meankney

Geosciences (Geochemistry) here. I applied last year, didn't even get an HM, and this year is my last year of eligibility so fingers are firmly crossed!

I could be mistaken. I was pretty sure I saw it a couple weeks ago. I totally hear you about the productivity. I'm dragging my feet trying to write my Master's thesis and am definitely using gradcafe to distract myself!

The pull down list is the same, but the default 2011 offered award as the default has been there for at least a couple weeks, so I doubt it's significant. We'll see, though! The earliest notification in the past few years was March 24 and they tend to do it on Fridays so it could be this Friday.

I had a dream last night that I got an NSF fellowship. It was so real that it was disappointing to wake up and realize that I still have to wait another week or three to really find out! Apparently my subconscious is more positive about this than I am--when I'm awake I'm very pessimistic about finding out the results.

Agreed! I was too optimistic last year and ended up being really disappointed, so this time around it's pessimism all the way!

Ugh. Just got my TA evaluations back, as well. It was my first time TA-ing, so I didn't expect them to be great and overall, they weren't too bad. Some students were really happy with me and some offered really great constructive criticism. Then there were a few students who were completely brutal in the comments section, and of course, I can't seem to shake those off. I've identified my main problem. Since it was my first time, I wasn't as confident about my teaching ability and I was really nervous about making sure I was always giving them the correct information. To some students, that came off as me having absolutely no idea what I was doing and that I had no knowledge regarding the subjects being taught. It was an intro class, and I can assure you that I was totally comfortable with the information, so it's a shame that I couldn't show that and inspire more confidence. In the end, though, I think getting the comments has been really helpful and this semester, I'll try harder to be confident, prepared, and more enthusiastic. Hopefully it will show in my next set of evaluations!

Very true!

Anyone else super anxious to hear back about this yet? I don't even care if my results are positive or negative at this point--I just want to know and get it over with! Too bad we'll probably be stuck waiting for another 2 months.

Thanks! Congratulations to you, too!

Aw damnit. I forgot the "g" in "getting". That's going to drive me nuts.

Has anyone else here planned a wedding and gotten married during grad school? I'm currently planning a wedding for May of 2012. I'll be finished with my Master's degree this May and will be well past my qualifying exam for my PhD by the wedding, so I'm not worried about it conflicting with any major events. I know wedding planning can be stressful and I'm by no means having a huge wedding, but it will be 75-100 people, so there will be a significant amount of planning for the event. How did you deal with planning a wedding and your everyday grad school responsibilities? I'm a woman in the sciences, so for you other ladies: did you feel like there was any stigma attached with you getting married? Sometimes I feel a little worried about telling the men in my department because I think they think I'm just going to get married and give up on my education to become a housewife. Any other advice?

I just collected my last bit of data for my Master's thesis this past Friday. Now I'm going to spend all semester writing and hopefully finish in May!

I'm already impatient to find out about this.

Just submitted my application. I think it's a huge improvement from my first application last year, for which I received nada (not even an HM). This is my last chance since I'm now in my second year of grad school so here's hoping! Good luck everyone!

Yeah, I know. I just felt like having a little pity-party.

I mentioned this in the regular NSF GRFP thread, but I thought I'd bring it up here, too. My first reviewer gave me good ratings (VG/VG) and said really nice things, but then my second reviewer gave me a (G/F). The second reviewer was almost rude in the way that he/she wrote about my proposal and even about me as an academic. My advisor was curious, so I sent him the reviews, and he said "The second set reads to me as someone who just did not want to rank the proposal highly - they cover their attitude with the same fluff and non-specific approach they criticize you of! Worthless review, but I suppose they average those." Makes me feel better that I'm not crazy for feeling like the second reviewer kind of screwed me over. Also, feeling a little disappointed that had I had a different second reviewer, I might have at least gotten a third review or an HM.

I didn't get an award, but I felt like my reviews were a bit off. The first review was glowing, and then the second one was almost rude in the way it dismissed my proposal. I sent the reviews to my advisor because he was curious and this is what he said: "The second set reads to me as someone who just did not want to rank the proposal highly - they cover their attitude with the same fluff and non-specific approach they criticize you of! Worthless review, but I suppose they average those." Makes me feel a little better, but also disappointed that had I gotten a different second reviewer, I might have ended up with at least an honorable mention.

I hear that. I was all go-get-'em when I submitted my application, but the more I think about it, the less I want to stay for a PhD. Not getting an award just feels like another straw in the "I'll probably quit after my Master's" hat.