When to Apply?

[xkcdaddict]

When do people commonly apply to national graduate fellowships (NSF, NDSEG, etc)? I've been in an unrelated industry for two years, so I don't think I'll be ready to write a good research proposal until after my first year of study. I know that I would technically still be eligible, but is it a good idea to wait? I would much rather spend my first semester on campus finding a research adviser and working out my own interests than writing essays which probably wouldn't be accurate in a year. Also, I feel like I could get better recommendation letters after a year in my graduate program. However, I do not want to ruin my chances by missing the standard application timeline. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[cogdiss]

You should apply, even if you think the odds are slim. It's harder to win once you've completed a year of grad school--they give out fewer to those people. At the very least, you get the good experience of going through the process, and you can use your reviews to revise your proposal for the following year, when it will really count. Who knows--odds are so slim that you might as well just give it a shot. I applied for the NSF GRFP three times, and it looks like I just got one. I almost didn't even apply this year. You should give it a shot!