As GFWS students, the awards many of us tend to apply for are the OGS and SSHRC. This process can be stressful for many of us, and one reason for it to be so is that the deadlines arrive very soon into the academic year (approximately, some time in mid-October). While we recognize that applying for awards can be time-confusing and draining, we are committed to not having such moments in graduate life become contributing factors to a sense of competition, anxiety, and insecurity amongst graduate students. Every year, the GFWSSA organizes an OGS/SSHRC feedback or exchange. We do this to facilitate a sense of co-working and companionship within the program.

Interested students sign up ahead of time, and are often asked to either: (1) provide feedback, or (2) provide and receive feedback. Once students sign up, we pair students in groups of two, and students then either exchange proposals, or provide feedback on a proposal they receive. Having a fresh set of eyes on our proposals can often throw up important inputs and feedback we can incorporate in our applications, and previously successful candidates are especially well equipped to provide such feedback.

As such, if you are looking to apply for the OGS and/or SSHRC, we encourage you to sign up, and/or form your own trusted communities of feedback and exchange with other graduate students as well!