[NSF GRFP 2016]

A classmate of mine had their application returned without review today, apparently the email claimed that their intended field of study was not eligible.  This student works on what is essentially a systems biology/cell biology problem, which would fall within the bounds of the Life Sciences category.  I took a look and compared our apps and the only real difference I can see is that he checked the "Is your field interdisciplinary?" (paraphrasing) box.  

Would that be grounds for a return without review? Also, what is the best way to fight this? The email said he has until Feb 24 to appeal, and I recommended getting a rebuttal letter from the director of our graduate program.  Any advice would be appreciated.

[2015 Applicant Profiles and Admissions Results]

Wow, I wish I had this information before I applied.  My main issue was an excess of applications -- I had a very low acceptance rate when I applied for undergrad so I think I was overly cautious and applied to way too many grad schools.  I also wasn't sure if I was a highly competitive applicant, so I cast a wide net.

 

Undergrad Institution: Top 5 Public School
Major(s): Molecular Biology B.A., biochemistry specialization
GPA in Major: 3.65/4.0

Overall GPA: 3.7/4.0

Position in Class: Somewhere in the middle, but most students in my class were pre-med
Type of Student: Mixed race female w/ green card

GRE Scores (revised version):
Q: 166
V: 165
W: 5.0

Research Experience: 1 summer of chemistry research, 2.5 years of research with a well-known high-profile professor in biochemistry.
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Nominated for Goldwater Scholarship by home institution (didn't win), presented a poster at a national conference.

 

--Results --

 

Acceptances:

Harvard MCO

Yale BBS

MIT Biology

Stanford Biochemistry

Caltech Biochemistry

Oxford Biochemistry

Cambridge Biochemistry

NIH-OxCam

 

Attending: Harvard MCO

 

I was rejected from Scripps but later discovered it was because my application got returned to me in the mail.

 

Overall Impression: My PI told me before I started that I was insane to apply to 8 schools.  He said I would get into at least half of them, and probably all of them.  In retrospect I wish I had trusted him more and been more confident in my abilities, and I would only have applied to 3 or 4.  While I recognize that my GPA and GREs aren't mind-blowing, I have a very good track record in research and I have been told I am excellent in interviews, so that may have contributed.  I suggest that if you aren't sure if you are a competitive applicant, ask a well-established professor at your institution and trust their advice!

[2015 Applicant Profiles and Admissions Results]

For people who did not apply to Yale or declined their Yale interview, what is the rationale? I thought Yale was a top school in the Biosciences, but I'm seeing more and more people are biased against their BBS program.  Can someone explain this to me?