csot

Has anyone heard back from the Horowitz Foundation yet? Their website says awards are announced by the end of May. I'm assuming I got rejected because it's so late, but it would be nice to have some closure.

Congrats to everyone who got the award! I received an Honorable Mention! :) Quick question: one of my reviewers rated my employment history as N/A (not applicable), even though I definitely had an extensive list of jobs in my application. Would this “N/A” rating have negatively impacted my overall evaluation? I just don’t get why they didn’t give me an actual rating for that section.

The NASEM website says that we'll hear back in April, but I'm also wondering if they're saying that so people don't bombard them with calls/emails earlier than that (like in late March).

Does anyone know if the government shutdown is going to delay when we find out the results? The waiting game is hard as it is.

Currently in a PhD program. I, along with 2 of my classmates, all went to the same institution for undergrad.

Yes, graduate students should fill out the FAFSA. It's possible that you may qualify for certain grants, and if necessary, be eligible for loans. You don't have to accept any money that you don't want/need.

I had the same question last year, but I think quality matters a lot more than quantity. I know people who have won the fellowship award with just 3 letters.

I also applied for this fellowship! I know it's a long shot, but I'm still hoping for the best.

To be completely honest, I would re-take the GRE if you can. At some schools, the GRE is the first thing admission committees see, and since most people do very well on the verbal section, a low quantitative score can often separate you from other applicants who have better quantitative scores. Applying to graduate school can be really expensive, so if you can invest some time into re-taking the GRE and perform better, your money will go a long(er) way, and I sincerely think that you will have a better shot at getting accepted.

I got flat out rejected. Not even an honorable mention. I'm bummed, but part of me was expecting it. I only had 2 reviewers. One seemed to really like my application and rated me with excellent/very good ratings. The other reviewer gave me good/fair ratings, but they were on things that I have little control over now (e.g., past employment history). I'm definitely willing to try and apply again next year, but I'll have to figure out how to make my application stronger. Congratulations to all the winners! I know y'all are going to do great things.

Don't worry. You're not alone. I've gone on old GradCafe threads, the academic jobs wiki, Reddit, College Confidential, Twitter, etc. I had a dream that I got flat out rejected, and in a subsequent one, I got Honorable Mention.

I feel like it's very strategic and unfortunate if they wait until Friday to get the results out. If they get an influx of emails or calls with questions about our award status or reviewer comments (which I'm sure they will), then it's possible that they won't respond to us until the following Monday. :/

Yes! I was having the same issue. Hopefully this means decisions are right around the corner.

Nice! I'm studying sociology. That's good to know. Hopefully this year, you'll hear better news, and it'll come sooner rather than later!

What general field/discipline are y'all in?