SSHRC 2010

[EmmaJoy]

Well, to be precise last year only 126 were forwarded (out of only 386 applications), out of which only 82 won an award (this was 65% success rate for forwarded applications last year, but if the same number of awards stays this year [82 awards] we'd have only 35% success rate). The numbers presented in the former message were taken from tab #2 (institution to award the PhD) whereas we (external applicants) should look at tab #1 (institution of affiliation at time of application). Under tab #2 (in the foregin column) are also applicants who initially applied through a Canadian University (but have mentioned they want to take the award at a foregin university).

We can see from the above that this year the number of applications (for external applicants) doubled, and the number of applications forwarded was doubled as well. Let's just hope that the number of awards will double also (to around 160s) so the success rate will be maintained; otherwise we'd land somewhere around the 35ish% success rate, which is the lowest ever.

Nope, I don't think so. The levels last year were pretty much the same as last year - on that first page, the external applicants include Canadian applications with no institutional affiliation PLUS the international applicants. No doubling here.

I think it's likely that SSHRC will work to keep the success rates consistent with the last few years (looks good politically) so have probably adjusted their A-list quota with regards to the number of applications received, and the number of awards available. This is just a guess, but based on some previous public service work experience, seems likely.

Good luck to all - maybe only a month left to wait!

EJ.

[EmmaJoy]

I'm in the first year of my Masters at U of T, looking to get SSHRC funding for my second year.

I got forwarded along to Ottawa, but have heard a lot of different things about the success rate at this stage for the Masters competition. Pete Grav, the SSHRC-writing guru over here, said that generally the success rate is "extremely high," which is corroborated by a few other people on this forum and one person I know who claimed the success rate was over 90% (!).

Some other people cautioned that this was far less certain, but I wonder whether they're confusing this scholarship with either the PhD-level competition or the NSERC Masters competition. I've been in this nebulous indecision-zone between wanting to buy a new computer and fearing I'll have to pawn it to pay for my research or something.

Anyone have any more definitive answers to this one?

Yes, keep hopeful, but I'd put off major purchases until you get the letter. Generally, the applications A-listed at the Master's level from Canadian universities all get funded - it's just part of the process whereby the universities do all the evaluation and grunt work. I recommend caution because last year and the year before I knew people who would have gotten funding were it not for budget cuts which reduced the number of available awards pretty much at the last minute (they were PhD applicants, but this may also be happening in the other programs).

Congrats on getting forwarded to Ottawa, no matter what, your chances are really high for funding success!

EJ.

[Phyllis Stein]

Let's keep this thread active so that we can distract ourselves from the fact that we haven't received any news in weeks and likely won't for several more! Checking the thread somehow makes me think things are moving....

Here's a question: what if you are in a PhD program where the MA is is rolled into it. It's a PhD program, but you get an MA along the way (if you want to). It was appropriate to apply for the PhD award, but are my chances possibly higher because technically I am at a master's level? (Probably not, but I figured I'd ask.)

I'm also curious about whether anyone has insight into when in April we'll hear back. Early? Late? I know what the letter says but perhaps someone has dared to contact SSHRC to see what we can expect?

[Phyllis Stein]

Also, anyone finding it increasingly difficult to focus on work/school? I am.... :S

[lorax]

Thanks so much for the information, everyone! My (Master's level) application got forwarded by my institution and I thought I had about a 50% chance from there but now it looks like my chances are even better!

I was pretty sure I wasn't going to get SSHRCed after I found an article that completely refuted the basis for my research proposal but now I have more reason for hope

[canlit]

hi all - i'm wondering if anyone has any insight on how important it is to have publications / conferences in the PhD competition stream? Fall 2010 would be my first PhD semester, I'm finishing my master's right now.

[commonman]

yikes! reading this has totally tripled the size of the SSHRC shaped knot in my stomach!

I'm an external/international applicant, and got a conformation email back in November - but still haven't received anything regarding being A-list or B-list... Here I was all this time, thinking they were just late - and now from this forum (and other sites) I realize that everyone else received letter weeks ago.

Not sure what to do... might send SSHRC an email? Don't want to nag them, as I'm sure they are swamped with emails.

sigh. not a good start to the day... can't focus on anything else now!

[RaaR]

yikes! reading this has totally tripled the size of the SSHRC shaped knot in my stomach!

I'm an external/international applicant, and got a conformation email back in November - but still haven't received anything regarding being A-list or B-list... Here I was all this time, thinking they were just late - and now from this forum (and other sites) I realize that everyone else received letter weeks ago.

Not sure what to do... might send SSHRC an email? Don't want to nag them, as I'm sure they are swamped with emails.

sigh. not a good start to the day... can't focus on anything else now!

Yes you should contact them. This is far from nagging. It might be that the letter got lost in the main somewhere. Anyhow, they're in a position to send you the decision by email (since you didn't get your letter), so just write them about this. They're pretty quick and efficient with this actually.

[Phyllis Stein]

This is just speculation...They are judging you on many factors so if you are stronger in some areas but weaker in others that should compensate somewhat. I think your proposal is going to be more important.

hi all - i'm wondering if anyone has any insight on how important it is to have publications / conferences in the PhD competition stream? Fall 2010 would be my first PhD semester, I'm finishing my master's right now.

[mudlark]

Yay, fun distracting speculation!

hi all - i'm wondering if anyone has any insight on how important it is to have publications / conferences in the PhD competition stream? Fall 2010 would be my first PhD semester, I'm finishing my master's right now.

You can dig up last years' stats thread and look at the publication/conference record of winners and losers. I think this is highly field dependent. In fields like English and philosophy, publication seems to start later in your grad career, and it's practically unheard of for grad students to get second, third, or fourth author status on a project they RAed for. In geography and other more quantitative fields, the structure is different. My best friend is working on a health geography project, and will finish his undergrad with more pubs than anyone had in my incoming PhD cohort.

I think proposal and reference letters are probably more important. I hope that the fact that I'm clearly active and engaged in my department (lots of teaching and service, strong awards record) will compensate for the fact that I have just one "grown-up" conference on my CV.

More importantly, though, we need to start a Results Timeline Pool!!!

I'm also curious about whether anyone has insight into when in April we'll hear back. Early? Late? I know what the letter says but perhaps someone has dared to contact SSHRC to see what we can expect?

[assumes over-serious prognosticating tone] Two years ago, notifications came out mid-April. Last year, they were mid-May. I believe it was the fact that they had two new initiatives to administer last year--the business related projects and the Vaniers--that made the results so late. This year, they have no new initiatives, so you might be optimistic and expect a return to 2008's promptness. However, SSHRC may have waited to see how the federal budget shook out before moving forward on some parts of the decision making process. So I'm going to call early results for April 28th (e-mails from grad chairs, things like that) with the first letters arriving on May 6th. [/over-serious prognosticating tone]

Anyone else want to take a guess?

[Phalène]

I'm going to say April 30.

[Phyllis Stein]

Hmmm, I think you may be predicting a late date so that when the results arrive early to mid April you will be delightfully surprised! That's my guess. The letter just said "April" and I'm thinking that after last years delays they'll make a special effort to be prompt.

Two years ago, notifications came out mid-April. Last year, they were mid-May. I believe it was the fact that they had two new initiatives to administer last year--the business related projects and the Vaniers--that made the results so late. This year, they have no new initiatives, so you might be optimistic and expect a return to 2008's promptness. However, SSHRC may have waited to see how the federal budget shook out before moving forward on some parts of the decision making process. So I'm going to call early results for April 28th (e-mails from grad chairs, things like that) with the first letters arriving on May 6th. [/over-serious prognosticating tone]

Anyone else want to take a guess?

[mariokrat]

Hmmm, I think you may be predicting a late date so that when the results arrive early to mid April you will be delightfully surprised! That's my guess. The letter just said "April" and I'm thinking that after last years delays they'll make a special effort to be prompt.

I'm very nervous. I got rejected at the university level last year, but was forwarded to the national competition this year. From the NSERC thread, it looks like notifications have just started arriving. Is SSHRC usually later than NSERC?

[euges116]

I'm very nervous. I got rejected at the university level last year, but was forwarded to the national competition this year. From the NSERC thread, it looks like notifications have just started arriving. Is SSHRC usually later than NSERC?

Ditto!

[Phyllis Stein]

I think SSHRC is later than NSERC, so I wouldn't pay too much attention to what's going on on that thread...That's just me speculating though.

Congrats on getting forwarded this year! Good luck!

I'm very nervous. I got rejected at the university level last year, but was forwarded to the national competition this year. From the NSERC thread, it looks like notifications have just started arriving. Is SSHRC usually later than NSERC?

[Phyllis Stein]

Does anyone know how things work for applicants who are applying from a university outside of Canada - are we evaluated separately from applicants at Canadian schools, i.e., is there a ratio or quota of the total awards that goes to internationally based students? Or are all forwarded applicants evaluated together? My letter said 230 of 825 applications were forwarded...does that refer only to the internationally based applications or total? Thanks for any clarification you can provide!

Edited March 27, 2010 by Phyllis Stein

[StrangeLight]

oh man, this thread has already stressed me out, and i haven't even applied for the SSHRC yet. i'm at a US school doing a combined MA/PhD, so i'll apply in the fall of 2010 to (hopefully) use the award in the first year of my PhD (fall 2011). the other lone canadian in my program (with the same regional focus and advisor, from the same undergraduate institution) won the SSHRC (the $80K one), and now there are heavy expectations that i will repeat the feat. nervous!

any advice on SOP writing? by the time i apply, i will have completed a first round of archival research and 3 conference presentations, and i've been working on my SOP since january. i'm fairly certain i can secure two solid LORs, but my project is... a little unconventional. for those who were forwarded on, would you recommend playing that up ("a new approach, a cutting-edge methodology, lots of buzzwords!") or playing it safer and altering the SOP to make the project design more conventional?

[Phyllis Stein]

hmmm, my instinct tells me that you shouldn't worry about that sort of thing, except that you should avoid using buzzwords for buzzwords sake. i think you just have to pick a topic you are passionate about and plan the project the way you really think it should be done, and when necessary, explain why. and then show it to your referees or some other mentors and see what they think. in general i don't spend much time looking at what other people do...better to develop your own ideas/plans and then have a mentor look it over. good proposals come in many shapes and forms.

i feel similarly in that i'm not in canada and there are already a few people at my institution with sshrcs...the pressure is on! but seriously, these things can never be entirely predicted and there are factors that are beyond your control that cannot necessarily be attributed to you, so you can't feel ashamed if you don't also get the award. besides, no one cares as much as you do (except that they are happy for you when you do get something). people apply for things and lose out all the time.

oh man, this thread has already stressed me out, and i haven't even applied for the SSHRC yet. i'm at a US school doing a combined MA/PhD, so i'll apply in the fall of 2010 to (hopefully) use the award in the first year of my PhD (fall 2011). the other lone canadian in my program (with the same regional focus and advisor, from the same undergraduate institution) won the SSHRC (the $80K one), and now there are heavy expectations that i will repeat the feat. nervous!

any advice on SOP writing? by the time i apply, i will have completed a first round of archival research and 3 conference presentations, and i've been working on my SOP since january. i'm fairly certain i can secure two solid LORs, but my project is... a little unconventional. for those who were forwarded on, would you recommend playing that up ("a new approach, a cutting-edge methodology, lots of buzzwords!") or playing it safer and altering the SOP to make the project design more conventional?

[mudlark]

Hmmm, I think you may be predicting a late date so that when the results arrive early to mid April you will be delightfully surprised! That's my guess. The letter just said "April" and I'm thinking that after last years delays they'll make a special effort to be prompt.

Love your optimism!

I'm very nervous. I got rejected at the university level last year, but was forwarded to the national competition this year. From the NSERC thread, it looks like notifications have just started arriving. Is SSHRC usually later than NSERC?

Yes, SSHRC is usually later. I have a handful of SSHRC-applicant friends with NSERC-applicant partners, and the science geeks tend to know before the lit dorks. SSHRC and NSERC are both part of the Tri-Council granting cluster along with CIHR (health research), but that's the extent of their connection. One timeline is unrelated to the other.

Does anyone know how things work for applicants who are applying from a university outside of Canada - are we evaluated separately from applicants at Canadian schools, i.e., is there a ratio or quota of the total awards that goes to internationally based students? Or are all forwarded applicants evaluated together? My letter said 230 of 825 applications were forwarded...does that refer only to the internationally based applications or total? Thanks for any clarification you can provide!

My understanding is that once you reach Ottawa, everything gets thrown into one big pool. Unlike MA SSHRCs, there is no university quota system for wins, only a quota for how many you can forward. The 230/825 stat sounds like it's just for internationally based applications. If you go look at the spreadsheets (http://www.sshrc.ca/site/winning-recherche_subventionnee/stats-statistiques/tables-tableaux-eng.aspx) you'll see that 1,835 PhD students were forwarded last year, and 1,018 won.

i'm fairly certain i can secure two solid LORs, but my project is... a little unconventional. for those who were forwarded on, would you recommend playing that up ("a new approach, a cutting-edge methodology, lots of buzzwords!") or playing it safer and altering the SOP to make the project design more conventional?

Sadly, I know some people with really intriguing projects that have been repeatedly unsuccessful while the more traditional ones went forward (ie, Shakespeare project got funded, rhetoric of mental health diagnostics didn't). There's such a random element to it, though, that all you can do is send off the best project you can. If your heart is really in something crazy, I doubt you'll be able to pull off a 'safer' version with the same passion and flair.

Oh, and STOP WORRYING. You have months and months ahead of you for that! Stressing out won't affect the outcome.

Almost April, people! We'll all know soon!

[Phyllis Stein]

Thanks for the link to the spreadsheets! One could kill a lot of time examining them. I think I can see how it works. Perhaps there's no quota, but it seems that on average 65% of those who are forwarded from the no institutional affiliation/foreign pool will win an award. This seems higher than the overall average, if last year's results of 55% overall are average. The number of awards offered the no institution/foreign group in the last four years is 151, 157, 155, and 149. So, pretty consistent. This was probably discussed earlier in the thread, but sometimes you have to examine things for yourself.

Anyway, I wonder how much they consider your department's reputation and the reputation/track record of your recommenders?

Love your optimism!

My understanding is that once you reach Ottawa, everything gets thrown into one big pool. Unlike MA SSHRCs, there is no university quota system for wins, only a quota for how many you can forward. The 230/825 stat sounds like it's just for internationally based applications. If you go look at the spreadsheets (http://www.sshrc.ca/site/winning-recherche_subventionnee/stats-statistiques/tables-tableaux-eng.aspx) you'll see that 1,835 PhD students were forwarded last year, and 1,018 won.

[mariokrat]

Yes, SSHRC is usually later. I have a handful of SSHRC-applicant friends with NSERC-applicant partners, and the science geeks tend to know before the lit dorks. SSHRC and NSERC are both part of the Tri-Council granting cluster along with CIHR (health research), but that's the extent of their connection. One timeline is unrelated to the other.

Good to know! Thanks a lot. Good luck to everyone!

[RaaR]

Anyway, I wonder how much they consider your department's reputation and the reputation/track record of your recommenders?

Now, this is indeed the real question! This process involves much randomess and luck, and this is where that enters. If the readers are somehow well acquainted with your referees then it will naturally help you a lot; same with your department. This is not to say that strong letters from unknown Assistant Professors wouldn't be of help, but if it would be a strong letter from a well respected Professor who's really known in his field then the letter would be very credible in the eyes of the reader I persume. Also, they say that points are given to having an 'appropriate' program of study; what does that mean? Part of it means that you're doing a PhD at a well respected department in your field (if it is outside of Canada). This is where much of the randomess of the process lies (together with trying to impress them with your research proposal), which is why we'd have to keep our fingers crossed up until we actually get the letters.

[Phyllis Stein]

Well, if this is the case, I might do okay. We will see. I can't remember reading it anywhere, are our applications reviewed be people in our field? That certainly would help in terms of ensuring that they know that you are at a good institution, etc. This is especially an issue when you are in the US and need to convince them you went there for a good reason (and not just to escape Canada lol).

Now, this is indeed the real question! This process involves much randomess and luck, and this is where that enters. If the readers are somehow well acquainted with your referees then it will naturally help you a lot; same with your department. This is not to say that strong letters from unknown Assistant Professors wouldn't be of help, but if it would be a strong letter from a well respected Professor who's really known in his field then the letter would be very credible in the eyes of the reader I persume. Also, they say that points are given to having an 'appropriate' program of study; what does that mean? Part of it means that you're doing a PhD at a well respected department in your field (if it is outside of Canada). This is where much of the randomess of the process lies (together with trying to impress them with your research proposal), which is why we'd have to keep our fingers crossed up until we actually get the letters.

[RaaR]

Well, if this is the case, I might do okay. We will see. I can't remember reading it anywhere, are our applications reviewed be people in our field? That certainly would help in terms of ensuring that they know that you are at a good institution, etc. This is especially an issue when you are in the US and need to convince them you went there for a good reason (and not just to escape Canada lol).

Well, I find this to be a key issue actually (background of whomever judges your file). From what I gather you can choose which sub-committee will read your file (from the 5 committees mentioned in the application), but then in this sub-committee you have people from multiple fields, so it's not really read by people from your field specifically. This is in fact why a siginificant portion of the outcome depends on 'luck' and randomess; you might have people from other fields reading your file, and they'd have no idea what you're talking about in your research statement, and will not know your referees or your department that well (and of course, it could also be the other way around). This is why I tried to write my propsal as simple as possible without too many technicalities, so that pretty much everybody can understand it (they actually mention it somewhere that it should be done this way). I hope it would help somehow. We'll see shortly I guess.

[Phyllis Stein]

Yeah, I tried to make my statement as free of jargon as possible, but it's a real challenge. I would think that one's referees will toot their own horns a bit in order to indicate to the reviewers that they are a big name or are faculty at a reputable program, just in case the reviewers all happen to be pretty ignorant about the field. I know that one of my referees has been funded by SSHRC and has had many students funded by SSHRC. I wonder if that gets factored into the equation...

I totally agree with your outlook - ultimately luck will have something to do with it so it's best to keep your hopes up but not be too traumatized if it doesn't work out. Is this your first time applying? It is for me.

Well, I find this to be a key issue actually (background of whomever judges your file). From what I gather you can choose which sub-committee will read your file (from the 5 committees mentioned in the application), but then in this sub-committee you have people from multiple fields, so it's not really read by people from your field specifically. This is in fact why a siginificant portion of the outcome depends on 'luck' and randomess; you might have people from other fields reading your file, and they'd have no idea what you're talking about in your research statement, and will not know your referees or your department that well (and of course, it could also be the other way around). This is why I tried to write my propsal as simple as possible without too many technicalities, so that pretty much everybody can understand it (they actually mention it somewhere that it should be done this way). I hope it would help somehow. We'll see shortly I guess.