EagleEye602

Did anyone apply for the GFSD this year? If so, have you heard back yet?

Yeah, it hurts a lot, especially since they have all but confirmed that we cannot apply again. However, it is very hard to put yourself out there in the first place, so you have to at least commend yourself for making the effort to apply despite the fear of rejection. Best of luck on your future endeavors!

Thanks a bunch! Luckily, I have already received offers from several programs. It just would have been infinitely better to have ample freedom to choose a lab and my project through a fellowship. Although I probably needed to spend more time articulating my experiences in my personal statement since the ratings were far too disparate to me.

I received HM. That is a bit of a bummer since I need funding to join a few labs that I am interested in, but I will be alright. Best of luck to everyone else! I think that it is pretty cool that they are giving 90 awards this year instead of 75.

Edit: wrong year...

Surprisingly, it was pretty easy. I just changed the last number in the link from 6 to every other digit (e.g., 0 to 9) until the 9 worked. It is a pity it took the last year that the fellowship is really going to be around to find it, but I hope it helps our social science & humanities folks!

Oh my gosh! I found it, lol. https://sites.nationalacademies.org/PGA/FordFellowships/PGA_086219

Sadly, I am not sure, but I do not think the timeline would be any different than the other panels.

I think they convened today and yesterday. Individual reviews were completed weeks ago. https://sites.nationalacademies.org/PGA/FordFellowships/PGA_086216

Admittedly, this is a guilty pleasure, lol. I will check it out! Always good to have that mindset, even if it is hard to realize that in the moment.

So, I have an idea... To help with our anxiety and potential rejection during this process, do you guys want to list some songs that you use to motivate yourself during/after a bad day, etc.? For example, I will go with "Gotta Keep Your Head Up" (Andy Grammer) and "Our World"(CAMPFIRE). What songs help you guys stay positive? Feel free to add more!

I keep on getting emails from various university peeps congratulating me on being selected by an employer, but I have only had an interview at this point. The employer I interviewed with also stated that they are still interviewing candidates, which means I could not have been selected yet. Anyone have any advice on this? It is making me even more anxious than I need to be right now!

I am not really sure how the process goes, but I would reach out to reps at your top school choices. They will not be able to expedite the acceptance process, but they could help you learn a bit more about next steps. Just food for thought.

They received about 2800 applications this year across all levels, which is largely similar to recent previous years. From past threads, April appears to be a soft deadline that they use to be on the safe side, but a lot of people seem to hear about their results in March. Honestly, I do not plan on worrying about it too much. Although I might start periodically check in mid-March when my anxiety increases ten-fold!

When I emailed the application contact back in December, I was told that they cannot guarantee that awards will be given in 2024. I am hoping for the best, but "limited" is not a promising word anyways since only 75 predoctoral awards are given to 1900 applicants each year.

I also applied this cycle. Hoping for the best since this is the last official year they are awarding fellowships!

Does anyone have tips on how to prepare for interviews? Is it like any other internship interviews you have had where they just want to know more about you and your skills?

@AlexaT Most programs use their own application systems. You enter your recommenders' names and contact info and send notifications that will request recommendations by email. They will need to upload a recommendation for each application. I had planned to apply to 12 programs but ultimately completed only 6 applications. To make it easier for my recommenders, I gave them all checklists and asked them regularly if they needed me to do anything for them. Feel free to ask more questions! Happy to help.

Any updates?

While it was hard to make a decision without knowing whether I would get other interviews, I would say having my plans finalized early on is highly reassuring. If you feel that one of the other programs suits your needs better, then it might be wise to risk it and hold off on accepting. Absolutely! And good luck on your application season. ?

They probably do. What field are you interested in? I am also an MD/PhD aspirant, and I made sure to check the box off in each of my applications and write about it in my essays. That way, I was doubly clear about my career goals. Yes, I have committed to Northwestern.

That makes sense. When I interviewed, I was told that they had extended the scope of the program outside of neuroscience, so you should be fine as long as you are interested in working with one of the PREP mentors listed on the site. Looks bad, why? Some schools might prefer PhD aspirants (i.e., OHSU), but there are still many MD/PhD-aspiring postbaccs who get accepted to PREP because they have shown their commitment to research and/or the dual degree. Since you have been accepted to one program, then I think it is safe to say that you probably fit into this category.

Based on your choices, it seems like you know your way around Chicago. I applied to programs across several regions of the country: Northwestern (accepted), Vanderbilt, UNC, JHU, Yale, and UPenn. I was shocked at how early the interview for Northwestern came around. I figure more people will come around in April when more schools interview. That is awesome! Will you be joining?

Just wanted to keep the yearly tradition alive! Has anyone applied to any NIH PREPs? Have you heard back from any yet? Feel free to share any other pertinent information.