vernigan

Are you all including titles for your research proposal? I have seen successful NDSEG proposals with and without, and I don't see any clear guidance on SysPlus.

Or maybe never at this rate...

I wish I were prepared for this to go on longer than today but I'm reallllllyyyy not.

I'm February but I can do Decembeer.

I've been drinking a bit too much beer alone because of the pandemic...I would like to make it more socially accepted by giving it a title.

I'm not December gang but I do like beer....I'll drink yours for you.

Most likely the dates do mean something, and a more recent date is probably a good sign; however, I don't know if we can determine how. I didn't look at my application until a few weeks ago, so I have no idea if anything changed in December/January. Maybe the people who have 6/7 didn't look before that and may or may not have had an update on the 3rd.

That sounds like a really stressful space to be in! I hope they get it together by the 13th so you have time to make decisions. Good luck

I emailed the project manager a few days ago regarding time-frame (when the front page changed to the COVID-19 update), and here is what they responded with this morning: "Thank you for reaching out about the anticipated award notification for the FY2020 NDSEG Fellowship. The decisions are currently underway, and are expected to be finalized no later than 13 April 2020. You can expect to see notification in your email no later than 15 April 2020 regarding your selection status for the Fellowship." I hope this is useful, and helps people step away from this process for a few days as it sounds like we still have a few days to go. Also, my partner works in database systems and 1) thinks this thread is hilarious and 2) says the dates most likely mean very little in terms of being chosen. They could be wrong, but the outside perspective is amusing.

Is there anyone in your department/school who is a Grad student program director (or similar)? Talking to someone who acts in an administrative role for the program could be a way to get insight into how you might proceed. Of course you would want to make sure this is someone with your best interest in mind who would not share what you are talking about with your advisor, and you may need to alter what you tell them a bit. I have experienced issues with my PI, and have received a lot of great support and help from the person who administrates the departments graduate program. They are a wealth of knowledge with regard to funding options, and they have been able to subtly find out funding options with other PIs before I make any big decisions. Also, having someone in this type of position could help ease the transition to a new PI, and keep things as civil as possible. That way the new PI doesn't feel like they are 'stealing' students, and you don't have to burn any bridges. If that resource doesn't exist, I think it is worthwhile to begin a conversation with the PI you are interested in working with to see what funding options they have, and discussing the possibility of moving to their lab. Staying in a toxic lab environment is probably not a great decision for your mental health and success, and it sounds like your current PI is not someone worth dedicating so much of your time to. I would definitely see about switching labs before leaving your program.

This is probably the best idea!

Mine was last updated 02/28, and hasn't changed.

Not sure if this is a useful data point anymore, but my app was ONR, last update 02/28. Anyone else apply through ONR as well?