SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship/CGS Doctoral Scholarship 2013

[obrera]

Hello guys,

Is there anyway to follow up on a submitted application? When do we start hearing from SSHRC? I am a direct applicant to SSHRC doctoral awards. First-timer too.

Waiting truly sucks !

Best,

MideastGal

I was a direct applicant for the MA SSHRC. I did not hear anything until May except for an acknowledgment of the receipt of my application around mid-February. From what I gather around the forums here, though, is that if you haven't heard anything, that's a good thing.

[raise cain]

Cheers MidEastGal,

I did my MA in ComCult at York and was also accepted there for a PhD but decided for Concordia's program - a great fit for me and so on.

I just heard from Concordia that my application was passed on to SSHRC. They only had 49 spots, which may seem like a lot but for such a large school, seems not enough.

Anyways, perhaps my last minute re-workings did the trick. Of course there is SSHRC to contend with now....

[Nerd_For_Life]

Just heard yesterday that my application was forwarded to SSHRC Forwarded by UofT, currently in the UofT MA program (BA hons from UVic) and am applying to UofT and York for a socio cultural anthro PhD. Yey! at being passed on. Fingers crossed that my application fairs well in the national competition.

[Car88]

Congrats! University nominations are coming out sooner than I expected...eeek! I will now be anxiously awaiting my fate. All the best in your future studies

[psychgirl77]

I also found out I was forwarded by my university!  Now the waiting until April begins....

[Nerd_For_Life]

I need a moment to rant in light of something I already knew but had forgotten about until yesterday. Whether or not I get a PhD SSHRC and, if I do get one, how much it is worth, is directly linked to what school (providing I am accepted to more than one) that I go to, but I won't heard from SSHRC until after I have to decide which school to go to. Any suggestions for how to navigate these muddy waters? For the past two years SSHRC has notifies PhD recipients at the end of April. The two schools I'm deciding between are UofT and York. UofT often starts letting successful PhD applicants know end of Feb/early March and York in late March and early April. Bah! Of course, crisis averted if I only get into one (severe crisis if I get into neither).

[psychgirl77]

I'm not sure what you mean about there being a direct link between the school you are accepted at and how much a PhD SSHRC would be worth.  PhD SSHRC's are either 20,000 or 35,000, but the school you go to shouldn't matter in terms of which one you get.  That is determined by how you are ranked by SSHRC - those with the highest ranked applications get 35,000, and those with lower ranked application, but who are still funded get $20,000.  Am I missing something? 

[jekawrites]

Does anyone know when the A and B lists are put out for Masters' SSHRC candidates? I'm starting to get curious. 

[Nerd_For_Life]

I'm not sure what you mean about there being a direct link between the school you are accepted at and how much a PhD SSHRC would be worth.  PhD SSHRC's are either 20,000 or 35,000, but the school you go to shouldn't matter in terms of which one you get.  That is determined by how you are ranked by SSHRC - those with the highest ranked applications get 35,000, and those with lower ranked application, but who are still funded get $20,000.  Am I missing something? 

UofT anthro has a guaranteed funding package of $15,000 plus funds equivalent to tuition and fees. The way that they construct the funding package is such that having a $20,000 (or, as I currently have, a $17,500 MA SSHRC), you end up being only $1,500 ahead of the game for living expenses because you are required to pay anything from your SSHRC above $15k towards tuition ($8,400) and then you get a $1,500 award for getting a SSHRC. Net worth of a $20k SSHRC at UofT is only $16,500 at the end of the day. With the $35k SSHRC, even after paying my tuition out of it I still have over $25k for living expenses, thus giving the SSHRC a greater net worth. York anthro does not have a guaranteed funding package and their tuition is less expensive than UofT, thus presenting the possibility that a $20k SSHRC (if York offered me even a minimum of a tuition and fees scholarship) would leave me with more money left over for living expenses than it would at UofT where it would be reduced because of tuition, leaving me in no better condition financially than if I just received the departments guaranteed funding package.

Long story short: UofT anthro funding package complicates things and while it's fantastic that they offer a guaranteed funding package, if my money goes farther at York that is an important consideration when choosing what school to attend. But, I will have to make my decision without knowing if I will be receiving a SSHRC (and if so, for what amount), which leaves me in a bit of a pickle.

[Nerd_For_Life]

Mundane SSHRC update: Received and email this morning confirming that they received my application (forwarded by UofT)

[psychgirl77]

UofT anthro has a guaranteed funding package of $15,000 plus funds equivalent to tuition and fees. The way that they construct the funding package is such that having a $20,000 (or, as I currently have, a $17,500 MA SSHRC), you end up being only $1,500 ahead of the game for living expenses because you are required to pay anything from your SSHRC above $15k towards tuition ($8,400) and then you get a $1,500 award for getting a SSHRC. Net worth of a $20k SSHRC at UofT is only $16,500 at the end of the day. With the $35k SSHRC, even after paying my tuition out of it I still have over $25k for living expenses, thus giving the SSHRC a greater net worth. York anthro does not have a guaranteed funding package and their tuition is less expensive than UofT, thus presenting the possibility that a $20k SSHRC (if York offered me even a minimum of a tuition and fees scholarship) would leave me with more money left over for living expenses than it would at UofT where it would be reduced because of tuition, leaving me in no better condition financially than if I just received the departments guaranteed funding package.

Long story short: UofT anthro funding package complicates things and while it's fantastic that they offer a guaranteed funding package, if my money goes farther at York that is an important consideration when choosing what school to attend. But, I will have to make my decision without knowing if I will be receiving a SSHRC (and if so, for what amount), which leaves me in a bit of a pickle.

Ahhh, I see.  Good luck on your program applications, and hopefully you will get to make some of these tough decisions.  It's too bad that SSHRC comes out so late; it would benefit a lot of people if they released the decisions in March.

[redvelo]

UofT anthro has a guaranteed funding package of $15,000 plus funds equivalent to tuition and fees. The way that they construct the funding package is such that having a $20,000 (or, as I currently have, a $17,500 MA SSHRC), you end up being only $1,500 ahead of the game for living expenses because you are required to pay anything from your SSHRC above $15k towards tuition ($8,400) and then you get a $1,500 award for getting a SSHRC. Net worth of a $20k SSHRC at UofT is only $16,500 at the end of the day. With the $35k SSHRC, even after paying my tuition out of it I still have over $25k for living expenses, thus giving the SSHRC a greater net worth. York anthro does not have a guaranteed funding package and their tuition is less expensive than UofT, thus presenting the possibility that a $20k SSHRC (if York offered me even a minimum of a tuition and fees scholarship) would leave me with more money left over for living expenses than it would at UofT where it would be reduced because of tuition, leaving me in no better condition financially than if I just received the departments guaranteed funding package.

Long story short: UofT anthro funding package complicates things and while it's fantastic that they offer a guaranteed funding package, if my money goes farther at York that is an important consideration when choosing what school to attend. But, I will have to make my decision without knowing if I will be receiving a SSHRC (and if so, for what amount), which leaves me in a bit of a pickle.

 

Wow, I had no idea U of T offered such a tiny bonus to incoming SSHRC holders! I always thought they had mad money. (Some schools offer 10K for the first year if you come in with an external award.) Have you spoken with the graduate program director at York about discretionary funding? My suggestion would be that in the case (likely, I think) that you are accepted to both schools, you should let each director know that you are considering offers from both schools, and need to base your decision partly on the amount of funding support you are offered - often, there is a discretionary amount of awards (fellowships, assistantships, or whatever form of funding that dept has been allocated for admissions purposes) that a program director can offer to students they'd really like to see in their program, but for whom they have to compete with other schools.

 

It might sound a bit ridiculous that departments compete for students, but they often do - and you're a SSHRC contender, so it's clear that you are a great student.   Often it's just a matter of asking for support - f they have the budget for competitive offers, they are happy to spend it. I worked as a graduate program coordinator for a couple of years at McGill before going back to grad school, and I saw these kinds of requests & approvals all the time during admissions.

 

All that said, who do you really want to have as your supervisor? Which department seems better for your research and long-term goals? Do you think your supervisor will be able to help you make connections and find you more funding/research opportunities and fieldwork? I think that's probably more important for your whole PhD than a few grand, if it comes down to that.

 

Good luck with SSHRC!! I just got confirmation that they've received my application, too, so fingers crossed.

[raise cain]

Mundane SSHRC update: Received and email this morning confirming that they received my application (forwarded by UofT)

Also received this today.

[RosamundReage]

Just got an email from York today that my application was passed on.

[obrera]

Queen's has finally sent out their emails.

[ilovebooks]

Just wanted to send out an update for my school (University of Waterloo).

 

I heard on January 4 that my SSHRC Doctoral application is being passed on to the national competition.  I am currently completing my MA and am applying to complete my PhD in the same department, so it's my first shot at securing funding for this degree.  I heard that uWaterloo's quota is 33 (ie. they can only send 33 applications) and from what I gather from statistics, usually about 17 of our students received awards... here's hoping!

 

I also received acknowledgement of receipt of my application from SSHRC on January 17.

 

And so the long waiting process begins... Good luck to those of you still waiting to hear from your school, or with direct applications!

[jekawrites]

Concordia has started sending out emails for the Masters' level competition! I found out this morning that my application has been forwarded to the national competition.

 

About my stats:

 

GPA: 3.9

RAships: One, but as managing editor of a magazine that has affiliations with the school.

Scholarships/Awards: Entrance Scholarship (Shuffle), Gustav Levenschi Scholarship, some other awards.

Letters: From two profs that knew me very well.

[eagle-bear]

I'm in a PhD program at Berkeley and am still waiting to hear back from SSHRC. Anybody else applying internationally hear anything yet?

[RWBG]

I'm in a PhD program at Berkeley and am still waiting to hear back from SSHRC. Anybody else applying internationally hear anything yet?

Nope. Based on previous years, I wouldn't expect anything until late February. Excruciating, I know.

[Dal PhDer]

The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council acknowledges receipt of your application to the Doctoral Awards.

PS: You're fantastic, Jill. We will give you a billion dollars.

 

I received my application noticed last week. I'm not really sure what this means, other than it's been approved by my university. I've heard myths that if you've passed the university competition that your chances are pretty good. I hope that's true!

 

Good luck all! 

 

I know last year the final announcements didn't go out until May. Hopefully we don't have to wait that long.

 

What is this Feb date? Not notice of award..?

[Nerd_For_Life]

I've heard that for MA SSHRC if you're passed along to SSHRC, chances are EXTREMELY high that you'll get it (I received an MA SSHRC in last years competition after being forwarded by my undergrad uni). For PhD SSHRC I've heard if you're forwarded by your uni to Ottawa it's like a 50% chance of getting an award. But that is not based on any personal research into the matter, just reading old forum posts. UofT forwarded me for the PhD comp.

[JerriBlank]

i attended a workshop on sshrc. they said that for ma's historically they rewarded 95-99% of forwarded apps depending on the year, but for PhDs it was 55-65% depending on the year.

[eagle-bear]

Thanks RWBG. It sounds like that February date you mentioned might just apply to Canadian students studying at foreign universities.

 

Since we don't go through the same competition as those who go through Canadian institutions, I bet our dates are slightly different.

 

Fingers crossed.

Edited January 25, 2013 by eagle-bear

[dknows]

How do the funds work for Canadian PhD students at US institutions? i imagine the school still administers the grant? 

[obrera]

I finally received my "application received" notice.