Help! Urgent! Which to pick: NSFGRF, DoE SCGF, NDSEG

[trembert]

Hey guys!

So I've never used GradCafe, made an account 5 minutes ago, but have heard good things about it and thought this would be the best place for quick, knowledgeable answers.

So to cut to the chase, I was offered the NSFGRF, DoE SCGF, and NDSEG fellowships. To be honest, I'm not as knowledgeable as I should be about these, mainly because I didn't really expect to receive any of them. Some of the professors I talked to are also not super knowledgeable, so I originally accepted the NSFGRF with a one year reserve year with plans of accepting the DoE as well, such that I wouldn't receive funds concurrently but would still be able to accept both fellowships. I have found out this is not possible, and I basically need to pick one. I know it's past the NSFGRF deadline, but I've been told I'd be able to withdraw if need be.

Long story short, which should I pick? And why? Any and every bit of information or advice would be amazing! Thanks in advance for any responses I get. My deadline to decide is this Monday, May 7!

[mrcrzister]

I would follow the MONEY . So +1 for DOE.

[vertices]

It depends on what you want. It looks like you're most interested in NSF and DOE, so let's look at those:

Research: NSF allows you to research anything in your Field of Study. DOE constrains you to researching things that fall within the DOE mission. I don't know how much your field is likely to fall outside of the DOE mission, but it is something to consider.

Money: DOE offers significantly more especially with the books/equipment/travel budget, but both are great stipends for a graduate student.

Prestige: NSF is more well-known and thus may be more prestigious. This might be a factor if you want to stay in academia (become a professor) as the people who gave talks at my school about it specifically mentioned they see it as a plus while hiring. DOE has a much lower acceptance rate (less than 4% versus around 15%) but this may not be well-known, especially given how new the program is.

Summer plans: NSF expects you to work on your own research during the summer. I've heard you may be able to forfeit months out of a year to work with someone at an internship, but I'm not entirely sure how that works. Not sure what the DOE's policy is, but I'm guessing if you wanted to work at one of their labs they would work something out. You may want to email them on this if it is important to you.

Other: DOE expects you to tell them 60 days in advance of any foreign travel, whether you use their money or not. If you have an ailing relative overseas and might need to board a plane at a moment's notice, this might not work for you.

Congratulations and good luck with your decision. Let us know what you decided and why. I'm sure it will benefit future forum-readers.

Edited May 6, 2012 by vertices

[ILikeLizards]

Generally I've heard the NSF is the most prestiguous, and will help you get better positions in the future. That is followed in prestige by the NDSEG award. With the potential long term income swings, I would say the stipend amount matters little. Make sure you have the right reasons when making your choice. Good luck, and Congrats!

[meesh]

You can always put on your CV that you won them all and declined. I don't think anyone would begrudge you for taking the money. Take the money!

[ILikeLizards]

If the project you want to do follows the tight DOE guidelines, then perhaps taking the extra money is best. But if you want to have flexibility to shape your own projects, NSF is best. It also depends on if you're going into academia vs industry. In industry your project won't matter as much, but for academia positions being hired will depend largely on the publications and research you produce as a PhD student. For academia, the couple extra thousand will matter little if you don't get hired by the University you want, and the area you want to live in. It all depends on you!