shaydlip

Yes, it's how I figured out I was rejected from UT-Austin when I applied. But don't freak out if the status changes to "Application forwarded to Graduate School" or something similar. Often even if you are accepted by the department, you may be rejected by the graduate school or vice versa. It depends on the procedure of the University. Note: it is very rare to be rejected by the graduate school when accepted by the department. The department usually knows when a student's application would be rejected, and may have to write letters to the grad school in support of an applicant. I.e. when you have a GRE less than 1000 and GPA less than 3.0

Not likely. To us, it's huge, to them, it's just another day.

This is correct. Outside academia, the place of degree matters more because it is what people have heard of. Within academia, you know authors/people, and so the "bigness" of your advisor matters more.

As to timing as an academic, I've always heard when you are ABD is the best time to have children, probably if you are in the sciences after you've collected a majority of data. But if you are writing up that's the best time because you can do it at home.

There are other identifiers in your app, such as the university you attended, what year you graduated, etc. Sometimes facebook is a no-win because there ARE so many people with that name, but usually I can find something if I put in your name & the undergrad you attended.

Keep this in mind: There are those of us who used this community, and others like it, while applying. Then we got in, and are now graduate students at the places you are applying. We aren't on your committees, but the professors ask us our opinion. Personally, I google everyone, so if your name is on our prospectives list you can be sure I am looking you up. It's a great way to give your mind a rest before thinking too hard.

Don't waste their time and resources, politely decline.

Waiting is the worst part of the whole process. Try reading through phdcomics.com from the beginning- it will give you something to do and prepare you for the years ahead.

Duke has two separate Anthropology departments (Cultural and Evolutionary anthropology. Poor archaeologists.). To skemmis: Evolutionary Anthropology did start reviewing applications, but there will be more subsequent meetings.

This was discussed a few pages back. Scheduled maitenance has happened a couple of times before, without posting anything. In addition, last year's awards were posted at 9am and the year before at 3pm. It appears as though someone really does need to push the big red button and it will be posted then. ... The Power... THE POWER!!!

I'm sorry, who is stopping you from doing this anyway?

Unless they are only using "early" to counter "late." Then early would be april 1-april 15 and late would be april 15-april 30, and the halves apply. Stop being so finicky about the language, these are academics!

Clearly I am unworthy of the NSF.

Didn't this exchange just happen like a couple of days ago, with different people?

I think you have to accept it the first year, and then defer any other 2 years

When were you fooled before?

Awesome.

Very soon can mean today, or the next couple of days...

How do you know it's 90% stacked against you? This sounds like an academic imposter syndrome to me (not that we all don't experience it sometimes, just sayin' don't count your chickens before they hatch). Honestly, it's probably such a small amount of people that they can reject for certain right now that it's almost worthless. Would you really rather be on a waitlist? I do see your point though- but I have a suspicion that the upper-ups are so frantic worrying about other things that the thought hasn't crossed their mind, particularly b/c they themselves have been told "just a few more days" from other people.

Look, I was being sarcastic. I was trying to get you guys to realize you *don't* actually want what you said you wanted. This emotional turmoil you guys who are obsessively checking the GRFP page are going through? No one is causing that but yourself. It's not the GRFP people's fault that you guys are so impatient. It's been pretty clearly determined it's not the GRFP people's fault- it's people higher up that are trying to solve our entire financial crisis that are putting a stop to it. The evidence is pretty consistent with this- curiousD's information, the previous information that NSF people were scrambling to find extra reviewers for people who had gotten reviewed twice. It's highly likely the "hill" has given them three numbers- a high, medium, and low number of awards (or maybe not even a low number). The GRFP people are not doing this to torture us- they said it's complicated because it IS a complicated financial situation the US- and the world- are in right now. And to make the implication you'd rather be rejected than let them take a few more days to decide, is a bad joke.

I have an easy solution to your problem! Withdraw your application.

Dude, talking politics and how things "should be" is a BAD IDEA.

Sweet! I just talked to a friend who told me the opposite, but I'd prefer to believe you... for what should be obvious reasons.

Yes... but they have to pay out all the money by then, but the GRFP is paid out over 3 years. So 2010 passes and they've spent all their stimulus money. They'll have to scrounge for money somewhere to pay for the fellows for the last year and a half.

This is also probably why they're having a tough time having to figure out how many awards to give. Ahem, if anyone's an expert on bureaucracy, can they offer a bunch of awards this year, put the money for 3 years in a bank account, and then pay us each year? Or does it all have to disappear this year? Honestly... the above predicament is probably why they are taking so long to figure this out. Their lawyers are probably trying to answer the above question.