Communication btw grad school + SSHRC?

[TrivialBeing]

I have searched pretty hard, but have been surprised to find this question/answer conspicuously absent from either party's websites, and even this forum. So I figured I'd ask in case someone knows...

 

I have recently been informed that my university has recommended my SSHRC master scholarship application for funding (and will know of final approval/denial in late April). I have only applied to one grad school, because it was the only place I could really pursue the kind of research I want to do (I'm certainly not pursuing a masters just to get a masters). This situation got me thinking how unfortunate it would be to be approved for funding by SSHRC, but not accepted by the grad school. Understanding that being a (likely) funded SSHRC candidate makes me particularly attractive to the grad school admissions committee, I am wondering if they communicate at all with SSHRC to find out who is (likely) funded before making their selection of candidates... 

 

Anyone know if there is or is not any form of communication? Is it possible/advisable for me to slip word to my grad school that I have been recommended by my university to receive the SSHRC masters scholarship?

 

Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

[n31290]

No, there won't be communication between your SSHRC and the school you want to go to at this stage as far as I know. If you are awarded the SSHRC but declined from the program, you can leverage your SSHRC and still try to gain admission. I would wait it out. At this point you haven't been awarded anything so it will look kind of silly to approach the grad program with this.

Edited February 9, 2013 by n31290

[RosamundReage]

Even if you don't get into the program if you win a sshrc they will very likely let you in. Because it is for the MA SSHRC you have about a 90-95% chance of winning, so I wouldn't stress about it.

[TakeruK]

I know I'm not in the social sciences, but I know that many graduate programs will treat NSERC and SSHRC in similar ways. So, like the others said, the school that you are applying to will not know that you have been recommended by a SSHRC (unless you applied for a SSHRC through that very same school!). 

 

You can definitely leverage the SSHRC to help you get admission -- and although SSHRC decisions are usually not made until end of March / early April, it's a little late but not too late! 

 

I would agree with n31290 that you shouldn't act as if you have already received the SSHRC (even if you indeed have a 90-95% chance of funding if you made it this far). However, I would definitely share the good news about your recommendation with your potential supervisors. I did this for my Masters NSERC. And I would definitely inform the school you're applying to as soon as you get the award! 

 

Maybe not in all departments, but in my MSc department, students with NSERC actually cost MORE money to the department. Not 100% sure if SSHRC has the same rule, but most profs in the sciences have NSERC grant money and there is a rule that prevents faculty members to use NSERC grant money to pay (e.g. an RAship) for a student that is also funded by NSERC. There's also a limit on how many TA hours an NSERC student can do. For non-scholarship students, the difference between TAship and funding level is covered by the supervisor in form of an RAship, but for scholarship students, the department has to pay for this difference. 

 

On the other hand, having external funding means your supervisor has to pay less for you so that increases your chance of admission / of that supervisor fighting more strongly to admit you. Just wanted to point out that funding is probably pretty messy so it's hard to predict what will happen. Overall, I do think that having an award is always better than not having one though!

[lewin]

Even if you don't get into the program if you win a sshrc they will very likely let you in. Because it is for the MA SSHRC you have about a 90-95% chance of winning, so I wouldn't stress about it.

 

I'd really like a source on this. I've heard the MA rate is more like 2/3rds. The PhD rate is < 50% and post doc is < 20%.

[GradSchoolLove]

Have you contacted your school about being recommended for the SSHRC? this is important.  For some first year students in an MA, applying to SSHRC allows the department to nominate you for other funding through the Faculty of graduate studies, ie. funding outside of what they're department funding is approved for.  So even if you haven't been admitted yet, fwd them either an email confirmation of your SSHRC recommendation or scan and email your letter.

[GradSchoolLove]

I've heard, at the Master's level, getting a recommendation is about a 90% chance of winning with SSHRC.  The way it works is your department will have given your application a number.  For example, say SSHRC told UofT they have 16 spots for the A list - so every recommended applicant has a number 1 to 16.  If there are issues with funding they will cut those at the end of the list - say SSHRC says, no we only now have funding for 14 students, so numbers 15 and 16 get cut. SO this is where you hope you're in the middle to upper / top of the list.  

I've also been told - if you are currently an undergrad applying to grad school and an SSHRC it is harder to get a SSHRC than a student (like me) who has applied for the SSHRC for their second year - ie. I'm already a MA student.  My application was recommended and I've been told my chances of winning are very high.