NSF Fellowships

[ophiolite]

which prompts me to inquire...which other fellowships did you all apply for? i applied for the NSF GFRP, the ford foundation fellowship, and the javits fellowship. already rejected from the javits. bleh.

Nada...just this one...I didn't find that I was eligible (mainly my research focus and lack of minority status) to apply for any other fellowship. I mainly applied for NSF funding because I was still eligible and decided to give it a shot. As for the amount of coursework remaining...I have much more than a year to go with coursework...I don't believe my PhD school accepts credits gained in a MS program towards the PhD

[Guest hurryitup]

NSF and javits.

Am an alternate for javits, so hoping that bodes well for NSF -- but we'll see...

i could REALLY use some funding.

[Guest guest]

We were talking about geographical diversity earlier - do you think NSF makes an effort to spread the wealth around many different universities, both undergraduate and graduate?

Also, do you think they focus on applicants who list the most prestigious proposed programs, or do you think they even take into account your proposed school (assuming you're not already in graduate school)? I mean, anyone could list that they propose to go to XYZ top program, and make up good reasons why it's the best place for them, regardless of their admission chances.

Any sense of how this actually plays out in the awards?

[Guest guest]

We were talking about geographical diversity earlier - do you think NSF makes an effort to spread the wealth around many different universities, both undergraduate and graduate?

Also, do you think they focus on applicants who list the most prestigious proposed programs, or do you think they even take into account your proposed school (assuming you're not already in graduate school)? I mean, anyone could list that they propose to go to XYZ top program, and make up good reasons why it's the best place for them, regardless of their admission chances.

Any sense of how this actually plays out in the awards?

i dunno....when i look at past winners in my own field, i see a *lot* of harvard- and berkeley-bound people. which makes me think i don't have much of a chance, since i'm at a very good school, but it isn't known for my general field (although it is a super place for my specialization within it).

[Guest guest]

We were talking about geographical diversity earlier - do you think NSF makes an effort to spread the wealth around many different universities, both undergraduate and graduate?

Also, do you think they focus on applicants who list the most prestigious proposed programs, or do you think they even take into account your proposed school (assuming you're not already in graduate school)? I mean, anyone could list that they propose to go to XYZ top program, and make up good reasons why it's the best place for them, regardless of their admission chances.

Any sense of how this actually plays out in the awards?

Something to remember is that getting an NSF award may actually increase one's chances of getting into the program of their choice.

[Guest liquidmethane]

there is an optional essay where you can explain a special circumstance, such as an interruption in your studies or changing programs. you need to demonstrate, however, that you will be able to utilize at least three years of funding.

I finished my M.S. last June (took 1.5 years), applied for the NSF fellowship and Ph.D. programs in the fall, and just received an e-mail two weeks ago that I am ineligible for the NSF. I was devastated. I had filled out the essay section on why my circumstances should be considered extenuating (i.e., that I'm starting over in a new program (I argue it's even a different field) at a different university, will likely be earning a second M.S., etc.). Apparently the eligibility people disagreed.

The e-mail said something like, "If you can provide new information that may affect your eligibility, please do so. Otherwise, you may consider your application disqualified."

It sucks, not only because of the countless hours I spent on my proposal and essays, but because I honestly thought I had a shot... The irony is that I feel so much more capable as a researcher than I did when I finished undergrad. Oh well, there are plenty of other fellowships to apply for -- I'm optimistic. Good luck with this one, everybody!

[Guest dave]

We were talking about geographical diversity earlier - do you think NSF makes an effort to spread the wealth around many different universities, both undergraduate and graduate?

Also, do you think they focus on applicants who list the most prestigious proposed programs, or do you think they even take into account your proposed school (assuming you're not already in graduate school)? I mean, anyone could list that they propose to go to XYZ top program, and make up good reasons why it's the best place for them, regardless of their admission chances.

Any sense of how this actually plays out in the awards?

Part of the application requires you to describe how your particular school fits your research proposal. That said, I think its more the case that the a fair portion most qualified applicants tend to go to these top schools, rather than the fact that the NSF gives more weight to their applications.

hypothetically, everything else being equal in terms oo f scores, proposal, etc. etc. I would guess that going to a top school vs going to a lower ranked one would be worse, simply because of the geographic diversity and the fact that the talent tends to cluster around certain schools.

*shrug*, thats my 2c

i'm in the same boat, so hopefully you're right

[Guest guest]

major bummer, liquidmethane! that really sucks! it must be disappointing after spending all that time of the application, and then waiting this long to hear - only two weeks ago.

did anyone else receive an e-mail about their eligibility? I wasn't aware that NSF let you know if you weren't considered for that reason - does that mean if you didn't receive such an e-mail, you're considered eligible for the award?

[Guest guest]

One of my roommates received an email several weeks ago saying he was disqualified. He applied in biology with a project involving animal subjects and wrote about the medical applications of his research. That kind of research is funded by NIH, not NSF, and for that reason he was ineligible. Lesson learned: READ THE RULES BEFOREHAND.

[Guest informavore]

Anyone else panic for 2 months while NSF looked for your GRE scores? I did my tests in November and December, but come mid January they still appeared as not submitted in Fastlane. Weeks of calling and emailing NSF finally yielded confirmation of receipt a few weeks ago (I guess they got them in early january as expected, but fastlane wasn't updated). I hear that a ton of other applicants also may have experienced this.

[Guest guest also]

so it sounds like if you DIDN'T get an e-mail from NSF about your ineligibility, then you were considered eligible for the award and your application was reviewed. that's good news anyway, for those of us who have completed some graduate work already but are changing fields and the like. I was worried about that.

[Guest Guest]

well, in defense of the roommate who was disqualified, I believe the rules said it was okay to discuss future medical applications of your research down the road; it sounds like either his research wasn't basic science-y enough (too medical in nature) or he spent too much time focusing on the applications to medicine rather than on the contributions to science. bummer for that guy.

[Guest guest]

Part of the application requires you to describe how your particular school fits your research proposal. That said, I think its more the case that the a fair portion most qualified applicants tend to go to these top schools, rather than the fact that the NSF gives more weight to their applications.

hypothetically, everything else being equal in terms oo f scores, proposal, etc. etc. I would guess that going to a top school vs going to a lower ranked one would be worse, simply because of the geographic diversity and the fact that the talent tends to cluster around certain schools.

*shrug*, thats my 2c

i'm in the same boat, so hopefully you're right

oh my.... how did i miss that i was supposed to "sell my school"?:?? i don't even mention my proposed school or the dept. or any of the faculty i plan on working with... i just didn't know i was expected to do that. i feel like such an idiot right now.

[Guest Guest]

hmm, I don't remember the "sell your school" part, either, just that you're supposed to convince them that you have (or will have) the knowledge and expertise to complete the project. Ah well, not like I could have fit it in, anyway. I barely had enough room to elucidate my project, describe its importance and include references. I also did not format my proposal correctly (forgot the darn "keywords" part at the top). So I'm screwed, too....

[Guest guest]

something tells me this type of thing will not distinguish who gets awards and who doesn't, so try not to beat yourself up about formatting or not covering every last detail or whatever - I think the reviewers are more sophisticated than that.

[Guest guest]

I finished my M.S. last June (took 1.5 years), applied for the NSF fellowship and Ph.D. programs in the fall, and just received an e-mail two weeks ago that I am ineligible for the NSF. I was devastated. I had filled out the essay section on why my circumstances should be considered extenuating (i.e., that I'm starting over in a new program (I argue it's even a different field) at a different university, will likely be earning a second M.S., etc.). Apparently the eligibility people disagreed.

The e-mail said something like, "If you can provide new information that may affect your eligibility, please do so. Otherwise, you may consider your application disqualified."

It sucks, not only because of the countless hours I spent on my proposal and essays, but because I honestly thought I had a shot... The irony is that I feel so much more capable as a researcher than I did when I finished undergrad. Oh well, there are plenty of other fellowships to apply for -- I'm optimistic. Good luck with this one, everybody!

interesting. i also have a masters and wrote the supplemental essay. but i am changing disciplines entirely, so maybe that's what made me eligible (i assume i'm still eligible, since i never received any notice that i'm not). now, though, i'm worried i'll get notice that my app wasn't even considered...

[Guest guest]

Does anyone know if they post the lists of all the award winners and honorable mentions right away, or is there a delay to let applicants process the news privately first?

[Guest guest]

they need to get permission from all the winners to list their names and contact info, so yes, there's a delay.

[Guest this guest]

I don't know but one of the questions in your application is

"Do you wish your e-mail address to be published on the Awards List or Honorable Mention List, posted at https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/grfp/?

[Guest guest]

Nope, there is no delay. It's all just one shot. If you opted not to have your e-mail address published, then it won't, but otherwise your name, subject and institution will appear. There was a minor delay last year between the notification email and the list online, it was about an hour tops.

[Guest guest]

I too do not remember the "sell your school" part. Is it possible people are mixing NSF up with other fellowship/scholarship apps? Good to know that it'll be online so quickly~!

[Guest guest]

For what it's worth, rejections came last year by e-mail on Friday, April 8th, at 7pm eastern time, for at least physics and econ. I've also heard a rumor that winners are notified sooner than applications (a friend was asked by a professor if she had won the NSF when she hadn't heard yet, but one of the professor's students had apparently won and told the professor that).

You can find the list of awardees from the website, and for all the years before 2005, it lists the day it came out. The only other year that was in April was 2003. None of the years were this late in March. Out of the 8 years or so that there is data for, 5 of them came out on a Friday, one on a Thursday, and one monday and one wednesday? (not too sure about the last two, trying to do this from memory).

Also for what it's worth, I wrote my proposed research plan describing my experiment in detail, who I'd be working with, some background on the experiment, some anticipated results, etc. Much more like a grant than about questions that interested me. (I did that last year.... particle physics is cool - do neutrinos have mass - can we find the Higgs, etc...) I didn't win. I got a comment that it was too vague (which it was). I've read some winning essays, and they tend to be rather detailed.

You get 2 reviews back if you didn't make it to the honorable mention stage, and 3 reviews if you did. Last year, the review sheets were available after May 2nd.

That's what I know, but now it's time for me to go back and frantically check my e-mail over and over and over again....

[Guest guest]

I too do not remember the "sell your school" part. Is it possible people are mixing NSF up with other fellowship/scholarship apps? Good to know that it'll be online so quickly~!

"The intellectual merit criterion includes demonstrated intellectual ability and other accepted requisites for scholarly scientific study, such as the ability (1) to plan and conduct research; (2) to work as a member of a team as well as independently; and (3) to interpret and communicate research findings. Panelists will consider: the strength of the academic record, the proposed plan of research, the description of previous research experience, references, Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) General and Subject Tests scores, and the appropriateness of the choice of institution relative to the proposed plan for graduate education and research."

[Guest dave]

I too do not remember the "sell your school" part. Is it possible people are mixing NSF up with other fellowship/scholarship apps? Good to know that it'll be online so quickly~!

It's not exactly 'sell your school' - its more like describe how you have the resources and colleagues to do the proposed research. I don't have the questions in front of me thou

[Guest guest]

ah, that's the first I've heard that winners receive info before non-winners...

good to know.

guess with all of us obsessed folk posting, we'll all know as soon as one winner knows...