NSF GRFP

[denidzo]

Holy Shit! As if the waiting weren't miserable enough...

NO DOLLHOUSE THIS WEEK!

What a pisser.

Wait, you mean I have to sit here in limbo and not get to see Dollhouse? This is disturbing news.

[denidzo]

I kinda like the limbo term, especially now knowing there are two divisions of it. There are those of us who will be "lifted up" to a fellowship and those of us who will stay in Honorable Mention (which is a sort of limbo because most of us have no use for supercomputer time... and we'll always have to decide whether or not to include it in "awards earned" lists). Okay at the fear I already took this too far I'll end now. An no... I'm not trying to say NSF Fellowship = heaven, but it works for the metaphor.

It's a very nice sum of money for three years plus tuition - if that's not heaven, it's close enough.

[spanglish]

Wait, you mean I have to sit here in limbo and not get to see Dollhouse? This is disturbing news.

Well, going on a slight tangent, I saw Criminal Lovers, a masterful film made by French director Fran

[Moxie]

'2 Weeks' or not... now that we've passed the April 15 mark I think we probably won't hear before May 1.

[Friar.Tuck]

Taken straight from the wikipedia page (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limbo):

"In Roman Catholic theology....

I kinda like the limbo term, especially now knowing there are two divisions of it. There are those of us who will be "lifted up" to a fellowship and those of us who will stay in Honorable Mention (which is a sort of limbo because most of us have no use for supercomputer time... and we'll always have to decide whether or not to include it in "awards earned" lists). Okay at the fear I already took this too far I'll end now. An no... I'm not trying to say NSF Fellowship = heaven, but it works for the metaphor.

Fie upon thee fool for thy talks of God and religion! For thee there is no limbo, nor for thee art there a heaven, for thy imbecilities hath condemned thee to hell for damnation eternal! Thy half-witted talk and thy addled thoughts hath angered the Lord, and he hath abandoned thee. Thou art a childe of the beast, and wilt rot and burn for thy sins. Death shall come to thee, in a manner which I shall now fortell:

First, there shall be by bursts of trumpets, tambourines, and glockenspiels! The hosts of all the kings and princes of the earth shall cower in fear, for immediately thereafter, three demons of fyre shalt rise from the deep to on high, and wilt exclaim, "Lo! The synnyr shalt burn in hell! All hail its miserable demyse!" Thereupon, thou wilt be seized by these demons, and thou wilt be cast down from on high, with the sound of thy screams reverberating and echoing off the walls of the earth and down the corridors of hystorie. Then Lucifer shall laugh at thee, and shalt call to the world, "This fool shall suffer eternal for its folly! Let all on earth celebrate this great damnation!" And upon these words, all mankind, from Prince John and Little John to t_ruth and Martin of London shalt raise their voices in a praise to the glory of the happening. For so I do prophesy!

[liatris]

'2 Weeks' or not... now that we've passed the April 15 mark I think we probably won't hear before May 1.

Does that mean you don't think we'll be hearing by the end of the day?

[meowser]

Doubtful. Though it sounds like the end of the week is a possibility.

[Dudeblight]

Does that mean you don't think we'll be hearing by the end of the day?

My take was "2 weeks" ie two additional weeks from when they put that message up, so around the 27th. The above poster has a different take on it, but I think by the end of today is not what they mean

[Moxie]

Does that mean you don't think we'll be hearing by the end of the day?

I definitely don't believe we will hear today. Though if the NSF proved me wrong I'd be shocked/impressed. I'm now telling myself May 1st, so anything before that will be a pleasant surprise. Though I'm already in school, so it's not as pressing for me. I feel for those making Grad choices this year, some of whom would have critically needed this NSF info. Anyway, long story short, I don't have faith in the NSF to meet its own deadline - even an amorphous one like 2 weeks. But maybe more wait = more awards. Who knows?

[voodoo]

Alright,

I have been lurking since page 8 or so. I had to register now to post this.

I sent an email asking to verify my limbo status. This is what I got in return:

Dear VooDoo,

Your application was determined to be eligible for review. However, we have identified a problem with your review that was caused by a technical error. As a result, we are arranging for your application to receive an ad hoc review now, and will let you know as soon as the results of that review have been completed. We sincerely appreciate your patience.

If you have any further questions, please contact this office toll-free at (866) 673-4737, via postal mail at the address below, or via email at info@nsfgrfp.org

Sincerely,

GRF Operations Center

1818 N Street NW

Suite T-50

Washington, DC 20036-2479

Website:

www.fastlane.nsf.gov/grfp/

www.nsfgrfp.org

WTF DOES THAT MEAN?!!! And why the heck wasnt I told of this before?

[blah2009]

You should call them. Sounds like you may have been screwed out of a fellowship in the initial batch, which would suck hardcore. They should put you on a priority list if this is true.

[liatris]

Alright,

I have been lurking since page 8 or so. I had to register now to post this.

I sent an email asking to verify my limbo status. This is what I got in return:

Dear VooDoo,

Your application was determined to be eligible for review. However, we have identified a problem with your review that was caused by a technical error. As a result, we are arranging for your application to receive an ad hoc review now, and will let you know as soon as the results of that review have been completed. We sincerely appreciate your patience.

If you have any further questions, please contact this office toll-free at (866) 673-4737, via postal mail at the address below, or via email at info@nsfgrfp.org

Sincerely,

GRF Operations Center

1818 N Street NW

Suite T-50

Washington, DC 20036-2479

Website:

http://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/grfp/

http://www.nsfgrfp.org

WTF DOES THAT MEAN?!!! And why the heck wasnt I told of this before?

Looks like it means yours fell behind someone's desk and then re-appeared. That being said, it is being reviewed and so you're in the same boat as the rest of us. I'm amazed they 'fessed up and didn't just send you the same form letter everyone else received. At least it re-appeared in time, thank goodness for the delay! Hearing your story makes me feel better about waiting so long!

[voodoo]

You should call them. Sounds like you may have been screwed out of a fellowship in the initial batch, which would suck hardcore. They should put you on a priority list if this is true.

I've emailed them back, with my mini-version of 20 questions (politely of course). But have yet to hear back.

[voodoo]

got the reply:

Dear VooDoo,

The technical error occured during a FastLane data transfer regarding your school listings. This was a unique error and in no way caused by you. Steps have been taken to fix this issue and your application will receive a review. Your application is still being given full consideration for an award. We appreciate your patience and we will update you as soon as more information becomes available to us. We sincerely regret any inconvenience.

If you have any further questions, please contact this office toll-free at (866) 673-4737, via postal mail at the address below, or via email at info@nsfgrfp.org

Sincerely,

GRF Operations Center

1818 N Street NW

Suite T-50

Washington, DC 20036-2479

Website:

www.fastlane.nsf.gov/grfp/

www.nsfgrfp.org

So it looks like you limboers are better off than me, I can't even rely on an HM

[blah2009]

Watch, ultimately 951 awards will be given out. The 951st to a random mech e...

[Dudeblight]

Damn voodoo, better pray to the ad hoc gods.

that is a real bummer.

[Neurone]

You should get them to let you choose the reviewers. You didn't mention who your PI is in your application, did you?

[voodoo]

Watch, ultimately 951 awards will be given out. The 951st to a random mech e...

no way my luck is that good...

but then again....

[blackbeard]

no way my luck is that good...

but then again....

ARRRRRRRRR, bucko, if ya knock on wood, me cutlass will knock on yer head, ya scurvy sea louse!

[berrinchuda]

Is anybody else in limbo becoming progressively more insane as the days go by? Last year I was flat-out rejected so I was not expecting very much this year. However, now that I know that I have a shot at an award, however small, I find myself fantasizing about how great it would be to win it. I feel like Icarus -- the closer I get to the sun the faster my wings are going to melt and the harder that crash is going to be! Yet the temptation is too great to resist.

[blah2009]

I try to not get too caught up as that's a definite lead in towards dissapointment. In fact, our chances might be lower for at award now, than they were at the start,

[caezar86]

Is anybody else in limbo becoming progressively more insane as the days go by? Last year I was flat-out rejected so I was not expecting very much this year. However, now that I know that I have a shot at an award, however small, I find myself fantasizing about how great it would be to win it. I feel like Icarus -- the closer I get to the sun the faster my wings are going to melt and the harder that crash is going to be! Yet the temptation is too great to resist.

It's okay berrinchuda, I get that feeling too. When I catch myself imagining how awesome it would be to win an award, I have to force myself to imagine an equally disappointing scenario to balance out. It's ridiculous!

[Higgins_the_Brave]

Is anybody else in limbo becoming progressively more insane as the days go by? Last year I was flat-out rejected so I was not expecting very much this year. However, now that I know that I have a shot at an award, however small, I find myself fantasizing about how great it would be to win it. I feel like Icarus -- the closer I get to the sun the faster my wings are going to melt and the harder that crash is going to be! Yet the temptation is too great to resist.

I'm really depressed - you're not alone.

[blah2009]

Newsflash: NSF decides to fund all remaining applicants....we can dream can't we?...=).

[shuette]

Oh the fantasies -- get back to work!

Just kidding.

I've been overly distractable lately. Managed to concentrate and buckle down a little, but half of my mind is working on preparing for celebration of either HM or a fellowship, going through multiple scenarios of how this affects my career down the line, etc. Ah, to be human. I feel fortunate I have the privilege of being able to experience this though, as we are a very select few who no doubt got here with much help and a spark of luck.

I say just go with it - keep the dream alive, but expect the HM. Don't be depressed Higgins, you obviously kicked some ass if you're still waiting. Be optimistic, but don't have expectations, that's the key here.