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Posted

Nah, mine took. Or at least, it's telling me no plans. 

 

But I did see the extended deadline. 

 

::edit:: You got me worried, so I double checked- mine are still all in the system. 

Posted

do they update the award list to mention the current institution? My field and I noticed others are still blank.

Posted

do they update the award list to mention the current institution? My field and I noticed others are still blank.

 

The award list is based on your information at the time of application and doesn't change. My current institution is still blank as well.

Posted

Hey guys I have read a lot of good tips on here about applying and I appreciate your guys' help.  I had a quick question, how important are the reference letters?  I have one professor who I do research with and will be able to write me one rockin letter but I have no other professors who are familiar with me and my work (I should have been better at that).   So my second letter would probably be my supervisor from an internship and for my third letter, I am not sure. I am just wondering how much emphases the reviewers put on the letters? 

 

Thanks

Posted

Hey guys I have read a lot of good tips on here about applying and I appreciate your guys' help.  I had a quick question, how important are the reference letters?  I have one professor who I do research with and will be able to write me one rockin letter but I have no other professors who are familiar with me and my work (I should have been better at that).   So my second letter would probably be my supervisor from an internship and for my third letter, I am not sure. I am just wondering how much emphases the reviewers put on the letters? 

 

Thanks

 

I'd say they matter a fair amount. Everything they see in your application is you selling yourself. These reviewers haven't met you, so hearing one of *their* peer's opinions about your abilities is very important. Reviewers don't have much time to write comments and consequently most write 3-5 lines tops about their impressions of your application. For example, one of mine used his time and space to make note that "The applicant’s letters of recommendation offer strong evidence of the applicant’s potential success."

Posted

Hey guys I have read a lot of good tips on here about applying and I appreciate your guys' help.  I had a quick question, how important are the reference letters?  I have one professor who I do research with and will be able to write me one rockin letter but I have no other professors who are familiar with me and my work (I should have been better at that).   So my second letter would probably be my supervisor from an internship and for my third letter, I am not sure. I am just wondering how much emphases the reviewers put on the letters? 

 

Thanks

 

My reference writers were very important.  You need people can be passionate in their writing.  And because I had a poor acedemic record, it was much needed and two reviewer mentioned my letter writers being significant in their decision.  I had the same type of writers as you.  One a professor I did all my undergrad research with, one  from an internship and I had another professor who knows the type of research I did but our relationship was mostly built in the classroom.  Honestly, I didn't even do that good in my 3rd letter writer's classes and he never let me see what he wrote like the other letter writers, so it was a gamble for me. 

 

Another piece of advice is if you know what professor you'll work under if you get the NSF GRFP then have them write a letter.  I didn't do this for the NSF but I did it for the EPA fellowship.  He barely knew me and wrote a letter the day after I asked about it.  Weird, but my EPA reviewers mentioned his letter and them having confidence in the resources available at the university to complete my project if I got the award.

Posted

Hey guys I have read a lot of good tips on here about applying and I appreciate your guys' help. I had a quick question, how important are the reference letters? I have one professor who I do research with and will be able to write me one rockin letter but I have no other professors who are familiar with me and my work (I should have been better at that). So my second letter would probably be my supervisor from an internship and for my third letter, I am not sure. I am just wondering how much emphases the reviewers put on the letters?

Thanks

References are of the highest level of importance. It's so important to have people who will be able to speak strongly about you. I have won a Goldwater, NSF GRFP, and a Fulbright award and I'm always told my references are of the highest quality.

My undergraduate PI, a PI I worked with for summer research and a professor who taught a behavioral neuroscience class in undergrad who got to see me as a student abs also in a research setting (a PI of a neighboring class).

I've never seen any of my recommendations.

Posted

Reference letters are very important. I attended a lecture by a professor that was at "in charge" (for lack of a better term) to some degree of the award decisions (more so than just as a reviewer) and he specifically mentioned that many awards were given because of the strength letters of recommendation, rather than the strength of essays. Also, from my experience in getting the award, my 3 reviewers maybe mentioned 2 sentences total about my research proposal, whereas all of them mentioned the letters of recommendation. 

Posted

From my reviews:

 

"letters attest to the quality of her work"

"All of this is also strongly supported by the reference letters.

"The research project is sound, providing clear research plan, with references and supported by adviser."
"All these efforts and activities are reflected in broader impacts and are supported by reference letters."
 
I sent my essays to everyone who wrote me a letter of rec and wrote one of my own letters (well, maybe she modified it...) so I know for a fact at least one of them tied in very my with my essays.
  • 2 weeks later...
Posted

Retroactive!

Nice summer bump for last year, and an increase next year.

Posted

Retroactive!

Nice summer bump for last year, and an increase next year.

 

When I first read about the potential increase, I assumed that it would go into effect for fellowships awarded during the 2012-2013 application cycle and onwards. Nice to see that it will apply to all active fellowships. 

Posted (edited)

Guys and gals:

 

We just got a raise to 32,000!!!

 

Could someone post a link for the retroactive increase for 2013 winners.

 

Thanks!

 

Edit: Email was spam filtered.

Edited by anacron
Posted

Yeah, I double checked fastlane, and my award for this year and last year is now listed at 32,000. 

Posted

i just realized that the 2012-2013 stipend is 32,000 retroactively. when will we get the additional 2,000?

Posted

The email said as part of a summer supplement.

Since NSF sends funds to the institutions 4x per year, I'm assuming they'll send the extra with the "summer" quarter.

  • 2 weeks later...
Posted

Received this email from NSF this afternoon:

 

"Congratulations!  Due to availability of funding we have changed your status from Honorable Mention to Awardee, and I am pleased to inform you that you have been selected to receive a 2013 National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship (GRF)."

 

WHAAAT?!! Anyone else? I had to log in to fastlane and see that the status of my award had changed from HM to Awardee before I believed it!! :D!!

Posted

I got that e-mail yesterday as well. Very nice surprise! Do you think it was actually because of an increase in funding or from people not accepting the award? I guess there probably was a lot of uncertainty about funding availability around award time...

Posted

I thought the number of awards offered was dead on 2,000 when the list first came out. Now it says 2,064. Likely a combination of both. Congrats!

Posted

Wow, sounds like NSF fellows scored this year.  Congratulations everyone, especially those who just got elevated from Honorable Mention to Awardee.  Does anyone have any idea why NSF suddenly seems to have a surplus of money?  I'm especially surprised since everybody else seems to be suffering from the sequester.  An extra $2,000 for everyone (plus the retroactive increases) means they had millions extra to give.

  • 1 month later...
Posted

Congratulations everyone, especially those who just got elevated from Honorable Mention to Awardee. 

 

Anyone have any more detail about this? I was an Honorable Mention for the 2012-2013 application cycle in Social Science, but I know I did not get elevated to Awardee. Who did this happen to? (kudos to those for whom it did happen, by the way).

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