Higgins_the_Brave

ehhhhhhhhhh we thought that three times already this week. We'll all stay up late tonight and then nothing will happen, then we will all go to bed grumpy and have yucky dreams. The forum will be silent for a few hours the next morning, then people will crabbily start talking again. In two more days we'll repeat. Don't worry.

ugh. I'm nervous. I want to find out so bad, but I REALLY don't want to be rejected ! :cry: For the first time every I feel like I might rather wait! ...

You're right, I suppose, that we would just use that information as a proxy for a timeline estimate, which they refuse to give us outright. If they refuse to give it to us I guess it's weird to ask for information so we can try to reconstruct it ourselves.

I really do believe that the horribly wrong estimates aren't the fault of whomever answers the phones and emails at info@nsfgrfp.org. I think they really did believe it would be two weeks at first, and I think they are refusing to communicate with us now because they don't ;want that to happen to them again, and have to endure the backlash. But it does really bother me that they think the grad students can't tell the difference between their fault and not their fault: we can! Just talk to us already and we promise not to get mad at you; I at least would be extremely grateful.

email from info: "Unfortunately, for a number of reasons it is not possible for us to provide a specific date for notifications. We changed the message from approximately two weeks to approximately one week to signal that the notifications are getting closer. At this time we believe notifications will hopefully be forthcoming within the week, but this year's award process has been subject to so many atypical scenarios already, so we appreciate your understanding that we cannot provide applicants with a concrete notification date. We will, however, send the notices as soon as possible, as we are very much aware how anxiously many people are waiting for this information." No, I do NOT understand why information cannot be provided. I DO understand that there are many delays, that they are frustrated and that they are not sure when the notices will be sent. But why can't they keep us updated with information? Why can't they post "We have chosen awardees but the list has not been approved yet" on their website, so people know that things are happening? And why do they make us feel bad when we ask them what is going on?

Thanks for doing that. Well, that answers my question - it won't be today so I'm off to try and get all the cards I need for a new wallet (I lost mine last week).

Somebody want to call them? I just really want to know if fastlane HAS the numbers or if people at GRFP HQ are still putting the list together.

Rojo's condition sucks even harder than mine. Really sorry man.

If it comes down to you v. me, we would definitely have to battle in the fiercest and most awesome way possible. Like, person to consume the most gouda in a seventeen minute period gets the fellowship.

By the way, I'm assuming everyone here has tried logging into fastlane normal (rather than beta) and see no change to the page, like I do, right?

Moxie, I feel that way too. It's weird that you have the same avatar as denidzo, by the way. This forum feels like RL now, so in my head you two are twins.

Yeah me too, I got five-year offers from MIT/WHOI, UC Santa Barbara, UC Davis, U of Arizona (Tucson), and two schools in Canada (Simon Frasier and Carleton). Actually, I got in everywhere I applied - 10 schools in total. The university I ended up chosing was the only one to botch the admissions process, botch the interview, fail to send a clear admissions packet, fail to send a solid offer letter and fail to guarantee funding EDIT: And mess up everyone's fees and summer expenses so every first year (30 in total) started the year with >$2000 in debt or borrowed from parents (or savings for a lucky few). I almost didn't come here because it was seemed so insecure, but I liked my advisor's project a lot (too bad it didn't get funded), I wanted to live here and my BF was coming here. Honestly though, even after they pretty much fouled everything up just as much as I ever feared they would, I still don't regret coming here. I really like the city, and stuff. And I really don't feel that bad about all this. I think it will work out, somehow.

Confession: When they told me about the "paperwork issues" last week (as I sat at home alone reading papers while all the other grad students went to work), I kicked a hole in my own bedroom door. But the upside is that now I know how to fix a hole in a door! You can't tell at all... barely... ok, there's a dent. But it's pretty small!

I was accepted as a PhD student, actually. My advisor had two grant proposals in and expected that he would get one of them funded, but he got neither funded, so suddenly I was here, having spent a year on a TA, with no funding for the summer or for next year. When I found out, I checked in with another geophysics professor who had a project that wasn't my first choice but that I would probably enjoy somewhat. I was all set to take that position, until I found out that she didn't have much money on her grants either, so she would not actually be able to pay me full time, just half time. Not going to work. Then, I tried to find out if any TAs were available - nope. My program director also pretty much said that there were no other RAs open in my department. So I switched departments, went to atmospheric science (I have some background in it) and begged around. It turned out that they had a great RA I was really excited about, and I felt really lucky to get it. This was the last week of April. They told me I had the RA and that we would start the second week of May. So I sat around for two weeks waiting to start (and not getting paid and not looking for any more RAs.) When the second week of May rolled around they contacted me and said they were actually having paperwork issues. They might not be able to offer the RA to anyone, and if they could offer it to me it might not start for another four to six weeks. So, BEST case scenario for me right now is that I have a job but that I have to continue enduring this two month unpaid, unwanted "vacation" while I spend all my savings and borrow from my boyfriend hoping they'll hire me at the end of June. As of right now they won't even confirm that they will hire me in June, although they say there's a "good chance." Or, I could just walk away from grad school right now and get a real job. I haven't decided but I'll decide next week based on if I get a GRF (yeah right). If I don't, it's resume time for me!

OK I will. A few nights ago I was pretty upset about all this, but I'm basically in a zen state now. In the BEST case scenario, 80% of us will not get money next week. It could even be 90% of us that don't get money, so I'm not expecting to win one. I'll figure something out though. Anyway, I hope the 90% of us that don't get it can party together sometime and shake off the pain

I'm a first year grad student, so if I have to leave now I will not have a masters. You need two years of coursework to get a masters here. All my RAs have crashed and burned so yes, I am completely serious, I am screwed.

BioMedSciMed: I am in the exact same boat. Last week I started TeXing a resume to send to a restaurant looking for sushi servers. I stopped halfway through and decided I can wait one more week before I do this. I lost my wallet two days ago anyway, so I can't apply anywhere until I order all new everything. But it's this or probably nothing for me!

3... we did it! :-D you can come out now results, kthxbai

2...

1...

damn. ok ok, I'm going to bed now. Hopefully we'll know in the morning!

ummm... is it just me or is the site back up?

my bowels churn.

oh nos - we aren't at 200 pages yet! quick everybody... quick!

yeah, I just came in to check on that, too. oh well. thanks for the nice messages, everyone.