E/VG E/VG E/VG - Awarded fellowship in physics. Two criticisms: One reviewer said I should have been more specific about the potential applications of the research project I proposed (it was a theoretical proposal..). Another reviewer said that though I was involved in some campus groups, I could have shown more evidence of leadership potential.
The main praise I recieved from all three reviewers concerned having publications and having research based awards (i.e. SURF program, Goldwater scholarship).
The moral of the story is: having pubs may not be necessary, but it helps... alot (duh....). Also, absolutely make sure you say something concerning diversity and/or outreach; all the winners on this forum seem to have that in common.
