littlemoondragon

This information agrees with what I have learned from my boss. I work for the Grants and Fellowship Office for my university and trained in helping students apply for the NSF GRFP (I was also applying too). There was only so much my boss could say without breaching privacy, but NSF mission statement is to provide opportunities for minorities (ethnic, gender, veterans, etc.). Yes. HM is considered a NSF GRFP winner that isn't funded.

I'm kind of stunned... Second Year: Won E/E, E/E, E/E

How we pretend to be.​ How we actually are.

This depends on how your department handles your funds. Some will say you are exempt from RA or TA duties while others might say that your stipend and the $12,000 toward tuition isn't enough. I have a few friends in other departments that had to still TA even though they received a fellowship (this might be due to the fact that we attend a very expensive private university).

One factor that is important is will you be happy in either program? I ask this because you will be spending the next 4 to 5 years constantly around your peers, faculty, and staff. You did mention how one felt more homey than the other or intimidating the professors were. Some other things to consider are: How much time do students have typically outside of research and departmental duties? How do their advisors treat them? Are the secretaries happy? (good indication on the health of the department) While this shouldn't be the only factor in your decision, it is an important one. Good luck. Edit: added another question to think about.

I give it a 90% that the winners will be announced tonight. I bet the GRFP group wanted the maintenance notice up as a subtle way saying without saying "RESULTS THEN", because in previous years dozens of people emailed, posted (facebook), tweeted, etc. about when the results would be up. I've noticed less of these this year when last year there were several. Of course, this is speculation and I might be reading into it too much.

No worries! We were all scared about what we wanted to do. You'll find something.

This is so important!

Here is some info I can provide about the GRFP that may or may not help some. I will provide more after the announcements. 1. Very competitive this year: There were over 16,000 applicants; the most applicants ever. Last year was around 14,000. 2. How well you apply only gets you so far in the process guaranteed. What do I mean by that? In competitive fellowships, the reviewers are not looking for winners. They are looking for losers (this is sometimes a difficult mindset to keep for people who apply). 16,000 applications is a lot to go through. Level 1 is seeing who followed instructions. Essays the right length? Number of references in? Margins correct? etc. I will say the other levels some other time, but once you make it to the last level, it is all luck. With so many people left, the reviewers have to be SUPER PICKY. Do you get the reviewer who emphasizes more on letters than personal statement? Or maybe the reviewer who understands your path (coming from a small college and making it through to a better graduate school as you struggled to find research, etc.) 3. Congress did not pass to increase number of winners (increase funding). NSF GRF wanted to increase the number of winners to ~2,700 instead of ~2,000. It didn't the current or previous application year. The odds this year is far worse than last year. I tried to list some parts of the NSF GRFP that is something out of anyone's control (except I guess the final reviewers). I hope this helps some realize that whether or not you win doesn't mean anything on you being a good scientist. These reviewers are only seeing a small snap shot of your life that is condensed down to transcripts, two essays, and three letters from people who only see you in a certain light. In the end, what you do during graduate school and your future career matters to you and those who really know you. Good luck.