Vanier 2021-2022

[Fazi]

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to create a thread for the upcoming Vanier 2021-2022 application to pass this journey together and win our Vaniers, hopefully! :)) 

Also to ask a question: After selecting by our university, can we edit/improve our application? Or they submit our application without any change?
 

Thanks in advance

 

[yonex96]

Best of luck everyone!!

I'm on the fence about whether or not to even apply, since I'm worried I'm not competitive enough on the research side. It seems past winners all have multiple publications but all my research has so far only led to conference posters & presentations... plus I've barely been able to be in the lab this past year! Mostly becomes a question of how much they weigh Covid-19's delays on experimental research, I suppose :/

Re: application edits, I don't think you can make any changes!

[Fazi]

Thanks for your reply!

I am also a new PhD student, starting this Fall! I have 4 publications and 4 conferences (but not in recent years, as I have a gap between my master and PhD!) So, I think also my academic section is not so strong. But I have some good professional and volunteer leadership experiences and will try my best to write a good proposal. So, overall I have a small chance, I hope! 

And so, before the university deadline we should prepare our final version, right?

[Fazi]

What do you think about leadership criteria / research potential?

[Fazi]

*your leadership/proposal

 

[MakeitRmakeit]

If nominated,  you will have an opportunity to do edits before the final deadline. Usually, the University committee will offer feedback on areas that you may consider improving. 

My take is that you should at least try. Please don't self eliminate my friends.

[Fazi]

Thank you @MakeitRmakeit!
Have you applied before? If yes, Would you like to share your experiences/recommendation?
 

[MakeitRmakeit]

Fazi, I have. Do you have specific questions? There is so much that goes into the process. What information would you find most useful? 

[Fazi]

@MakeitRmakeitThank you for your reply!

I would like to know how they evaluate the leadership skills, for instance? (I read the website carefully, of course.) But, I would like to know for example who, which what kind of activities, could get a score of 9, or 8 or 7? What about other criteria?

It would be great if we could access previous Vanier scholars' CVs. Their GPAs? The number of publications? Etc. to find out (approximately) what our chances are? (If any)

Would you like to share your CV and the scores? Final rank among 200? Thanks.

[MakeitRmakeit]

Hi Fazi,

I cannot speak to the internal process (university or Vanier secretariat) of how scores are adjudicated. However, in preparing my application, I talked to several scholars. I found common in their advice the importance of ensuring that all the components of your application fit to form a cohesive picture of yourself based on the three main criteria: academic excellence, leadership, and research potential. Rather than focusing on which leadership activity would earn more points, I would suggest thinking about how you have demonstrated leadership (in big or small ways); how did you grow/impact others (again in big or small ways); how does that fit into the broader story of your life and work, etc. I say this because one scholar I spoke to had limited work experience and wrote about their journey as a camp counselor. They included both triumphs and failures (learning opportunities) and really created a cohesive narrative of different acts of leadership and how they have grown over time. Another had many years of work experience, but they did not just list management positions. Instead, they spoke of their evolution and resilience as a leader and how that led them to their Ph.D. journey to pursue solutions that could help resolve some of the systemic challenges they faced in their work. 

I think you should go for it! The application's content can be very personal, so it may be more beneficial to reach out to one of the scholars at your university. When I was preparing my application, I spoke to three current/past scholars. Only one was willing to share their documents, and I believe it was because of our mutual network and friend. Regardless, try reaching out to the winners listed on your school's website. The worst they can say is no, but many are very generous and willing to share their experiences. 

From my perspective, you cant know your chances without applying. One scholar told me that she knows of colleagues with numerous publications and seems very strong but did not even make it through the university selection process. Of course, the number of publications is contingent on many things, like the field you are in, so there is no golden number. I found their advice to be on point, as at the time of my application, I only had a co-authored book chapter and a single-authored manuscript undergoing peer review. Let's just say I have no complaints about where I ranked. Good luck!

[ERW]

Hey Fazi,

There is no straightforward formula for the number of things you need. I think MakeitRmakeit has given you some good advice.

Like any academic application, the assessment of your application depends significantly on the committee. I applied one year and was not even close 110ish/200 applicants at the national round, and then the next year I received an award and was highly ranked with a mostly identical application. There isn't much use in comparing your application to previous scholars; the weighing of things tends to be holistic and the reasoning of the committee members is inscrutable beyond what is outlined in the publicly available guidelines.

[Fazi]

Thank you @MakeitRmakeit for your time and great advice. ?

Thank you@ERW for reply, too. And congratulations!‌

[Fazi]

Now.... Vanier competition 2021-2022 has officially been launched!!
 

Important Dates

Application Deadline         2021-11-02
Anticipated Notice of Decision        2022-04-06

Ok, what should we do now? Start building a ResearchNet Profile?

[MakeitRmakeit]

Hooray!  I'm happy to hear that you are taking the plunge:)

I would suggest checking your school's internal deadline too.  It's normally early September and can be easily missed. Reading the instructions thoroughly and becoming familiar with the requirements and how things are framed wouldn't hurt either. 

I started with my common CV. I found it useful to take stock of my achievements (great and small). Also,  I used this time to think carefully about my references and who would be best to speak about the relevant areas being assessed. For me, starting outward and working my way in was most useful. However,  each person is different and will need to find a strategy that works for them. You will need your ResearchNet profile, so there's nothing wrong with starting there.

[Fazi]

Yesssssss! I decided to try, though I'm going to start my PhD this Fall!

Good points! I have my two academic references, but not sure about two others for leadership.

Do you (@MakeitRmakeit) want to reapply this year?

[MakeitRmakeit]

Wonderful! @Fazi no,  I'm now good re funding?

[Fazi]

Great!

[Fazi]

2021 Vanier scholars are now on the website! ?

[Fazi]

Hi,

Does anyone know, in CCV, under which title I should write the articles published in the blog? What about podcasts (as an invited guest speaker)?
Thanks in advance!

[waterstudent]

@Fazi Personally, I would add the podcast as a 'Broadcast Interview'. I was interviewed about my research for a radio show and included it as such on my application last year. For the blog posts, maybe 'Online Resources' under the Contributions/Publications section would be most appropriate?

[Fazi]

@waterstudent Thanks for your reply! yes, I did the same..
Do you apply this year?

[Fazi]

Well, today, my application for Vanier 2022, in the final stage of the university's internal selection, was rejected and I am soooooooo sad and disappointed! But good news is that I have another chance next year! Hopefully!

Good luck everybody!

[kupffercellgirl17]

Does anyone know what they look at particularly for academic excellence? Particularly in undergrad my first two years are abysmal, whereas my final two years are near perfect, and all graduate courses since then have been A+. Does Vanier look at the last two years of undergrad more seriously rather than cumulatively? I have heard mixed things.

Really worried about whether I will win the award. Due to the nature of my project I had to apply to CIHR, which is generally populated by many MD/PhDs and thus insanely high cumulative undergraduate GPAs.