This post includes tips on creating a successful application to the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship.
Please contact me at bethtimmers@gmail.com if you would like support with your application.
Winning a SSHRC Scholarship was crucial for getting through my PhD. A federal scholarship alleviates the financial insecurity many graduate students face. We don’t talk enough about the impact of graduate students’ financial insecurity on research excellence. My scholarship also gave me an extra year and a half of funding (for a total of 5.5 years of funding) to produce good work.
Unlike many Tri-Council award holders, when I applied, I didn’t have peer-reviewed publications. Peer-reviewed publications will not make or break your application. I attribute my success to excellent references from my PhD and Master’s supervisors, a great Departmental and Faculty ‘fit’ and a compelling research agenda that was both relevant and feasible.
My #1 tip for your SSHRC application is to start early. Create a file today and make some notes. My #2 tip: write something that looks feasible. It’ll change. What you’ll see in my Program of Study is very different from the actual research that I did. Lastly: be true to yourself and also strategic. Strike a balance between proposing the research you’d love to do and what fits into SSHRC’s institutional agenda.
Good luck!