Indie_soul

I did not know anyone who had applied for GROW when I started the application process, so I can share how I went about it. I first decided which country I wanted to go to and for how long. Then I started looking into researchers at various universities in that country whose work would be complementary to my own line of research. I "cold-emailed" because I did not know anyone in the country I chose to go to, but I was fortunate to get a "yes" from the very first researcher I got in touch with. Just make sure to briefly yet informatively describe to them in your email who you are, what the GROW program is about, and what you would want from them. Then I started brainstorming feasible project ideas and put together an application. I did not have access to any successful applications, so I just carefully thought about the application review criteria, as listed on the GROW site, and made sure to hit all of them. Because I was only going for three months and was also planning on starting my dissertation right after I get back, I decided that my project should be focused on obtaining a training that would be relevant for my dissertation. If I proposed a longer trip, I would likely have come up with a specific research project I could execute abroad, in addition to any important training. But three months just isn't enough time for such project. I also recommend participating in the NSF GROW webinar, which they offer in the Fall. You can PM if me if you have any additional specific questions. It is very true that this forum is pretty much the only place where people share their experiences with the program.

I am working on doing the same thing right now. They basically told me to clear the new dates with my host and then let them (NSF GROW) know what these new dates are.

That's a bummer, but best of luck with your GRIP!

Sorry to hear that! Did they provide any reasons why?

I am also trying to figure this out right now, so let me know if you learn anything about this first. I'm hoping to be able to go with the Work and Holiday visa (462), but it might not be suitable for you due to the length of your trip.

Just heard from the NSF GRFP that my GROW travel request to go to Australia has been approved! Now just need to figure out how to make this all work considering that my original June 1 start date is no longer going to work. Good luck everyone!

I'm hoping to go to Sydney, although the timeline of this is getting complicated. It looks like last year people found out about Australia around May 25th, but they were planning on notifying earlier this year. I also have not been in touch with my host ever since I submitted the application, since I would not be able to provide them with any specific timeline at this point anyway...

Fingers crossed they will notify us earlier than the end of May/early June this year. Do you know if your Australia host has been contacted yet? I'd guess they would hear something before we are formally notified. When were you planning on starting your trip and where in Australia are you hoping to go?

I originally planned on starting on June 1 (very optimistic, I know!), but, well, considering no one knows what is going on yet, I will have to make more realistic plans somehow. Sorry that you are in the same boat, this uncertainty is very frustrating.

They just seem to be pretty unresponsive and hands off in general, unfortunately. The only time (out of a few) I got a response from them, it was basically just "all you can do is wait" type of thing. So I'm still waiting to hear about my Australia application. What country are you waiting on?

Congrats, this is great! Did you email them to ask, or did someone from GROW get in touch? When are you hoping to start your travels?

Did any of you have any experience (or know of someone else's experience) with changing the dates of your proposed GROW stay and/or splitting the proposed trip into two trips? My proposed start date of June 1st in Australia is really not looking very feasible right now (assuming my proposal actually gets approved), so I was hoping to either postpone it by 2 months, or, even better, go this and then next summer instead. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

They told me about a week ago that they are on schedule to notify us by late April. Having read the posts from previous years, I am skeptical, but at the same time really hoping that this will indeed be the case. What country are you planning on going via GROW and for how long?

Thanks for starting the thread! Congrats on your GRIP news, what type of internship is that? I applied for GROW in Australia for the summer, but haven't heard back yet. In the previous years, it seems like the notifications were delivered pretty late for this. My status is still "awaiting NSF approval" as of now. Getting a bit antsy since I was planning on heading over there in early June, if approved. I am only able to go for 3 months, over the summer, so hopefully I will hear back soon enough.

Thank you so much! This is extremely helpful, and I PMed you a few more questions too if that's okay.

Hi everyone! I have applied to the NSF GROW to do research in Australia for 3 months, June-August of 2017, specifically. There is little information out there about the specifics of what happens after you apply, so I wanted to see whether someone might be able to clarify some things for me. That would help SO much. First, when and how did you guys find out last year (or before that), particularly those who applied to do research in Australia? This is my main concern because I can tell based on the last year's thread that people seem to have found out about their status much later than NSF said they would. I am in a clinical psychology PhD program, so I cannot be away from campus at any other time but the summer. So I unfortunately had to pick early June as my start time, despite all the pressure that this brings. Anyone else had experience with having to start their GROW shortly after being notified? How did you handle that? I wonder whether it might be worth the risk of at least reserving the housing for June ASAP, at a risk of losing the security deposit. And do you guys know of anyone whose application was denied for no apparent reason? (i.e., how safe it is to assume you'll get it and book things in advance?) Second, regarding the funding provided. I could only come up with about 4k of eligible expenses for the budget proposal. I wanted to be realistic about this rather than try to use up all of 5k. But how does it work in terms of these payments, does NSF just give you 5k if your application is accepted? Do you need to provide any receipts to them? Can you be reimbursed retroactively? Any relevant information would be highly appreciated, thanks so much in advance!

Thank you everyone for all of the helpful comments! Even with the webinars, there is still not enough information out there about the process. How did you guys go about finding a host abroad? For example, was it an already established collaboration, or was the "cold-emailing" involved? If the latter, how did you come up with a specific project that would be reasonable to expect to accomplish with your host during your stay, especially if it's a fairly short (2-3 months) one?

First time applying, before starting graduate school in the Fall, got the award! E/E E/E E/VG A lot of hard work, diverse research experience, volunteering, publications, and presentations. Very grateful.

This is exciting, time to go get some wine for tonight!

Probably tonight is not the night. Perhaps April Fools' day?

According to SDN/gradcafe Berkeley posts, it seems quite clear that Berkeley must have sent most (if not all) of their invites, usually after preliminary phone or skype interviews, before January 17th. It is further supported by the fact that no one at all posted about Berkeley on January 17th.