NSF GRFP

[kdilks]

And the application website goes boom. Can't access https://www.fastlane-beta.nsf.gov/grfp/ as of around 4:15am EST. Let the speculation begin.

[mechemems]

And the application website goes boom. Can't access https://www.fastlane-beta.nsf.gov/grfp/ as of around 4:15am EST. Let the speculation begin.

people are gonna have a field day with this one....

[kdilks]

people are gonna have a field day with this one....

Except it's back up now, and nothing has obviously changed from before...

[finest_engineering]

The school you put in as your desired graduate institution makes no difference. If you put MIT or something, they know that you are probably not going to get in. In a field like EE/CS, around 1:10 get NSF fellowships and around 1:25 get into MIT. So it does not boost your app to put that there. You should put whatever your top choice is though. The only way you could hurt yourself is:

- a non-US institution

- an institution that does not offer doctoral degrees in your field

[mtlve]

Didn't a lot of kids who were applying to Harvard a couple of years ago get denied admission because they hacked into to see their results early? Am I the only one who thinks it's a bit questionable to try to log in to find out early?

I think hacking in is a problem, but I think that viewing public websites is not a problem. Trying to view your rating sheets or loging into fastlane is not a problem (could be trying to reread your app).

We probably should be careful though. The punishment could be that you never receive a NSF or government funded grant!

[MrHippo]

Judging from last year (a glitch occurred on 31st March, results posted April 2nd), we should expect at least a 2 day gap between the glitch and actual results. So, since the glitch occurred yesterday, I predict we will get results Monday at the earliest.

[aofthe1000days]

The "Statistics and Past Recipients" link is down as well. Oh boy.

[superchuchubu]

Hmm...this is all interesting. I feel like they are taking things down as they are maybe loading things up - like maybe they are loading the statistics of this year's recipients now. Gosh, I really hope they release soon!

[blargh]

has anyone contacted grfp today about when they think they'll post the results?

[superchuchubu]

Yes, I just did, and was told there is absolutely no chance they will be posted today. They are expecting between mid to end of next week. Sigh...

[blargh]

thanks for letting us know. in that case, i'm out for now ...

[plisar]

university administrators sometimes get these lists before the applicants. Why don't you ask some of your programs?

[mtlve]

university administrators sometimes get these lists before the applicants. Why don't you ask some of your programs?

I hope not! If I get a fellowship, I would like to keep it quiet until I finally join a lab. I do not want to be invited to join a lab merely because of the funding.

[mechEgirl]

I hope not! If I get a fellowship, I would like to keep it quiet until I finally join a lab. I do not want to be invited to join a lab merely because of the funding.

Once the e-mails are sent out, it is posted online. They will know. I got e-mails from 5 profs congratulating me on honorable mention before I saw my e-mail informing me last year.

[mtlve]

Once the e-mails are sent out, it is posted online. They will know. I got e-mails from 5 profs congratulating me on honorable mention before I saw my e-mail informing me last year.

Wow! Are they really that excited to see who won that they check the list immediately after it comes out. I guess it just takes one person before everyone knows.

Did this happen to others too?

I knew that it would eventually get out, but I thought I would have a couple days to a week. If can get by for at least a week, I would at least know how everyone stands on me potentially joining their lab. I really wish my school did not do the whole lab joining process the way they do it now!

[sam45]

It would be very helpful if they just picked some date and told us that they would release the results then. I would rather wait an extra day knowing EXACTLY when I would know than sit around wondering all the time.

[mtlve]

It would be very helpful if they just picked some date and told us that they would release the results then. I would rather wait an extra day knowing EXACTLY when I would know than sit around wondering all the time.

Even if they cant give a date, they could at least say that they will not be posted before April X. Can they really enjoy having hundreds of people call them every day to ask when they will be released? They probably just enjoy torturing grad students.

[sam45]

Agreed. I hope they are spying on this forum right now....

[finest_engineering]

I hope not! If I get a fellowship, I would like to keep it quiet until I finally join a lab. I do not want to be invited to join a lab merely because of the funding.

The list will be online so it is not a secret anyways. Further, the fellowship will give you more options as far as joining labs is concerned. Some professors may share an interest with you but not really have available funding in that area at the moment. The fellowship will make that relationship possible. When you start e-mailing professors about advising, you should mention the fellowship because they will be more likely to respond.

If I had funding at the beginning of this year I probably would have ended up with a different adviser than I have now. I did research with a professor for credit in the fall, but towards the end of the semester he said he would only be able to fund me to do a different project from the one we had been working on and shared an interest in.

I ended up going with a different guy. Now I just won an NDSEG fellowship, so I imagine I would have more funding options now then I had a few months ago if I shopped around. I am happy with where I am at though and right in the middle of some interesting research, so that is not gonna happen. On the plus side, my adviser is going to pay me the maximum allowed by NDSEG (5k/year) to supplement my stipend. He says he has "money to spend". My dad says, "well he can send me some money then!"

[mtlve]

The list will be online so it is not a secret anyways. Further, the fellowship will give you more options as far as joining labs is concerned. Some professors may share an interest with you but not really have available funding in that area at the moment. The fellowship will make that relationship possible. When you start e-mailing professors about advising, you should mention the fellowship because they will be more likely to respond.

If I had funding at the beginning of this year I probably would have ended up with a different adviser than I have now. I did research with a professor for credit in the fall, but towards the end of the semester he said he would only be able to fund me to do a different project from the one we had been working on and shared an interest in.

I ended up going with a different guy. Now I just won an NDSEG fellowship, so I imagine I would have more funding options now then I had a few months ago if I shopped around. I am happy with where I am at though and right in the middle of some interesting research, so that is not gonna happen. On the plus side, my adviser is going to pay me the maximum allowed by NDSEG (5k/year) to supplement my stipend. He says he has "money to spend". My dad says, "well he can send me some money then!"

I have rotated in some competitive labs (more people usually want to join than there are spots). I cant figure out if he is interested in me joining his lab or not and his money is a little tighter this year. I would not want to end up in that lab merely because I had funding and the others did not. It would suck to join that lab with my own funding, and have him wish for the next 5-6yrs that he could have taken the other students instead (but couldnt for funding reasons).

I agree that a fellowship can open tons of other possibilities. If I got one, I will probably try to do something more creative with it

[plisar]

I don't know, the nice thing about these fellowships is that it gives you some possibility to work with faculty who would otherwise be unable to fund you. Ultimately, no one is going to let you in their lab if they don't like you. Faculty in the hard sciences and engineering just don't have the strength to do that. They'd kick you to the curb regardless of fellowship money.

[idk123]

i didn't learn anything exciting about notification dates when i called today, but i did find out that if you were determined to be ineligible you would have been notified of that already. so, if you haven't heard anything about being ineligible for the award, you must have passed that test! phew.

[snowcapk]

i didn't learn anything exciting about notification dates when i called today, but i did find out that if you were determined to be ineligible you would have been notified of that already. so, if you haven't heard anything about being ineligible for the award, you must have passed that test! phew.

cf. post #100

[jlh572]

So, my advisor told me today that the results would be posted next week. Now, I dont know if he would know any better than others when they are coming out, but he also happens to be the associate provost for research at my university. Hopefully, that can ease some of your minds over the weekend. Because I highly doubt we will be hearing anything before Monday at the earliest.

[idk123]

So, my advisor told me today that the results would be posted next week. Now, I dont know if he would know any better than others when they are coming out, but he also happens to be the associate provost for research at my university. Hopefully, that can ease some of your minds over the weekend. Because I highly doubt we will be hearing anything before Monday at the earliest.

thanks! now i can get off of this site and fastlane for the weekend!