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Posted

No one has started this thread yet, and since the deadline's in like a week, figured I'd start one off with a question:

Does anyone have any information on how to put references into the proposed study statement? They want all of the statements to be two pages, 12-point Times New Roman double-spaced, but does this apply to however we format the references as well, or can we make those single-spaced and smaller font without worrying about getting disqualified...??

Thanks so much for the help, as always! :)

Posted (edited)

i was wondering the same thing. I called their office to ask and they weren't very helpful. they just said that I can do whatever I want but it might annoy reviewers that I put references in there in single-spacing and smaller font. it seems really odd! can anyone who applied in previous years tell us what you did?? thanks!

Edited by scorpiogirl
Posted (edited)

i got 'honorable mention' last year and am applying again this year. last year i put my references at the end of the document, size 12 font, times new roman, but single spaced. i'm sure that's fine, as long as you stay within the 2-page limit. this year i actually didnt include any references, most of it was based on my previous research. hope that is somewhat helpful!

Edited by Anthro14
Posted

I e-mailed the office and here is the response I got back after asking if references were to be included in the two page limit:

"Yes. There is no separate document upload for source citations. If you decide to include them in your research proposal essay, we suggest that you keep them brief, as they will count towards the maximum page limitation. "

I took this to mean that they had to be double spaced and chose to write the essay in such a way that I need not include them.

Posted

In such a short amount of space, it's more like an advertisement than an actual proposal anyway. NSF is another story...

Posted

thanks for the help everyone! yes i agree - in such a short space, it's not really much of a proposal at all....it's really difficult to stay under 2 pages!

Posted

Submitted on Monday! First ever big fellowship application. Trying to keep my mind off of it so time doesn't crawl along until spring.

  • 2 months later...
  • 1 month later...
  • 2 weeks later...
Posted (edited)

I think we're supposed to hear back by mid April (at least for predoctoral, but I think all are around that time).

I have a question I'd welcome folks' opinions on -- I applied for the predoctoral award, but hadn't had any publications of note (serious journals). However after submitting my application materials, I found out one of my pieces was accepted in a journal.

I wish I could have included it on my cv, but am thinking I probably shouldn't bother trying to contact Ford and letting them know about this? Just because their responses have been very curt/bureaucratic when I wrote them earlier with a small question, so I don't know how they will perceive being informed about this -- i.e. it's irrelevant, because it's past the deadline, or worse, it's seen as unethical for me to even inform them?

Thought about writing them anonymously to ask whether they welcome this type of information if a candidate is published after submitting their application. But don't know if it's worth the stress, having another interaction with their staff, even if it's anonymous.

Edited by tk20
Posted

Hi tk20, I have always found the ford staff to be very nice and helpful. I think you have a legitimate question and should just call them and ask. Unlike email, when you call you don't have to tell them who you are. You can just say "I'm a predoctoral applicant and was wondering if I could update my CV due to a recent journal acceptance". They might say yes or not but either way it is unlikely that they will ask who you are. Call them!

Posted

At this point, asking to update your CV probably wouldn't make a difference. I wouldn't worry as long as you mentioned it as in prep or something like that.

Posted

I submitted and haven't heard anything. Past results from the results survey suggest that people usually hear news in early April.

I really wish fellowships were quicker about this - when I'm weighing offers between two schools with very different funding packages, it would be nice to know whether I'm getting a bunch of portable fellowship money!

Posted

Thanks lexicana and angie -- for some reason my notifications weren't turned on and I didn't see your responses til now.

I ended up emailing them (on March 9), and they actually just responded today -- they were very, very nice (emailed the general fellowships email, instead of the "online application support" email. This is what they wrote...

Congratulations in your endeavor; however, evaluation of applications has taken place. We are unable to update information.

That definitely got my attention....but according to past data, and their own websites, notifications don't go out til April. (my attention has definitely shifted away from the publication question to...when-are-we-going-to-hear-back-now??? :)

Posted

If evaluation of applications has taken place, why can't they notify us already? :angry:

Silly fellowships...I applied for five external fellowships and the only one I've heard from is the Hertz (which rejects non-interviewees in November).

Posted

I checked the online application a few minutes ago and under my personal information it said "Honorable Mention List? Yes." I guess that may be a way to find out before they send out the notifications. I just wonder if that means you only got honorable mention or you may have actually gotten the fellowship. Also, I've been hearing about an "alternate status." Which is better, being an alternate or getting honorable mention?

Posted

Their website states notifications will be sent out the 1st week of April. Last year, I heard from them on April 6th. It was an honorable mention.

So, I wouldn't expect to hear from them for a couple more weeks. I guess it takes them some time to gather all the evaluations and make final determinations. I always wonder if they somehow check to see if those at the top got into the school they mentioned in their statement.

Posted

dthomas0312: I don't think that's actually saying that you got an honorable mention. I vaguely remember some question in the app about whether you want to be considered for the honorable mention list if you don't get a fellowship. I think that "yes" means that you said you did.

Being an alternate means that if a fellowship winner declines their award (for example, because they won another major fellowship and are only allowed to hold one at once, or because they decided not to go to grad school after all), that award goes to someone on the alternates' list.

Honorable mention means "You were close, but you didn't quite get it." It's a way of conferring prestige but not money on the applicants that you liked but didn't quite like enough. I presume that alternates who don't end up with fellowships get honorable mentions, but I'm not positive about that.

Posted

dthomas0312: I don't think that's actually saying that you got an honorable mention. I vaguely remember some question in the app about whether you want to be considered for the honorable mention list if you don't get a fellowship. I think that "yes" means that you said you did.

Being an alternate means that if a fellowship winner declines their award (for example, because they won another major fellowship and are only allowed to hold one at once, or because they decided not to go to grad school after all), that award goes to someone on the alternates' list.

Honorable mention means "You were close, but you didn't quite get it." It's a way of conferring prestige but not money on the applicants that you liked but didn't quite like enough. I presume that alternates who don't end up with fellowships get honorable mentions, but I'm not positive about that.

dthomas0312: I don't think that's actually saying that you got an honorable mention. I vaguely remember some question in the app about whether you want to be considered for the honorable mention list if you don't get a fellowship. I think that "yes" means that you said you did.

Being an alternate means that if a fellowship winner declines their award (for example, because they won another major fellowship and are only allowed to hold one at once, or because they decided not to go to grad school after all), that award goes to someone on the alternates' list.

Honorable mention means "You were close, but you didn't quite get it." It's a way of conferring prestige but not money on the applicants that you liked but didn't quite like enough. I presume that alternates who don't end up with fellowships get honorable mentions, but I'm not positive about that.

Thanks. I emailed them and they explained that me

  • 2 weeks later...
Posted

I checked the online application a few minutes ago and under my personal information it said "Honorable Mention List? Yes." I guess that may be a way to find out before they send out the notifications. I just wonder if that means you only got honorable mention or you may have actually gotten the fellowship. Also, I've been hearing about an "alternate status." Which is better, being an alternate or getting honorable mention?

Where exactly did you click in the online application to see that mention of "Honorable Mention List"? Which of the four menu options did you go into on the main page that loads right after you log in--contact info, reference info, data review, or supplementary materials?

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