Doctoral scholarship CRSH/SSHRC 2012

[Dakon]

I am supposed to have my MA thesis in by the end of May...and it has to be in French. Plus I have some unfinished course work to do. Not really looking forward to it.

My PhD thesis will be on a rather different topic, but overall it is in the same area and is for me, at least, thematically related in an intimate sense. (I am currently writing on Zizek, but I want to go back and do more work on Hegel.)

I am not really sure how much it is looked down upon, but I think in general people do not want someone too highly specialized in one given topic or subtopic because, if the person wants a university position afterwards, then they become rather unmarketable. That being said, completely jumping from one extreme to the other would probably have a similar effect because it could be hard to place you in a department. But this is all speculation.

[Compoe]

well then I guess there goes my chance of getting anything...weep..weep..weep ***********

Try not to internalize it. None of us will know anything until the results are released, and we're all ripe to freak out. You put in your best, and it's out of your hands, now. Convincing yourself that it was futile isn't going to make anything better.

Keep breathing, everyone. Lord knows I'm trying to.

[DMMS18]

well then I guess there goes my chance of getting anything...weep..weep..weep ***********

I think that is if you are just adding one more variable to what you have already done..... or something like that. I doubt anyone can be sure of what SSHRC likes, unless they are a prof who has sat on a committee....

[ducon_lajoie]

Ducon, what committee were you on for FQRSC? I am also on the waitlist for my committee (1st).. I am just hoping if I do not get SSHRC that someone on my committee does (one of 8 people)!

I don't have it handy here, sorry. But I'm in management and I'm also 1st on my waiting list. same thing as you. I'm not too hopeful for SSHRC but I'm hoping somebody ahead of me will get it so I get bumped :-).

My only hope is that the SSHRC criteria are different from FQRSC although it's not clear how the marking works exactly.

[DMMS18]

I think that is if you are just adding one more variable to what you have already done..... or something like that. I doubt anyone can be sure of what SSHRC likes, unless they are a prof who has sat on a committee....

It is also probably different depending on the committee....or subject: psychology vs. history..

[checkeredBlanket]

I think that is if you are just adding one more variable to what you have already done..... or something like that. I doubt anyone can be sure of what SSHRC likes, unless they are a prof who has sat on a committee....

what I did is used my MA as a foundation, and built on it...expanded the topic per se, by adding numerous new aspects to it..new threads...what i did for MA is only a drop in the ocean of what I want to do for my Phd..but it might not have come cross that way in my proposal....

[DMMS18]

I don't have it handy here, sorry. But I'm in management and I'm also 1st on my waiting list. same thing as you. I'm not too hopeful for SSHRC but I'm hoping somebody ahead of me will get it so I get bumped :-).

My only hope is that the SSHRC criteria are different from FQRSC although it's not clear how the marking works exactly.

In my program, people are more likely to get SSHRC than FQRSC.

I am also just about to enter my PhD and one of the criteria for FQRSC is the # of years you have been in school - sooo.. I think they tend to prefer students who have been studying for longer.. (they also require less $$ )

[ducon_lajoie]

In my program, people are more likely to get SSHRC than FQRSC.

I am also just about to enter my PhD and one of the criteria for FQRSC is the # of years you have been in school - sooo.. I think they tend to prefer students who have been studying for longer.. (they also require less $$ )

Interesting... What seems to have killed me is the fact that I don't have anything published yet too... I fared better on the rest. Just thinking about having to go through the process again is depressing as well

[cathaea]

Interesting... What seems to have killed me is the fact that I don't have anything published yet too... I fared better on the rest. Just thinking about having to go through the process again is depressing as well

^ If you're in Humanities, the lack of publications usually isn't a big deal at all. It takes years to get published and I've been told that it's not until year 3-4 that having forthcoming publications becomes important. I know two people who won Super SSHRCS last year with zero pubs (one of whom also had 0 conferences too) but since they were just finishing up their MA year and entering PhD1, no one was expecting them to have done much work in their fields yet. And, in my case, my supervisor feels strongly that I should only go to the major conferences (in my field there are two respective conferences a year that are important) and avoid colloquiums/grad conferences/anything else because it's unnecessary, you won't make valuable connections and you'll waste time that could be spent writing articles for future publication and/or writing my dissertation. So I have very little activity in my field because I have only recently started working on material worth showing off at conferences.

Also, re: the other question about similarities between projects. My MA thesis was thematically related but I changed periods entirely. In terms of how similar the projects are, the only thing I've been told by multiple people is that you need to show growth (this is true even in terms of re-submitting SSHRC apps if you're unsuccessful) and ensure that they're not funding the same project twice so to speak. As in, if you got an MA SSHRC/OGS/other tri-council award for your MA thesis and your PhD thesis isn't much difference, what's the point in giving you more money to repeat the same research. So as long as you avoid that and make it clear that your new research is original, you'll be fine.

Also, I just want to add to help counter our anxiety that there's really no magic formula to getting these awards. I got an MA SSHRC for the worst proposal/mediocre grades/probably not very good references for instance. By contrast, highly successful, smart, accomplished people miss out on these awards just as frequently as less deserving people do. I know it's so hard to believe this when we're all broke but getting these awards is genuinely not a test of any worthiness. Deciding between proposals is, ultimately, an arbitrary process couched in the guise of other "credentials" to distinguish between applicants. It's a crap shoot, but all you can do is improve your odds by writing strong proposals, knocking the socks off your references and being active in your field. And pray/hope. Lots and lots of praying/hoping.

[Dakon]

I've gone to quite a few conferences in the past three years and I must say that, with a couple noteworthy exceptions, it is not worth investigating too much time participating in non-major conferences (unless of course they are explicitly on your topic of research or a friend nearby is organizing them and it will not amount to extra work!). Not only does the material there often tend to be less prepared and well-fined so that you often learn little, but, like your prof said, you rarely make connections or even get decent feedback.

The fact that someone got a super-sshrc without publications is only making me fantasize about what I would do with all that money.... I swear, if I get it, I'll buy a 100 Euro bottle of wine. They must have had a stellar hot topic. Here's to hoping that someone has a soft spot for Hegel on my committee....

[ducon_lajoie]

re:cathea, in my field, the time to publish is usually around 2 years from what I've heard. Which means I would have had to publish something during my Msc. Worst thing is that I had the opportunity to start something on the side but I was in a hurry and figured I'd get back to working full time afterwards and not consider a Phd ever... ouch! I've been pondering the consequences of this very simple decision back then and pretty mad at myself for not doing it. At the time it made sense but had I known I was going to do a Phd (or even consider it!) I would have done it in a heartbeat.

Morale of the story: when you have the opportunity, even if you don't seem to see what it can bring you, you may want to do it anyway, just for the future, in case .

Right now, I am really hoping that the evaluation process for SSHRC is so different from FQRSC that I either get it, or end up at the bottom (right after the cutoff's got to suck).

I'll be drinking to that tonight, the paper I have to write can wait

[cathaea]

I've gone to quite a few conferences in the past three years and I must say that, with a couple noteworthy exceptions, it is not worth investigating too much time participating in non-major conferences (unless of course they are explicitly on your topic of research or a friend nearby is organizing them and it will not amount to extra work!). Not only does the material there often tend to be less prepared and well-fined so that you often learn little, but, like your prof said, you rarely make connections or even get decent feedback.

The fact that someone got a super-sshrc without publications is only making me fantasize about what I would do with all that money.... I swear, if I get it, I'll buy a 100 Euro bottle of wine. They must have had a stellar hot topic. Here's to hoping that someone has a soft spot for Hegel on my committee....

Well his proposal was about Hegel & Romanticism so that seems good for you, assuming committees like Hegel!

This might sound weird but I'd actually be bummed to get a Super SSHRC because I'd be a lunatic not to accept all that money but then my school won't let me TA and teaching is the one bright spot of my otherwise dreary academic life.

[ducon_lajoie]

can't wait to have the opportunity to teach... I might be full of illusions but I'm super motivated in doing it

Alas, no teaching before comprehensive exams for us (understandably so mind you...).

[checkeredBlanket]

after reading all these posts..I think I need a drink..just reread my application, need another drink...do you all have many distinctions/awards/ scholarshpis which you noted on your application?

[DMMS18]

after reading all these posts..I think I need a drink..just reread my application, need another drink...do you all have many distinctions/awards/ scholarshpis which you noted on your application?

I have ones from my university..but I heard that having MA SSHRC is really important..

I did not apply for MA SSHRC because I missed the GPA by 0.02....

[checkeredBlanket]

fromw hat I gathered from older SSHRC posts, apparently it does not make a difference whether one has a MA sshrc or not..it also seems highly unfair that those without this award have better chances of getting the Phd Fellowship, so being funded by SSHrc twice. Sigh...think im stressing out too much over this, I did not even expect being forwarded to the national round...the closer to the release of the results, the more panic stricken everyone gets I suppose...even though the fate has already been sealed ..so all our speculations make no difference whatsoever

[Dakon]

Well his proposal was about Hegel & Romanticism so that seems good for you, assuming committees like Hegel!

This might sound weird but I'd actually be bummed to get a Super SSHRC because I'd be a lunatic not to accept all that money but then my school won't let me TA and teaching is the one bright spot of my otherwise dreary academic life.

Very, very interesting! I wrote mine on Hegel's philosophy of nature and his theory of science, so hopefully I can impress one person who will fight for me!

I'm also lucky in that my school has told me that even if I get the super-sshrc I can still TA, so I can get some experience and extra money.

[ducon_lajoie]

The mind plays tricks it seems

I've read my application yesterday and told myself it was really crap (although at the time I thought I did my best). I think the idea is that we all did our best and have an equal chance at it. Now, what happens is completely outside our control so might as well drink while we wait

I have no prior scholarships from SSHRC. From my school I had a couple of awards but nothing major at all.

[sugarcoatedsour]

Having an MA SSHRC helps, there is no doubt about that. It's hardly the case that it would make or break you, though.

[NeedFunds]

the money would be so great to get.....have any of you framed your topic as a continuation of your MA? or is an entireylly different topic? Apparently they don't like the same topics fot both MA and Phd..is that true?

I think what SSHRC likes to see from what I have been told is focus, that you can pick a general area of research and conduct programmatic research; while the topic that you propose for your dissertation might differ from what you did for your MA, it would be absurd to believe that conducting research on the same topic for your dissertation would hurt your chances. Of course, you need new ideas and should not be making slight changes to what is essentially the same research, but following the same theme illustrates focus and direction.

[Andsowego]

OMG. It's been a couple of days since I checked this thread, and BAM! You guys are blowing up the SSHRC-dom! I was hopeful that maybe someone had received results, but NO! Denied. Thwarted. Epic Fail of Waiting. LMAO.

[Compoe]

OMG. It's been a couple of days since I checked this thread, and BAM! You guys are blowing up the SSHRC-dom! I was hopeful that maybe someone had received results, but NO! Denied. Thwarted. Epic Fail of Waiting. LMAO.

Nope, just more collective freaking out. It's going to be a long couple of weeks.

[NeedFunds]

OMG. It's been a couple of days since I checked this thread, and BAM! You guys are blowing up the SSHRC-dom! I was hopeful that maybe someone had received results, but NO! Denied. Thwarted. Epic Fail of Waiting. LMAO.

I had been following this thread yesterday morning and when I checked it out last night I thought something had happened given all the activity yesterday afternoon. D'oh!

[NeedFunds]

Any more news today?

[poseidon2012]

I just checked the date that SSHRC mailed me news about Round 1 of the competition (for those who aren't affiliated with Cdn. universities). It was Feb. 28 and I received it in the States March 1. So those of you in Canada won't have to wait too long to receive the letter once they mail it out!