, I've noticed that being "Mr. or Mrs. Smart Jerk" in class can often be a reactionary move to counter any feelings of imposter syndrome. Understandable but also quite annoying.
In my MA program, I often found the person who was humble about what they knew and didn't know in class tended to be a) liked the most by colleagues and the professor and b.) did best overall in the class because they were open to new ideas and weren't so busy trying to prove their extravagant intelligence. Obviously this humbleness was backed up by hard work and competence. (When it wasn't, those folks tended to drift into the "I'm so dumb so I'm not going to try" self-flagellating route...) 
Anyway, drownsoda (sorry, were you the one before with the Courtney Love avatar? I totally feel like I recognize your username but not sure. If so, you probably know well what I'm going to say next since you were a regular contributor around here during discussions about this topic, I believe.) I think you may soon find out that academia can sometimes be a battle to the death of egos. The sooner you recognize and neutralize in yourself any instinct to join the fray, the better.

Ugh so there's a possibility of one more weekend of no news. How terrible is this system...
CONGRATS!!!
 
Edit: Sigh got my letter. Bad news for me... I'm joining the "preparing for next year" club! Congrats to all who got it this year.

Finally got the letter! 16.6/20. Committee 3, got a CGS, but will decline for a fellowship since I am in Cali.
Oh my god what a journey. Thank you folks for keeping me insane throughout the process. xx

For those still waiting:
SSHRC just sent me this:
"We ask that applicants wait two weeks from the mail-out date for results before contacting SSHRC about receiving their results in an alternate format, to allow for any potential delays. If, by either this coming Friday or next Monday, you have not received your results package, you can request to receive your results electronically. To do so, please contact fellowships@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca."
 

It arrived! No SSHRC this year. But I'm working on ramping up my CV for next year.

All I see are unsuccessful ones.
They're all mine.
They visit me in my dreams at night.
Their text scrambles and turns into maniacally-laughing faces.

Delaware, I really hope you get the letter tomorrow

SadieLou and 1Q84, my mail arrived today! Awarded a doctoral fellowship! For those trying to figure out waitlist, my score is 12.89, committee 4.

at this point i wonder if i should just email sshrc and be like "i accept the award" just to troll them into telling me anything (I haven't received the letter yet lol)

The big brown envelope showed up in Vancouver today. 17.15/20 after 2 years of not even making it out of my department.

Hey everyone,
My letter arrived in London (UK) yesterday. To my pleasant surprise, I received a CGS. As someone who's been just scraping by and sliding further into debt over the last few years, this comes as quite a psychic relief.
Some data for posterity:
I received a score of 15.3 from committee 1 (fine arts/literature) as a direct applicant. I'll be starting my PhD this fall. My MA application, a couple years ago, was unsuccessful. I've had no academic publications--just one conference presentation and a couple of literary publications (which I can't imagine made much of a difference). I know my referees were quite generous with their assessment letters, and I suspect that made a sizeable impact--but then, who can really tell.
I've heard so many stories of people submitting virtually identical application packages one year to the next and receiving vastly different scores. It is, as has been said above, largely a crapshoot. Whether that makes disappointments feel duller or sharper is another question. Best of luck to all still waiting!

Anything worth thinking is worth over-thinking.