little_joji

expandyourmind, I am curious to know what they tell you if you call them yourself. I have a friend who's been going through this process also but get's different answers from GEM admins than I do. All I want to know is if there is still a chance for us to get chosen at this point in process?! If not, why haven't I received a rejection email yet? What are they waiting for?! Just put me out of my misery already!

So I don't know anymore. MechEGR17, I had the EXACT same thing happen to me this past Friday. I've been accepted into two school thus far. I updated my "Planning to Attend" to one of them about two weeks ago. Shortly thereafter, my GEM Employer status switched to 'HELD' (which we recently found out was a good thing from a former fellow). Anyway, I started having some dialogue with a professor from the other university and then updated my "Planning to Attend" to the other school. Two days later, this past Friday, I was switched to 'RELEASED'. I called the GEM office Friday evening and the lady told me all GEM Employers have done their interviews and that I should be receiving a rejection email soon. I also asked her if my GEM Employer status was related to my "Planning to Attend" switch up and she said no. As of now, I have not received a rejection email and do not know what to expect anymore. Best of luck to all of you

Awesome and thank you for the wishes. I'm in a weird situation where a professor at Georgia Tech is willing to send me an "acceptance" IF I am awarded the GEM Fellowship. I'm not sure how typical this. What's been your experience as a GEM Fellow now? Does your corporate sponsor just send the money to your school/advisor? What financial benefits have come from being awarded this fellowship? Any drawbacks with your current sponsor or advisor because of it?

So I appreciate the valuable insight and can sleep easy tonight. The only follow-up's I have are: 1) If we are interviewed by the GEM Employer, can you give us some pointers on how to handle it? How well do we need to know this potential sponsor and what research they are doing? 2) During this interview, does funding ($) get thrown around or does that happen down the road? Do they care which schools have accepted us? Again, thanks for coming back as a Fellow and quelling our anxiety.

This is my experience: I applied by the regular deadline of November 15th. I remember that early December my status changed to "Draft Match". Then around mid-December it changed to "Matched". But right right before New Year's Eve, it switched to "Released". I had given up hope and started preparing for my interview with Colorado last week, March 6th. I called the GEM office just to confirm I was out of the race and the admin told me I was back to "Matched" that morning (March 4th). I felt hopeful again and then I casually checked my status again yesterday (Sunday, March 8th) and noticed my status changed "Held". From everyone else's experience as well as my own, this whole GEM thing can be a roller coaster ride for sure. As of yet, I have not been contacted by any Employer. Do any of you know if a school is willing to fund your PhD, would offer conflict with the GEM Fellowship funding? And if "Self Reporting" as accepted to your listed schools can hurt/help the likelihood of being interviewed/reviewed by an Employer? The best of luck to you all. Goal: PhD Aerospace ENG (Nanoscale Thermal Control Subsystems) Applied: MIT, Georgia Tech, Colorado, Stanford, U Mich Rejected: MIT, Georgia Tech Waiting: Stanford, U Mich Accepted: Colorado