AnnzPB

Thanks so much for the input je1230 - that's exactly the approach that I've decided to go with. Out of curiosity--did you end up getting the NSF that year?

I am applying as someone who applying to grad school at the same time as applying for the NSF. Does anyone have a sense for what proportion of the fellowships go to applicants like me vs. people already in grad school at the time of application? And second, does anyone have any specific advice on how I should paint my candidacy given that I am not able to speak to a specific advisor and program as the place that I would be conducting my research? I have been told to pick the best school out of the places I'm applying (which happens to be where I went to undergrad), and speak about that school as the place that I am applying and would like to do xyz that I've described in the application. If anyone has any thoughts or advice on how to navigate my circumstances based on their personal experience or hearing about it from others, I'd really appreciate it.

I am applying for the NSF GRFP and the Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship for 2012. I have drafts done for my NSF essays, and so I'm wondering the extent to which I can leverage these already-written essays for my Ford Foundation application. Specifically, I have a question about Ford Foundation's Proposed Plan of Graduate Study and Research. For the NSF, I wrote out an actual study plan, complete with intro/background information, proposed methods and participant count, anticipated results, and then a paragraph each on the intellectual merit and broader impact of the proposed study (I'm applying for psychology). But I am confused about the directions for Ford Foundation's analog to NSF's Proposed Research statement, which is the Proposed Plan of Graduate Study. This is the information that is on their website for that essay: From the website and application instructions PDF: Essay describing proposed plan of graduate study and research and the applicant’s long-range career goals (maximum 2 pages, double-spaced, avoid technical jargon) From the "Suggestions from Reviewers" PDF on the fellowship website: Proposed Plan of Graduate Study and Research: In general, the more academic experience an applicant has, the more this should be reflected in the proposal.Describe clearly your chosen area of study and the research issue that interests you. Explain why your chosen institution is especially suited to your field of study and to the type of work you plan to undertake. Explain the relevancy of the courses you plan to take and how they relate to your plan of study. If possible, describe the research methods and theoretical framework you plan to use. Relate your proposed research to a larger academic community and society as a whole. Explain why your study will be useful. So here's my question: does Ford want something similar to what NSF wants for this essay--an actual proposed study? Or do they want general information about what you want to do in graduate school, what classes you're going to take, what type of research you're going to conduct, etc? As you can see from the language on the website, it's a little unclear which of these two directions they want applicants to take. And since I haven't been able to look at any sample Ford Foundation application essays (does anyone know where I could reference those, per chance??), I am at a loss for which direction to take. PLEASE HELP!!!

Do you mind pasting in a few examples of how you did the references per Rachel Smith's format? I've looked through the research proposals she has on her website and am having a hard time finding the reference format that you're referring to. Thank you so much!!