cakes

congratulations and good luck!

I got my letter today, postmarked April 12. I am in California. Honorable Mention. Last year of eligibility. Grrrr! (still...it goes on the ol' CV)

please post when you receive notice!

the phone number is: (202) 334-2872 if you want to get more info.

I don't know, I didn't ask. I just asked "were notifications sent out yet?" and the woman on the phone said, "yes, they have been mailed." I live on the West Coast, so I imagine people on the East Coast will receive theirs sooner. Last year, on this board, I think I was one of the last people to receive notification.

talking to myself here, clearly, but... notifications have been mailed out.

just a non-update...in case anyone else is reading this... i emailed the ford foundation info-people (the general email address given on the program announcement) to see if i could find out when notifications would be made, and if they would be made via the USPS again this year, and did not receive any response.

let the speculation commence! last year, letters arrived around April 15th - i wish it was sooner and i wish it was an email notification. anyway...anyone else?

right, that was my point. fewer awards, but perhaps only because fewer people applied. either way, i wonder how the budget will shape up this year, and if there's any chance of the percentage awarded increasing. i think that the percentages vary by discipline, too. i'd like to know more about that (even though it likely isn't going to advantage my field any).

it looks like there were fewer applicants, too... http://www.nsf.gov/od/oia/activities/co ... GRFcov.pdf

haha, the first sign of obsession is checking numbers and reading old threads!

everything i've read says that the panelists meet some weekend in february and go through all the apps and make decisions. what you say makes a lot of sense - that they might rank us before the budget is finalized. last year there were less than 1000 awards. i hope this year there are more!

hi othello. is this your second time applying, too? as for notifications...i can't wait to find out, even though i know it's unlikely that i'll receive an award. i've read that decisions are made in february - i wonder why it takes so long for notifications to be made.

it's all at once. everyone finds out on the same day, via email.

that's what i thought (you got in everywhere last year!)... i think we talked a little in the ford foundation forum last year. i applied for the NSF and the ford this year. i think my apps were much improved, but i also feel like it's a bit of a crapshoot. good luck!!

it gets tricky, though, if you have a master's degree or other previous graduate work after your bachelor's. i have a master's degree, but it is in a different field, so i was still eligible last year and this year (my second year of my phd program). if you can show that you've made a significant change in field or discipline, then you can apply even if you have a master's degree.

you can apply during your senior year of college, during your first year of grad school, and during your second year. so, yes, you can apply once more. (you can have no more than 12 months of graduate study in your field at time of application, and most schools run for only 9-10 months a year, and only completed study counts, so the fall term of your second year does not count against you) i *think* i know of you from LJ, by the way. are you also applying for the ford foundation?

ay, you! you're right though...i need to be more positive. the rest of my application was kick-ass!

i know it's a bit early, but i'm starting to get antsy... this is my second year of my program and my second year applying for the NSF. i got an honorable mention last year, which i think was pretty good considering that i only had 3 letters (and none of those were from my current institution - my adviser really dropped the ball) and had no input from faculty on my application last year. this time around, i have 3 additional significant research experiences, a gpa in my program (i came to this field from another field, so i don't think my old grades counted for much), and much better letters. my GRE scores are now expired, so i did not submit them (but they weren't that great anyway). i also addressed the criticisms in my rating sheets. BUT, i don't have any presentations and i only have one fourth-authored publication... i can't find anything specific on how important publications and presentations are (especially for a second year student, albeit one who finds herself in a new field). i know, though, that they want to see that you have the ability to disseminate research findings and such. this is probably my second greatest concern. my biggest concern is that winners in my field tend to come from a very short list of schools, and my school is not one of those... in summary, i'm probably screwed.