egosumliber

This could be helpful (though it wouldn't really help people make their applications better for next year, other than somehow changing your stats), but the problem is that more than any stat getting the award or HM comes down to your three essays. If you have really awesome grades and publications etc. but can't sell yourself or your broader impacts, then you won't get anything, and conversely if your grades aren't all that great and you haven't done that much yet, but can really sell yourself, then you have a really great chance.

I disagree with this - only part of the broader impacts is related to the scientific community. If you look at the actual document listing the various broader impacts criteria, much of it is related to how you have done community/minority/high school outreach in the past, and plan on doing it in the future. One of my rec. writers was on a GRFP committee, so he told me a lot about this. Last year I had mentioned some work done with students from Cleveland local schools, and thought that would be enough... They actually said (in the reviews) it wasn't clear how my research would impact elemenary/middle/high school students (though my advisor said this was BS, the reviewer misunderstood the requirements... but still something you might run into). Something that is typically misunderstood (that I certainly misunderstood last year and got an HM) is that they don't just want to hear what you've done in the past, but what you are going to do in the future- they want to know they are funding someone who is going to continue to do public outreach (and not just do good research, though that is certainly important). I don't like these requirements, but that's the way they are set up for the time being. Fortunately, the number of awards has been increased this year, so our chances should be that much better!

OK, I'm going to complain for a second. I got the NDSEG, so it's a little hard for me to complain about anything; I got HM just now, which by itself I'm not so bothered about, but my comments are a little disturbing (if I had more legitimate comments and still got HM, I wouldn't feel so bad). I got an E/G, E/VG, and E/G; my broader impacts comments essentially consisted of them asking why I didn't mention how I would involve K-12 activities (which I don't believe was required in the Broader Impacts), in addition to saying I could consider all the broader impact criterions to further strengthen my application. Though they mentioned how I gave the broader impacts of my undergraduate career (Tau Beta Pi, an engineering workshop for K-12 students, the impact of my research on society...). I'm really just not quite sure how the comments on my Broader Impacts are relevant? It seems like they acknowledged how I talked about the broader impacts of my previous work and my planned work, but I didn't address every single broader impacts topic possible (which I doubt any NSF applicant did or should?). Again, I'm not trying to complain that I got HM (though it certainly would have been nice to do better), it just seems like all my reviewer comments on the broader impacts section are almost not relevant or important.

Well, the bright side to these red herrings is that we're almost to 200! (Right?)

if info from the GRFP people coincides with large numbers of page increases in this forum, we may be in for some news...

I think we are all forgetting/giving up home - the page creation has slowed considerably. I hope we make it to 200 before we find out! (well, actually I don't, because that would mean later rather than sooner...)

To be honest I've almost completely stopped thinking about this, but I keep checking the forum to see if there is any news. I hope we find out soon, for all our sakes, but for our sanity it's probably best to just put it out of your mind (if you still have any sanity left at this point).

NDSEG is funded by the various military branch research offices - I don't think these were affected by the stimulus.

If you read through the last couple pages, some people got rejections, others got awards, and the ones who haven't heard a thing are in limbo and may get an award or HM.

I'm hoping that is only semantics - 950 awards is less than last year, and with a GRFP budget increase I can't believe there won't be more awards.

No, my school is not a local-type one, people from all over the country - it's just a little strange to me that my school went from 10ish to none in the current offer list.

I'm also bothered to see that my school isn't represented at all (in baccaleaureate or graduate institutions) on the current offered list. Last year there were 10ish people, this year none? I'm hoping to be one that is on the list, but I'm still a little curious about it (especially compared to the "big-name" schools that may be bigger but not necessarily better).

Although the GRFP website has 14% success rate for Aerospace/Aeronautical out of 328 (about 46), so I'm not really sure.

My area is Engineering - Aeronautical and Aerospace, and right now there are only 12 people on the offered list (I'm in limbo). Last year there were 16. I'm not really sure what to think, I guess there doesn't have to be much of a correlation, but if we think there are going to be more awards this year then I could still be in luck.