There are four stages involved in evaluating Trudeau Scholarship applications. First, the U of T department of political science chooses three to submit to the School of Graduate Studies. The SGS then selects something like eight from the whole school to pass on to the actual Trudeau foundation. The foundation then produces a short list and interviews candidates.
I just learned that my application was rejected at the first stage. It’s definitely frustrating and disappointing to not even have the application passed on. It was also the scholarship I was feeling most hopeful about, since I thought they were more likely to give consideration to activities beyond academic work.
There’s a good chance I will get the Ontario Graduate Scholarship again, but it actually does me no good because the department simply subtracts an equivalent amount of money from your funding package. I am still potentially in the running for funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, but I am less hopeful about that. I don’t think they will care about government experience, and I think they are less likely to see climate activism in a positive light.
