SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship/CGS Doctoral Scholarship 2014-2015

[Konstantin]

I hear you Macavity, I am away from the 12-19th with very little access to internet and absolutely no access to my mailbox! So I guess I will not be finding out until at least the 20th even if we get the notification earlier than last year.

 

Going to be a long trip, I think.

 

EDIT: Konstantin, do you know if your department emails successful students before notification from SSHRC? You seem to have a lot of knowledge of the process form years past.

 

I emailed my grad administrator today and she replied that my department would not be notified earlier than the successful applicants. In other words, the applicants and the dept. will know the results roughly at the same time. She couldn't speak for other departments though.

[bentharbour]

Thanks, Konstantin!

[Konstantin]

Thanks, Konstantin!

 

No problem. I read someone's post on the NSERC thread that they had heard from their grad chair ahead of receiving the official letter from NSERC. So, I guess informal notifications are Tri-Council agency- and department-specific.

[Nerd_For_Life]

I emailed my grad administrator today and she replied that my department would not be notified earlier than the successful applicants. In other words, the applicants and the dept. will know the results roughly at the same time. She couldn't speak for other departments though.

 

This is what my GPA and GPD told me last week. They said it was because SSHRC wants to be the ones to inform the lucky recipients rather than departments getting to be the bearers of good news (which seems silly....it's not like we're getting a phone call or meeting them in person....it's a letter)

Edited March 29, 2014 by Nerd_For_Life

[bentharbour]

Good luck to all the Vanier hopefuls awaiting word tomorrow!

[Calendula]

Vanier - any guess what time the results will go online? Morning?

[crimsoc]

Bump.

[Konstantin]

Vanier - any guess what time the results will go online? Morning?

There's actually a separate thread for the Vanier: 

[Safferz]

It's April tomorrow 

[Macavity]

I'm feeling a bit spiteful towards the CGS-M applicants today.  In my day, masters students had to wait a whole month after the doctoral applicants got their results...

[Konstantin]

I'm feeling a bit spiteful towards the CGS-M applicants today.  In my day, masters students had to wait a whole month after the doctoral applicants got their results...

Yeah we definitely get the raw deal! We're also the last Tri-Council doctoral applicants to receive the results, but I guess somebody has to be last. According to SSHRC, it's working to implement the Research Portal that will electronically unveil competition results...but hopefully many of us won't have to re-apply!

[Safferz]

Well we might be lucky and receive our results in two weeks, they did say "mid to late April" after all

[KB99]

Haha, I'm definitely feeling the same way--a friend told me today she received an MA SSHRC, and I had to wait a month longer last year to get the same news!

I have two questions regarding doctoral SSHRC funding, provided I am lucky enough to receive good news this year:

 

-if you receive the larger grant ($35,000/3 years) are you able to elect to take the smaller grant ($20,000/4 years)? I ended up accepting an offer to an American PhD program and  you cannot take the larger SSHRC grants outside of Canada.

 

-does anyone know if American programs allow you to combine their funding package with SSHRC or does it have to be one or the other? SSHRC's Award Holder's Guide states "You may, however, accept awards from other sources, regardless of value, e.g., foreign sources, Canadian provinces, private organizations, your university." ...I suppose it probably varies from institution to institution, but any insight would be appreciated!

[psychnerd11]

Does anyone know what it means if you got offered SSHRC at an institution that has yet to conduct interviews or make offers of acceptance yet? 

[Konstantin]

Haha, I'm definitely feeling the same way--a friend told me today she received an MA SSHRC, and I had to wait a month longer last year to get the same news!

I have two questions regarding doctoral SSHRC funding, provided I am lucky enough to receive good news this year:

 

-if you receive the larger grant ($35,000/3 years) are you able to elect to take the smaller grant ($20,000/4 years)? I ended up accepting an offer to an American PhD program and  you cannot take the larger SSHRC grants outside of Canada.

 

-does anyone know if American programs allow you to combine their funding package with SSHRC or does it have to be one or the other? SSHRC's Award Holder's Guide states "You may, however, accept awards from other sources, regardless of value, e.g., foreign sources, Canadian provinces, private organizations, your university." ...I suppose it probably varies from institution to institution, but any insight would be appreciated!

 

I'm positive that SSHRC will have no problem downgrading a 35x3 CGS award to a 20x4 Fellowship upon request. In fact, it's common practice to convert a SSHRC CGS into a SSHRC Fellowship if you're planning to study in the US. In past years successful applicants that SSHRC designates in "Category C" will have a choice between a CGS and and Fellowship (Category A is a CGS and Category B is a Fellowship).

 

Not too sure which universities in the US will allow you to hold multiple awards concurrently (including a SSHRC), but it's worth checking with the institution(s) you're applying to. In Canada most universities will reduce your internal funding package if you've been awarded a major external scholarship.

[Konstantin]

Does anyone know what it means if you got offered SSHRC at an institution that has yet to conduct interviews or make offers of acceptance yet? 

 

I think it means that you'd better get accepted somewhere!

 

On a serious note, if you've been awarded a SSHRC, you can actually inform the universities you're applying to and it may improve your chances of being accepted especially if the university does not offer a lot of internal funding and funding is pre-requisite for receiving admission. I know an applicant who was initially denied admission, then received a SSHRC and the university subsequently overturned its decision and accepted the applicant because he had his own -- SSHRC -- funding.

Edited April 1, 2014 by Konstantin

[Nerd_For_Life]

Does anyone know what it means if you got offered SSHRC at an institution that has yet to conduct interviews or make offers of acceptance yet? 

 

PhD SSHRC is tied to you, not the institution you apply through or the one you might reference in your application. If you receive SSHRC I would let the institutions you applied to know as it will very likely increase your chances of being accepted. If you receive SSHRC but aren't accepted to a PhD program then you forfeit the award.

[psychnerd11]

Thanks ! I received a Master's award, not PhD.

[KB99]

I'm positive that SSHRC will have no problem downgrading a 35x3 CGS award to a 20x4 Fellowship upon request. In fact, it's common practice to convert a SSHRC CGS into a SSHRC Fellowship if you're planning to study in the US. In past years successful applicants that SSHRC designates in "Category C" will have a choice between a CGS and and Fellowship (Category A is a CGS and Category B is a Fellowship).

 

Not too sure which universities in the US will allow you to hold multiple awards concurrently (including a SSHRC), but it's worth checking with the institution(s) you're applying to. In Canada most universities will reduce your internal funding package if you've been awarded a major external scholarship.

 

Thanks for your response, Konstantin--this is very helpful!

In my SSHRC research proposal I listed a Canadian university as my institution of choice, but have now accepted an offer at an American school...when I asked my current graduate chair whether a downgrade was possible she said "I have no idea, but let me know if you find out!" haha

I will definitely check with my new institution about concurrently holding SSHRC with their fellowship... of course, provided things work out in my favour this application round.

[Safferz]

Thanks for your response, Konstantin--this is very helpful!

In my SSHRC research proposal I listed a Canadian university as my institution of choice, but have now accepted an offer at an American school...when I asked my current graduate chair whether a downgrade was possible she said "I have no idea, but let me know if you find out!" haha

I will definitely check with my new institution about concurrently holding SSHRC with their fellowship... of course, provided things work out in my favour this application round.

 

At my American university, they will "top up" your external scholarship so you end up receiving exactly how much you would have without it. No school will allow you to keep everything (SSHRC *plus* their fellowship), but some schools do not top up and will make you choose one, so you should definitely find out. It can be a real disappointment to find that out in the later stages of your PhD when you want the competitive external grants/fellowships, but have your hands tied because of your institution's policies.

[MakeYourself]

At my American university, they will "top up" your external scholarship so you end up receiving exactly how much you would have without it. No school will allow you to keep everything (SSHRC *plus* their fellowship), but some schools do not top up and will make you choose one, so you should definitely find out. It can be a real disappointment to find that out in the later stages of your PhD when you want the competitive external grants/fellowships, but have your hands tied because of your institution's policies.

This is not the experience that I had.

My University not only let me keep the fellowship that they promised me, but they also gave me extra money for getting a SSHRC.

I was promised something similar at a different University I got into (but rejected) as well.

 

Oh but wait, I'm at a Canadian school, sorry I didn't see that you guys were talking about American schools.

Edited April 2, 2014 by randomness

[Kermit]

I just was reading about the American. Phew. I today accepted an offer at CU Boulder. Should I let SSHRC know I'll be going to an American school? I'm glad to know they'll be okay with changing it.

[Konstantin]

I just was reading about the American. Phew. I today accepted an offer at CU Boulder. Should I let SSHRC know I'll be going to an American school? I'm glad to know they'll be okay with changing it.

 

I think it would be wise to wait until you receive the competition results from SSHRC before emailing them re: attending an American school, since SSHRC has already determined the successful applicants and in your SSHRC application you indicated that you'd be attending a (Canadian?) school. If you are awarded a CGS SSHRC, then you can always notify them that you will downgrade it to a Fellowship -- that's how I understand the process!

[crimsoc]

Now that we have seen all the MA students around us get their SSHRCs, how does everyone feel? 

[Macavity]

I'm mostly feeling glad that I managed to get a CGS-M before they changed the process.  I applied during the 1st year of my 2-year program and was competing with what I assume was a much smaller pool of applicants. This year, it seems like most of the school's quota was used for recruiting new students.  I was surrounded by bad news on Tuesday

Edited April 3, 2014 by Macavity