NSF GRFP 2018-2019

[milka49]

Question: have others' applications disappeared from their fastlane accounts? Despite submitting my application in October and getting an email confirmation, all evidence that I ever applied is completely purged from my account. I ask because either:

1) Perhaps this is another sign that they plan to upload results tonight. Maybe they purge old information to add new information. Or

2) My account just got majorly effed up and I'm doomed/need to send a serious email.

Hopefully it is 1 and not 2, and I would love to not bother them with an email if any of the rest of you are in the same boat. If you, dear reader, can let me know if your application still appears there or not, I would quite appreciate it.

[Mandyydonald]

10 minutes ago, milka49 said:

Question: have others' applications disappeared from their fastlane accounts? Despite submitting my application in October and getting an email confirmation, all evidence that I ever applied is completely purged from my account. I ask because either:

1) Perhaps this is another sign that they plan to upload results tonight. Maybe they purge old information to add new information. Or

2) My account just got majorly effed up and I'm doomed/need to send a serious email.

Hopefully it is 1 and not 2, and I would love to not bother them with an email if any of the rest of you are in the same boat. If you, dear reader, can let me know if your application still appears there or not, I would quite appreciate it.

I have access to all the materials of my application via Fast Lane. 

[milka49]

4 minutes ago, Mandyydonald said:

I have access to all the materials of my application via Fast Lane. 

What year is associated with your application? If you click the "check application package status" link and click "view your application package status" at the top, does it say 2018 or 2019?

[Mandyydonald]

27 minutes ago, milka49 said:

What year is associated with your application? If you click the "check application package status" link and click "view your application package status" at the top, does it say 2018 or 2019?

2019 Application Package Status 

[milka49]

Thank you for your help!

So apparently my application just disappeared from the face of the planet.

[Monarch495]

Has the awards list previously loaded with the default year set as 2019?

[Mandyydonald]

3 hours ago, Monarch495 said:

Has the awards list previously loaded with the default year set as 2019?

No! This is new! 

[FunInPhonology]

Hello GRFPers I am also patiently waiting for my results.

first year grad student in PhD program 

first time applying

linguistics 

focus in Native American linguistics and archive work

 

i’m glad I found this forum, been an active grad results stalker since first applying to grad school in 2015. 

 

Just logged in and my application was there, Re: the person who said theirs disappeared.

 

will post results!!

[milka49]

Yeah, so in case this happens to anyone in the future, this was decidedly a case of user error. I apparently have two very similar fastlane accounts, despite never remembering creating one of them. I logged into the wrong one. If you're reading this in the future and have this happen, perhaps this is a lead to check. 

I'm pretty sure I'm slowly going mad with the wait. However, I thank you both for your help! 

[DesertWolverine]

15 hours ago, Mandyydonald said:

No! This is new! 

I believe I saw this as the default when I checked a few days ago (before the maintenance period).

[ktrae1006]

On 3/22/2019 at 6:26 PM, kwisco said:

No I do not think so. They extended the deadline for the reviewers to turn in their comments today actually, so I don’t think we need to start stressing until mid April at the earliest. 

Do you know when they extended the deadline to? 

[kwisco]

No I do not, sorry!

[CL001]

I am glad I found this forum, I am nervous about the NSF results as April looms. Good luck to everyone! ?

[Mataharii]

I am also waiting anxiously for the results. I sent an email yesterday and I received the same blurb about "no information available blah blah early April". Expected as much but still. I hope we find out in the next two weeks!

[JaneA]

Usually it's tuesday or friday that they're updated. Probably by April 5th. 

 

Don't have too much hope honestly. Everyone said my application was great, but Idk...not sure it has enough impact for people to care about it. I haven't re-read it to stop myself from stressing myself before the results, but, in retrospect, there's probably too much jargon

 

[DesertWolverine]

5 minutes ago, JaneA said:

Usually it's tuesday or friday that they're updated. Probably by April 5th. 

If I remember correctly, I got the decision email last year on a Monday night/Tuesdsay morning (April 2/3, 2018)

5 minutes ago, JaneA said:

Don't have too much hope honestly. Everyone said my application was great, but Idk...not sure it has enough impact for people to care about it. I haven't re-read it to stop myself from stressing myself before the results, but, in retrospect, there's probably too much jargon

 

I think the positive feedback from those in your field is a good sign. Keep in mind that these applications are (afaik) reviewed by people in the general field you applied for, so I think jargon is expected. I think some of the feedback I received last year was fairly technical.

I know the long wait for results leads to a lot of anxiety and time to have doubts, however unfounded they are. I didn't get the GRFP the first time around and it was frustrating, but in hindsight it taught me a lot about writing proposals and things worked out in the end. For many of us, this is our first experience writing a research proposal. These uncharted waters lead to a lot of stress, so take a deep breath and know that there are many others in the same position.

[JaneA]

21 hours ago, DesertWolverine said:

I know the long wait for results leads to a lot of anxiety and time to have doubts, however unfounded they are. 

21 hours ago, DesertWolverine said:

For many of us, this is our first experience writing a research proposal. 

I actually applied to the goldwater fellowship back in Undergrad and got honorable mention at the time, so this isn't my first time writing a proposal for a national fellowship. As a second year, this is kind of my last shot at funding this comprehensive for grad school, without having to TA. This is important for me because I found out in February that my PI is retiring this semester due to rapid deterioration of health. I won't have money this summer. So I actually need the money rather than it being just about prestige anymore. My field is pretty specialized, so I don't expect many reviewers to know about it or care about it. Even though I think it's important, I don't think others will because of unfamiliarity. 

 

I do appreciate you looking at the bright side, but I'm in an overall shitty position because of the impending retirement, so I can't really see the bright side in my case, especially if I get nothing again.

[CL001]

1 hour ago, JaneA said:

I actually applied to the goldwater fellowship back in Undergrad and got honorable mention at the time, so this isn't my first time writing a proposal for a national fellowship. As a second year, this is kind of my last shot at funding this comprehensive for grad school, without having to TA. This is important for me because I found out in February that my PI is retiring this semester due to rapid deterioration of health. I won't have money this summer. So I actually need the money rather than it being just about prestige anymore. My field is pretty specialized, so I don't expect many reviewers to know about it or care about it. Even though I think it's important, I don't think others will because of unfamiliarity. 

 

I do appreciate you looking at the bright side, but I'm in an overall shitty position because of the impending retirement, so I can't really see the bright side in my case, especially if I get nothing again.

Hey JaneA, I'm sorry that obstacle has arose during your second year! Have you tried to look at other internal or external fellowships just in case? Apply for everything you can, https://www.pathwaystoscience.org/grad.aspx. This website helped me a lot to figure out what to apply for. There is also the NIH F31 which I've heard from my colleagues. Internally look at your universities graduate fellowships there are support for dissertation years so you can plan ahead. 

Will you be switching labs? Try to look for a lab that has funding maybe you can take on a position as a GRA. Don't lose hope! I'm rooting for you! 

Edited March 28, 2019 by CL001

[JaneA]

38 minutes ago, CL001 said:

Hey JaneA, I'm sorry that obstacle has arose during your second year! Have you tried to look at other internal or external fellowships just in case? Apply for everything you can, https://www.pathwaystoscience.org/grad.aspx. This website helped me a lot to figure out what to apply for. There is also the NIH F31 which I've heard from my colleagues. Internally look at your universities graduate fellowships there are support for dissertation years so you can plan ahead. 

Will you be switching labs? Try to look for a lab that has funding maybe you can take on a position as a GRA. Don't lose hope! I'm rooting for you! 

CL001,

I hadn't looked at NIH before. I work in collaboration with a hospital and when I mentioned to my collaborator there last summer that I want to apply to grants, he discouraged NIH at this point in my studies because he said you'd need half of your goals proved with preliminary data to even get considered for funding. So this is the first time I'm hearing about NIH F31. Yes I'm switching labs, and trying to coordinate both finishing what I can in my current lab and trying to find external funding with help from people from my committee. You know, people generally think committees are useless in grad school, but I'm really glad they exist. I'd be literally crying under a rock without mine.

I'm waiting for nsf results to know if I'm eligible or not for something internal that's due later this summer. If I get the nsf, I would be ineligible. If I don't, the hustle starts again. And since I need to change labs, the proposal I'd been intending to submit for the summer deadline needs to be scrapped or at least changed significantly, since no one else in the department works with what I currently do.

Edited March 28, 2019 by JaneA
forgot the 1 in F31

[cullenish]

I've applied to two other national scholarships (Udall and Goldwater) and wasn't given the time of day on either of them. I know for a fact I put down solid applications for both scholarships since a) I believed in the material and b) I worked closely with the staff at my university whose job it was to advise students applying to those things. I've seen plenty of people saying they question the value of their NSF application, but the most important thing I've learned so far is that not being selected for these things doesn't mean you're not good enough or that your application wasn't good enough. They pick applications and people they believe fit their organization. Pretty much everyone applying for this thing is top notch - ultimately there's probably no real rhyme or reason to who gets selected and who doesn't. We'll all be fine regardless of the results.

On a separate note: thoughts on at what school level the GRFP helps the most with? I'm an undergrad that was accepted in February to a program with mixed TA/RA funding for master's position that pays fairly well. If I do get the fellowship, I'll of course be ecstatic, but I don't NEED the money or prestige to get into a program now. How might this help me in 2-2.5 years when I'm moving on to my PhD other than being a shiny spot on my C.V. from a couple years ago? I don't know why I'm just not questioning the utility of this thing, especially since they haven't announced winners yet. 

[t_ruth]

19 hours ago, cullenish said:

On a separate note: thoughts on at what school level the GRFP helps the most with? I'm an undergrad that was accepted in February to a program with mixed TA/RA funding for master's position that pays fairly well. If I do get the fellowship, I'll of course be ecstatic, but I don't NEED the money or prestige to get into a program now. How might this help me in 2-2.5 years when I'm moving on to my PhD other than being a shiny spot on my C.V. from a couple years ago? I don't know why I'm just not questioning the utility of this thing, especially since they haven't announced winners yet. 

You can go on "reserve" and use the money in your PhD. Also, I doubt your master's stipend pays as well as the GRFP--GRFP funding is very good. Further, you can use it to negotiate for summer funding--GRFP stipend is 12 months, but you are allowed to "work" during the summer for extra money.

As to prestige, yes, it's certainly a "shiny spot." It also will likely influence future funding with NSF. They like to fund GRFP winners when they become faculty.

[clinicalpsych20192020]

Are results going to be released this week?

[cullenish]

On 3/29/2019 at 12:14 PM, t_ruth said:

You can go on "reserve" and use the money in your PhD. Also, I doubt your master's stipend pays as well as the GRFP--GRFP funding is very good. Further, you can use it to negotiate for summer funding--GRFP stipend is 12 months, but you are allowed to "work" during the summer for extra money.

As to prestige, yes, it's certainly a "shiny spot." It also will likely influence future funding with NSF. They like to fund GRFP winners when they become faculty.

Oh for sure the funding is better; the GRFP stipend nearly doubles my maser's stipend. I didn't seriously start thinking about PhD until getting my master's position, and I was surprised to find out just how little PhD positions pay. I think I need to just take things one step at a time and be take whatever help I can get, whenever I can get it. 

 

[Janiejoneswoah]

6 hours ago, clinicalpsych20192020 said:

Are results going to be released this week?

Nobody knows, but I think they were released the week of April 5th last year so either next week or the week after is a good bet.

[cullenish]

5 minutes ago, Janiejoneswoah said:

Nobody knows, but I think they were released the week of April 5th last year so either next week or the week after is a good bet.

 

6 hours ago, clinicalpsych20192020 said:

Are results going to be released this week?

In 2017 they were released on March 23rd I think so I'm betting it's this coming week