Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) SGS Information Session .

Ontario Graduate Scholarship(OGS)SGS Information Sessionfor StudentsFALL 2020Important Disclaimer!What is said (or not said) at this info session does notsupersede the material contained in the agencies’ guidelinesor application packages.

Agenda1. Program Overview2. Eligibility Requirements3. Application Information & Tips

Program OverviewThe Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) program is designed toencourage excellence in graduate studies at the master’s and doctorallevels at universities in Ontario Value of the OGS: 5,000 per session 2-Session award: 10,000 3-Session award: 15,000 Each university in Ontario has it’s own application and applicationprocedure For students applying to graduate school, applications must besubmitted to each University to which you are seeking admission for2021-22 Must be held at the awarding University 2021-22 Competition at U of T will open in late October

General Application Information Students applying for OGS at U of T must apply to thegraduate unit using the SGS OGS online applicationand adhere to internal graduate unit deadline.–Incoming applicants applying to multiple graduate units foradmissions must submit separate applications to eachgraduate unit Internal deadlines will be posted on the SGS website inlate October. Last year’s application instructions are available forreference on the SGS OGS website.

Eligibility Conditions to Apply Master’s level max: Up to 2 OGS/QEII-GSST awards intotal while in any master’s degree program. Doctoral level max: Up to 4 OGS/QEII-GSST awards intotal while in any doctoral program. There is lifetime maximum of six years of governmentfunded student awards. This maximum includes awardsoffered by OGS, QEII-GSST, CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC,and Vanier. Student may not hold a scholarship from NSERC,SSHRC, CIHR, Vanier, Trillium, QEII-GSST, or OGS (fromprev. year) at the same time as OGS.

Eligibility Conditions Continued Applicants must be planning to pursue, or continue in,full-time studies in a master’s or doctoral degree for the2021-22 academic year for at least two consecutivesessions (cannot be completing degree requirementsprior to December 2021) Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or protectedpersons are eligible for the domestic competition International students must have a valid study permit bythe departmental deadline in order to be eligible to applyfor OGS International awards

Academic EligibilityAt the time of application:Undergrad, 1st and 2nd year graduate students: Must have an average of at least A- in each of the lasttwo completed years of study (full-time equivalent).3rd year graduate students: Applicants in their third year or beyond of graduatestudies at the time of application must have an overallaverage of at least A- for ALL graduate level coursescompleted.

Eligibility Conditions to Hold Must register and remain enrolled as a full-time student atU of T in an eligible program at the graduate unit fromwhich the OGS was awarded; Who withdraw, transfer to part-time status, completedegree requirements prior to the end of their award, or failto complete the full session will be required to repay thefunds received for the incomplete session; Must be in good standing with the Ontario StudentAssistance Program (OSAP).

Eligibility Conditions Continued May accept research assistantships, part-time teachingpositions, or other paid employment that does not affecttheir status as a full-time graduate student and iscommensurate with the graduate unit policies. Typically,students holding full-time paid employment are noteligible to receive an OGS from the University of Toronto;and Cannot hold an OGS award in the same session(overlapping) or in the same award year as a scholarshipfrom SSHRC, NSERC, CIHR, QEII-GSST, or anotherOGS.

OGS WEBPAGE: e-scholarship/

1. Confirm Your Deadline

1. Confirm Deadline

2. Review Application Instructions

2. Review Application ip-application-instructions/?highlight OGS

3. Create an ApplicationApply Now

Logging In

Before Logging inKeep in Mind1. Log in using a valid UTORid or BlueAccount JoinID cannot be used with the OGS application system2. Only the most up to date versions of Google Chrome,Mozilla Firefox, or Safari are compatible with the OGSapplication system3. If you have are having issues logging in: Clear your cache (Ctrl Shift Delete for Windows,Command Shift Delete for Macs) Use a Private Browsing or Incognito window

Logging InU of T Applicant:Log in using your UTORidIncoming/non U of T Applicantwithout a valid UTORid: Log inwith BlueAccountTo create a BlueAccount select“Log in with BlueAccount”

Landing Page

OGS Application Modules1. Proposed Study for 2021-20222. Applicant Profile3. Academic Background 4.5.6.7.8.9. Transcripts (unofficial copies accepted)Awards & Financial AidAcademic AchievementsPlan of StudySupporting Forms (Academic References)Applicant Consent and DeclarationReviewRemember to click “Submit”!

Academic Background (transcripts) All degrees should be listed in the “Academic Background” moduleand any degree listed must have a corresponding transcript, including aU of T transcript Include a legend for transcripts outside of U of T Scanned unofficial or student issued transcripts are permitted;o If you have online access to your academic history (e.g. ACORN)you may submit screenshots (printscreen/snipping tool) All transcripts must combined and be uploaded as one PDF file

Awards & Financial Aid Declare if you have previously held OSAP or CSL loan and if you are ingood standing or not

Awards & Financial Aid Declare how many previous federal and provincial awards you haveheld, do not include decline awards

Awards & Financial Aid Indicate if you would like to be considered for other graduate awardcompetitions – particularly the Queen Elizabeth II GraduateScholarships in Science & Technology competition and/or awards forBlack and/or Indigenous students

Academic Achievements List Scholarships and Awards that are competitive, include their valueo Include all awards you have been offered, even if you later declinedthe offero Limit awards to those achieved during your University years Examples of Research Contributions are publications, conferencepresentations or posters, other significant work that was submitted to anexternal organizationo Briefly describe your role in contributions listedo Enter N/A if you have no Research Contributions to report If there are special circumstances that you would like the reviewcommittee to take into consideration when evaluating your application,there is a “Leaves of Absence and/or Special Circumstances” section inthe Academic Achievement module of the application.

Plan of Study Maximum one page plus one page for Bibliography/Citations Uploaded as a PDF file Clear and concise statement or plan Review the OGS Application Instructions for specific details regardingwhat should be included in your Plan of Study based on your degreetype and current enrollment status (incoming or registered) This is one of the most important components of your application

Academic References Two Academic References are required Contact and send the reference invitation to your referees as early aspossibleo To send a reference invitation to your referee you must complete the“Academic Reference” module of the application Cannot submit until both references have been completed by yourrefereeso If your referee has not completed the reference form, follow-up withyour referee well before your deadline to submit Remind your referees of your contributions and information you wouldlike to be included on the reference form

To resend or change a referenceClick on Delete button associated with the specific referee. Youmay then add a new reference or re-enter the referee informationand click 'Next’ at the bottom of the page to send the request.

ReferencesKeep in MindIf you remove a referee to re-send the request the previouslyissued link will become inactive and the associated referencewill be removed (permanently deleted)References cannot be edited once it has been submitted, if achange must be made, the reference must be deleted and resubmitted.

Returning to your Application

Returning to your ApplicationClick anywhere on the table that displays your application toopen the Details Panel. If you have more than one applicationbe sure to click the correct application row.

Returning to your ApplicationThe Details Panel will appear on the right hand side. Click“View Form” to edit your application.

Details PanelThe Details Panel also showsthe current status of yourAcademic References, aka"supporting forms".

SubmittingTo Submit go to the Review page of your application

SubmittingIf your Academic Assessment Reports have not yet beensubmitted your referees, you will receive an error messageOnce all components are complete, the Submit button will turnblue and you will be able to submit

SubmittingKeep in MindBoth Academic References (supporting forms) must beCOMPLETED before you will be able to submit yourapplicationOnce you have submitted your application you will not be ableto make any changes. Review all application components toensure everything is accurate and present.

Review Process Once submitted, applications are received and reviewed at thegraduate unit indicated in the “Proposed Study” module International competition: two-tier adjudicationo Tier 1: Review by graduate unit (Results: late April)o Tier 2: Review by School of Graduate studies Awards Committee(Results: mid-May) Domestic competition: applications are only reviewed by the graduateunit (unit results: early June / official award offers: mid-July) Payment is issued through ACORN

Writing Support The following departments/faculties offer writing support through oneon-one consultations:o Architectureo OISEo Dentistryo Nursingo Pharmacyo Physical Educationo Social Work If you are not part of these departments, you may also visit theGraduate Centre for Academic s-supports/gcac/

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Additional Tips

What Makes a Great Merit BasedApplication?Advice from Graduate Awards Office & Prof. MalcolmCampbell - Former Vice-Principal Research, UTSC Reviewers spend 6-8 minutes on eachapplication. You have a short period of time tosell yourself on paper. Selection/Evaluation Criteria – make sure you“hit” them all

Academic Achievements Reviewers look heavily at PROGRESS. Ongoingawards look good. Publications, historical gradetrends, and PRODUCTIVITY Your contributions/role in a project, impact of thework, awards, presentations, researchbackground, communication achievements,leadership roles (volunteer, elected positions,clubs, sports, etc.) Limit to university level achievements

Research Proposal/Plan of Study Write a clear and concise research proposal thatan educated non-expert could understand Give your proposal to as many people as possibleto review – ideally a professor/ senior graduatestudent who can critique it Read the proposal out loud to yourself andothers. If it doesn’t sound natural, then it needsmore work Engage the reviewer by highlighting theImportance/Significance – you want yourreviewer to advocate for your application

Writing Style/Formatting Make it easy for the reviewer to find keyinformation– Use headings– Apply boldface or underlined text strategically Be clear, succinct, scholarly but understandable Be straight forward, emphasize strengths, not atime to be shy Follow formatting standards

Your Reference Letters Must be very strong Be enthusiastic Provide additional information (skills andpast achievements) and demonstrate howyour attributes and qualificationssurpasses selection criteria & worthy ofthe award Big thank you!