How to put GRFP into your email signature without being pretentious

[c07030]

Hello,

I found out this April that I recieved the GRFP, and was wondering how other people put it into their email signature. All the grad students I know that got it put it in their signature, but do so in various ways, and the name of the fellowship has changed as well, so I was wondering what others do. One person does this:

Joe Bob

PhD candidate

NSF predoctoral fellow

School, program etc.

Another does this :

Mary Jane

PhD candidate

National Science Foundation Fellow

School program etc

how on earth do you say you are a GRFP'er?

The main reason I'm asking is that I'm trying to start a collaboration with people I have not met before and it would be helpful to have it in my introductory emails.

Thoughts comments?

[mechengr2000]

Things come off as pretentious when someone mentions them without having a reason to mention it.

Why are you mentioning it in an introductory email to potential collaborators? Would they have to pay to support you if you did not have this fellowship? If so, then you should mention it to them in a sentence.

I don't think its something that goes into a signature, at any time. It's not a professional credential.

Edited May 3, 2011 by mechengr2000

[waddle]

Hello,

I found out this April that I recieved the GRFP, and was wondering how other people put it into their email signature. All the grad students I know that got it put it in their signature, but do so in various ways, and the name of the fellowship has changed as well, so I was wondering what others do. One person does this:

Joe Bob

PhD candidate

NSF predoctoral fellow

School, program etc.

Another does this :

Mary Jane

PhD candidate

National Science Foundation Fellow

School program etc

how on earth do you say you are a GRFP'er?

The main reason I'm asking is that I'm trying to start a collaboration with people I have not met before and it would be helpful to have it in my introductory emails.

Thoughts comments?

I sign my emails with a simple "FirstName LastName", but I've come across some grad students who have signed emails like this:

Joe Bigghead 

Ph.D. Candidate 

Department of Departments 

Big Name University

... And my first impression (having never even met them in person) was always highly negative. I'm not sure what use there is to identifying yourself as part of the second-lowest class on the academic totem pole (it's as if they think that people they'll meet will actually care about some lowly unknown Ph.D. student ). The first and last name should suffice; if not, you're probably doing something wrong.

Putting "Some Organization Fellow" in your signature is going way overboard.

Edited May 3, 2011 by waddle

[mechengr2000]

Joe Bigghead 

Ph.D. Candidate 

Department of Departments 

Big Name University

That is the format I use when I sending someone a very formal email, and it actually matters what department I'm in and where I'm coming from. But otherwise, I just use:

Full Name

Contact Info

[newms]

It may be possible to put GRFP into your email signature without actually being pretentious but I don't think it's possible without seeming so. Why not just have your website address in your signature and have your resume/CV on your site?

[Damis]

I'm not following why you all think it is pretentious to have fellowships that you applied for and won in your email signature? As much as the signature is about letting people know who you are, it's also meant to promote yourself and to let others know the credentials you bring to the table. Of course you don't put your entire CV in the signature, but something as substantial as an NSF Fellowship shouldn't be buried neither.

[mechengr2000]

As much as the signature is about letting people know who you are, it's also meant to promote yourself and to let others know the credentials you bring to the table.

The NSF Fellowship is NOT a credential - it is a financial award. Having an NSF Fellowship does not make you a better qualified engineer/scientist/etc than anyone else (but an MS or PhD or professional license would mean that.) It does not mean you have a specific skill that could possibly be relevant to the person receiving an email from you. It does not bring anything to the table for the people you are sending 99.99999% of your emails to. And your email signature is not there to promote yourself. If you are going to use a formal sign off, it is there only to let the recipient of your message know what position you are responsible for as part of your organization. If that person is interacting with you as an individual, and not as person representing that organization, it is not to be mentioned.

Edited May 3, 2011 by mechengr2000

[Eigen]

That is the format I use when I sending someone a very formal email, and it actually matters what department I'm in and where I'm coming from. But otherwise, I just use:

Full Name

Contact Info

I often use something similar, mostly to distinguish the fact that I'm a graduate student, and not a post-doc or faculty member. It's much easier to slip it in at the beginning then have to tell someone after the fact that I'm not "Dr Eigen" yet.

Of course, I usually just put "Graduate Student", because you're technically not a doctoral candidate until you pass your thesis prospectus in your third year (at my institution) at others it's often after you pass orals/quals.

It does bother me quite a bit when I see first year students put "Doctoral Candidate" and they have not yet achieved candidacy.

Edited May 3, 2011 by Eigen

[Damis]

The NSF Fellowship is NOT a credential - it is a financial award. Having an NSF Fellowship does not make you a better qualified engineer/scientist/etc than anyone else (but an MS or PhD or professional license would mean that.) It does not mean you have a specific skill that could possibly be relevant to the person receiving an email from you. It does not bring anything to the table for the people you are sending 99.99999% of your emails to. And your email signature is not there to promote yourself. If you are going to use a formal sign off, it is there only to let the recipient of your message know what position you are responsible for as part of your organization. If that person is interacting with you as an individual, and not as person representing that organization, it is not to be mentioned.

Guess it's a matter of perspective...

Firstly, let us be clear in regards to what we think a signature is. I utilize the signature in my GMail to highlight two Scholarship programs I am currently apart of. This signature, found in options, has text that will attach itself to every email that I send out. Is this what you're taking umbrage with?

If so, I think you're taking the email signature too seriously.

The NSF Fellowship is, in its own way, a credential. Just because it doesn't personally affect you means nothing. No one is implying anything by having that small tidbit included in their email signature. In stating that the signature is supposed to promote you, I'm only implying that it's supposed to get a fact or two about yourself out there. Why not have a small tidbit of information that indicates you're apart of a select cohort of individuals? Every. Single. Career advice person I've interacted with has advised me to place those two fellowships in my signature. Who wins in that case? It's a personal snippet of you.

I can understand if the person is a professional, but for students it's a moot point. You're constantly having to promote yourself. This is an easy, non-invasive, way to do so. Of course, sending emails back and forth using a personal email address would have that information there...and you'd receive it 99.99999% of the time...but what do you want to the person to do? Turn it off? My school address doesn't have that information. I guess that appeases you?

[natsteel]

I don't think it's a big deal to have a signature that says:

Firstname Lastname

Graduate Student, Department

University

But putting in individual fellowships seems a bit too much. But, that's just me... It seems a bunch of people did just justify your worry about being (or "seeming") pretentious.

[mechengr2000]

Guess it's a matter of perspective...Firstly, let us be clear in regards to what we think a signature is. I utilize the signature in my GMail to highlight two Scholarship programs I am currently apart of. This signature, found in options, has text that will attach itself to every email that I send out. Is this what you're taking umbrage with?If so, I think you're taking the email signature too seriously.The NSF Fellowship is, in its own way, a credential. Just because it doesn't personally affect you means nothing. No one is implying anything by having that small tidbit included in their email signature. In stating that the signature is supposed to promote you, I'm only implying that it's supposed to get a fact or two about yourself out there. Why not have a small tidbit of information that indicates you're apart of a select cohort of individuals? Every. Single. Career advice person I've interacted with has advised me to place those two fellowships in my signature. Who wins in that case? It's a personal snippet of you.I can understand if the person is a professional, but for students it's a moot point. You're constantly having to promote yourself. This is an easy, non-invasive, way to do so. Of course, sending emails back and forth using a personal email address would have that information there...and you'd receive it 99.99999% of the time...but what do you want to the person to do? Turn it off? My school address doesn't have that information. I guess that appeases you?

What is your field of study and what region of the US are you from? Maybe cultures are different - I am from the Northeast, and I'm in engineering.

Also, why do you feel that "you always have to promote yourself" as a student ?

If you feel you have to promote yourself to each person you are emailing, then go for it. Unfortunately, we cannot always control how we are perceived by others, so I think its important to keep that in mind. Perhaps that is why it is better to supply information on a need-to-know basis.

Edited May 4, 2011 by mechengr2000

[Damis]

What is your field of study?

International Relations/Security

[mechengr2000]

International Relations/Security

OK, maybe things are different in the humanities. I can say that science/engineering tends to be a conservative culture, and thats why it might be frowned on.

[Damis]

OK, maybe things are different in the humanities. I can say that science/engineering tends to be a conservative culture, and thats why it might be frowned on.

Ja, thinking about it more, I think I can see your point as well.

[rising_star]

Guess it's a matter of perspective...

Firstly, let us be clear in regards to what we think a signature is. I utilize the signature in my GMail to highlight two Scholarship programs I am currently apart of. This signature, found in options, has text that will attach itself to every email that I send out. Is this what you're taking umbrage with?

If so, I think you're taking the email signature too seriously.

The NSF Fellowship is, in its own way, a credential. Just because it doesn't personally affect you means nothing. No one is implying anything by having that small tidbit included in their email signature. In stating that the signature is supposed to promote you, I'm only implying that it's supposed to get a fact or two about yourself out there. Why not have a small tidbit of information that indicates you're apart of a select cohort of individuals? Every. Single. Career advice person I've interacted with has advised me to place those two fellowships in my signature. Who wins in that case? It's a personal snippet of you.

It's definitely a matter of perspective. I think you're actually putting more weight into an email signature than it deserves. I can't remember the last time I read someone's email signature. If I did and found "NSF GRFP Recipient" I would think that they were either incredibly self-conscious about their accomplishments or just trying to show off. Neither of those is an impression you want a future colleague or collaborator to have of you. There are lots of other things people could put to indicate that they're part of a select cohort of individuals, like their age, gender, or race, depending on the discipline. Should those things go in a signature?

Damis, I think you're just trying to defend what you do. But, what you haven't done is answer the original question. Can you list scholarships/fellowships in your email signature without seeming pretentious? My answer is no.

I can understand if the person is a professional, but for students it's a moot point. You're constantly having to promote yourself. This is an easy, non-invasive, way to do so. Of course, sending emails back and forth using a personal email address would have that information there...and you'd receive it 99.99999% of the time...but what do you want to the person to do? Turn it off? My school address doesn't have that information. I guess that appeases you?

Why do students have to constantly promote themselves? And, if you need to promote yourself constantly, why do it in the signature of your emails which people often skip over?

FWIW, if you're using Gmail, it's really easy to delete your signature from individual emails. I have a signature on mine, but I specifically use it just for communicating with students since I am a TA. When I email friends, professors, etc., the whole thing "TA, DEPT 101" thing gets deleted.

[Damis]

It's definitely a matter of perspective. I think you're actually putting more weight into an email signature than it deserves. I can't remember the last time I read someone's email signature. If I did and found "NSF GRFP Recipient" I would think that they were either incredibly self-conscious about their accomplishments or just trying to show off. Neither of those is an impression you want a future colleague or collaborator to have of you. There are lots of other things people could put to indicate that they're part of a select cohort of individuals, like their age, gender, or race, depending on the discipline. Should those things go in a signature?

Damis, I think you're just trying to defend what you do. But, what you haven't done is answer the original question. Can you list scholarships/fellowships in your email signature without seeming pretentious? My answer is no.

Why do students have to constantly promote themselves? And, if you need to promote yourself constantly, why do it in the signature of your emails which people often skip over?

FWIW, if you're using Gmail, it's really easy to delete your signature from individual emails. I have a signature on mine, but I specifically use it just for communicating with students since I am a TA. When I email friends, professors, etc., the whole thing "TA, DEPT 101" thing gets deleted.

I'm not attaching any weight to the signature, actually, other than stating that the person should be fine with putting what is a significant accomplishment in their email signature. I don't agree with the assertion that a person would be seen as pretentious for including the information and (after a quick Facebook poll lol) most of my friends don't agree neither. If you want to think along those variables, is it okay to include a quote? The institution and year that you graduated? I've personally had a person I wanted to do research with ask more about my participation in one fellowship, as her institution actually has a partnership that I was not aware of. The things you come to know...

My responses within this thread more than highlight my belief...yes, you should. Don't take my word for it, though. The OP's friends are already doing it! Guess they're the rebels.

Once again, I'm not saying you should list your CV in your signature. But if you're a Fulbright Grantee/Rhodes Scholar/Goldman Scholar...why NOT include it in your email signature? Set the day to day, constant emails with your research colleagues aside. By the way, have any of you heard from your mentors/professors that this is a bad thing to do? Or is this all personally induced?

Don't ask me why students have to constantly promote themselves. Take a look at the forums you are an Administrator of. What's the point of this Forum, actually?

I just feel that by including one or two things, you're throwing this small piece of information about yourself out there...in the signature section of an email...that most people skip over anyway, right? What bad can it do?

P.S.: The point of this discussion isn't about deleting the information in your signature (why you would purposely go and delete that is beyond me), so GMail's awesomeness doesn't really apply here.

[Joesh]

I was actually wondering about this same question the other day when I noticed one of my professors includes that he is a Fulbright Scholar in his email signature. But I didn't think NSF was nearly as prestigious to include.

[rising_star]

Don't ask me why students have to constantly promote themselves. Take a look at the forums you are an Administrator of. What's the point of this Forum, actually?

Why not ask you? You're the one that brought it up. I personally don't feel the need or have to constantly promote myself as a graduate student, which is why I'm asking you why you say that "students have to constantly promote themselves."

As for the Forum, it began as a place for people to discuss the admissions results that were posted as a survey. Since then, it has morphed into a site where people can talk to others while they are actually applying (the site was initially established after applications were in), get advice on deciding between schools, and get tips on navigating graduate school. Could you tell me how the point of the forum relates to students constantly promoting themselves? I don't really see the connection, but I'm sure that you can elucidate it for me.

P.S.: The point of this discussion isn't about deleting the information in your signature (why you would purposely go and delete that is beyond me), so GMail's awesomeness doesn't really apply here.

I delete the information because it's irrelevant. When I write someone with a question about their research, they don't need to know that what class I am teaching or TAing for. They also don't need to know when my office hours are, since it's not like they'll just drop in. So, why tell them? I'm not saying that you shouldn't include "PhD student, XXX Department, University of Y" in your signature, since that is useful information.

FWIW, OP, no one in my department (whether they hold a NSF, EPA STAR, Fulbright, Boren, Fulbright-Hays, or other fellowship) lists them in their email signatures. I asked a few people and they all thought it would be weird to do that. I've never listed any of my awards in my signature. They go on my CV, which I'm happy to share when people ask to see it.

[cogneuroforfun]

For the people putting fellowships in their signatures, don't you think it would be weird for PIs to list their grants or awards in their signature? How pompous would it seem if a Nobel laureate put "Prof. X, Nobel Prize" in every email they sent you? As a more common example, should every newly funded assistant professor put "Prof. X, R01..." in every email? How about everyone with a first-author Science publication adding the citation after their name? That's just weird and completely unnecessary. If someone wants to know your accomplishments, they'll ask for a cv.

Putting something like "PhD candidate, Department of blah, blah University" is a completely different situation; if the person you're emailing doesn't know who you are, having "firstname lastname" isn't going to give them any information. The extra stuff is actually necessary to tell them who you are.

[waddle]

Putting something like "PhD candidate, Department of blah, blah University" is a completely different situation; if the person you're emailing doesn't know who you are, having "firstname lastname" isn't going to give them any information. The extra stuff is actually necessary to tell them who you are.

I've always thought it best to introduce yourself (and your status, e.g., "I am a Ph.D. candidate in ...") at the beginning of an email if you are emailing someone who doesn't know who you are, rather than putting this information in your signature. The institutional affiliation should be apparent from your email address (assuming you've used your @ ... .edu address to send mail).

If you foresee that people you email might want to learn more about you, maybe consider creating a webpage with your CV (or use something like academia.edu). Then if they Google your name + institution, they'll find your CV.

Edited May 4, 2011 by waddle

[starmaker]

I sign my emails with a simple "FirstName LastName", but I've come across some grad students who have signed emails like this:

Joe Bigghead 

Ph.D. Candidate 

Department of Departments 

Big Name University

... And my first impression (having never even met them in person) was always highly negative. I'm not sure what use there is to identifying yourself as part of the second-lowest class on the academic totem pole (it's as if they think that people they'll meet will actually care about some lowly unknown Ph.D. student ). The first and last name should suffice; if not, you're probably doing something wrong.

Putting "Some Organization Fellow" in your signature is going way overboard.

They might have worked in industry before. At least in my industry, it is very common for people to put their job title, department, and company, in their email signature. I've never done it in a school context, but I can see where someone might carry on the habit without having given it much thought.

However, I have never seen anyone, in academia or industry, list awards that they have won in their email signature. I would find that weird.

[Damis]

Heyooo...

I'll bite.

You find yourself in a very fortunate position. Kudos! You're one of a very small minority, of this I'm more than sure. By "constantly promote themselves" I'm not implying that a student walk around giving an elevator speech to every individual they come across, or have a portable placard following them everywhere while illustrating their greatness. You would be amiss, however, if you did not think that the individuals competing for the multiple fellowships out there don't have to find a way to set themselves apart from everyone else. Don't take my word for it, though, just look at any fellowship/graduate school application. Letters of recommendation, Statement of Purpose, Personal Statement. What on Earth are these things for? I feel you all are being too literal about this stuff. People have the ability to NOT be a pompous ass, you know? Let's be rational! The 28 virtual pages of posts within this subsection of the forums attests to individuals that are, by hook or by crook, attempting to figure out how best to promote themselves. Do you disagree? The metamorphosis of the forums didn't go through some magical Kafkaesque switch up. Heck, that's why there's a "The Bank" section in the first place, right? People have, likely, been coming here for ages to figure this stuff out. Most don't even sign up! Heck, there are 2 guests reading this post right now! Hence, after 4/15 (when scholarship/admittance deadlines are passed) traffic here drops almost substantially, as everyone goes back to their cave to scheme up a new approach. If you have somehow managed to scrape by without being forced to take stock of your accomplishments, you are a better human than I.

This is what America is all about! For the most part, we are an ultra competitive society and most everyone wants to be the best at what they do. You have to prove that you've got what it takes, though, because nothing comes easy! We are disagreeing on one of the multitude of ways by which an individual goes about getting their accomplishments noticed. NOT on the philosophy behind self-promotion, however. So let me switch up...

We have discussed the point behind placing a highly relevant, important (at least to the person with the award) fellowship after their name within an email signature. It seems I'm in the minority when I say that placing it there is not a faux pas. I disagree that it's pretentious to do so, and really question the motives behind someone who would think along those lines anyway. I see that someone made the argument that it possibly might seem to be self-conscious. Um...tja.

By the way, are any of you NSF fellows? Or have something equivalent to the NSF? I don't, but the debate would have more teeth if any of you did.

P.S.: You seriously stop. Go to your signature. Delete the fact that you're a TA. And THEN send the email? Are you trying to save virtual forests? What in the world does your including that information to an irrelevant e-mail recipient matter!? I'm not getting it!

P.S.S.: I'm most def not getting the entire create a webpage to list your C.V. over simply placing ONE or TWO at MOST important (both to you and academia) Fellowships or scholarships in your signature. Ya'll are on an entirely different level it seems.

[mechengr2000]

Heyooo...

I'll bite.

You find yourself in a very fortunate position. Kudos! You're one of a very small minority, of this I'm more than sure. By "constantly promote themselves" I'm not implying that a student walk around giving an elevator speech to every individual they come across, or have a portable placard following them everywhere while illustrating their greatness. You would be amiss, however, if you did not think that the individuals competing for the multiple fellowships out there don't have to find a way to set themselves apart from everyone else. Don't take my word for it, though, just look at any fellowship/graduate school application. Letters of recommendation, Statement of Purpose, Personal Statement. What on Earth are these things for? I feel you all are being too literal about this stuff. People have the ability to NOT be a pompous ass, you know? Let's be rational! The 28 virtual pages of posts within this subsection of the forums attests to individuals that are, by hook or by crook, attempting to figure out how best to promote themselves. Do you disagree? The metamorphosis of the forums didn't go through some magical Kafkaesque switch up. Heck, that's why there's a "The Bank" section in the first place, right? People have, likely, been coming here for ages to figure this stuff out. Most don't even sign up! Heck, there are 2 guests reading this post right now! Hence, after 4/15 (when scholarship/admittance deadlines are passed) traffic here drops almost substantially, as everyone goes back to their cave to scheme up a new approach. If you have somehow managed to scrape by without being forced to take stock of your accomplishments, you are a better human than I.

This is what America is all about! For the most part, we are an ultra competitive society and most everyone wants to be the best at what they do. You have to prove that you've got what it takes, though, because nothing comes easy! We are disagreeing on one of the multitude of ways by which an individual goes about getting their accomplishments noticed. NOT on the philosophy behind self-promotion, however. So let me switch up...

We have discussed the point behind placing a highly relevant, important (at least to the person with the award) fellowship after their name within an email signature. It seems I'm in the minority when I say that placing it there is not a faux pas. I disagree that it's pretentious to do so, and really question the motives behind someone who would think along those lines anyway. I see that someone made the argument that it possibly might seem to be self-conscious. Um...tja.

By the way, are any of you NSF fellows? Or have something equivalent to the NSF? I don't, but the debate would have more teeth if any of you did.

P.S.: You seriously stop. Go to your signature. Delete the fact that you're a TA. And THEN send the email? Are you trying to save virtual forests? What in the world does your including that information to an irrelevant e-mail recipient matter!? I'm not getting it!

P.S.S.: I'm most def not getting the entire create a webpage to list your C.V. over simply placing ONE or TWO at MOST important (both to you and academia) Fellowships or scholarships in your signature. Ya'll are on an entirely different level it seems.

Someone asked if putting GRFP in their signature would be pretentious. Some people said it would be. Some people said it wouldn't. It's a matter of opinion, and I think that's why the question was asked i.e. to get a sample of feedback from others, in an environment where one would feel safe asking such a question. That's what I see this website as. Its a place where people can act as compassionate peers for one another, helping build each other up.

[Damis]

Someone asked if putting GRFP in their signature would be pretentious. Some people said it would be. Some people said it wouldn't. It's a matter of opinion, and I think that's why the question was asked i.e. to get a sample of feedback from others, in an environment where one would feel safe asking such a question. That's what I see this website as. Its a place where people can act as compassionate peers for one another, helping build each other up.

Agreed.

[Eigen]

I noticed no one else specified, but since asked- I'm an NSF fellow, and I feel the inclusion is a bit pretentious. I don't think it's some huge deal, but it definately falls on the pretentions scale to me.

I also strongly agree with only including your signature when necessary, and removing it from everyday correspondance. In fact, I just write the signature personalized to the e-mail I'm sending out. If I'm asking for a room reservation, I include that I'm the VP of our graduate student studies association. If I'm talking to the provost about fellowships, I might include that I'm an NSF fellow. If I'm talking to one of our School of Science and Engineering admin's, I'll put that I'm a doctoral candidate in chemistry... etc, etc, etc. There's no reason to make one signature that includes all of these things, it would be too long and annoying to everyone. I only include a signature when I think it will contain information that is especially pertinent (usually on "cold" e-mails) to the recipient without too much attention drawn to it.

That said, I also agree with the point that a huge part of our "job" as students is to make sure we promote ourselves. It's the way to fellowships, post-docs, collaborations, jobs, etc. It doesn't have to be blatant, or even constant... But it's always there, lurking in the background.