NDSEG Fellowship

[Guest mwillis2]

i still think it's pretty crappy that they don't even take the time to tell us we were rejected ... we spent a while on those damn applications ... how difficult is it to send out a mass email ... even if it is to say we've lost. screw the ndseg.

[Guest Disagree]

Guest: I don't think your typical NDSEG winner is a Reid Barton or a Melanie Wood...

Mwillis2: I agree. A mass email would be cheaper too.

Ah well, enough bitchin for me.

[Guest guest]

Are there honorable mentions? Evaluation sheets?

[Guest guest]

last year when I applied I found out I had lost via the internet (by noticing the list of winners was up and I wasn't on it) but they also sent me a letter. So don't just assume you won't actually be notified you didn't win.

I'm curious to see the list because I know some people who applied and it would be awesome if they won. I didn't apply this year because I realized ultimately I'm not a good fit for the NDSEG, but I got lucky and won an NSF so I'm happy.

[Guest guest]

You guys are putting a lot of stock in the one guy who mentioned in passing that the winners were emailed already. I'd be skeptical...

[Guest guest]

well it is true that last year the winners found out before anyone else did. I got my rejection letter in the mail some time later. However, if the list of winners isn't up by Tuesday or so, I'd be skeptical.

[Guest guest]

Kind of hard to be skeptical now...I've heard from 3 friends independently that they received an email Friday saying they were awarded the fellowship.

[Guest guest]

You can call them and ask whether you won the award or not, by the way.

[Guest mutou]

I haven't seen anyone post anywhere else that they won, or the winners were being notified.

[Guest guest]

my sentiments exactly...

[Guest guest]

As someone already pointed out, you could call them and ask whether you've won or not. They notified winners by email on Friday and started telling results by phone to any applicant this morning.

[Guest guest]

That's interesting. I just got off the phone with ASEE and they said they just got the list of NDSEG winners and are working on notifying people right now. Also, they were not sure whether or not I had won but said I would find out shortly.

[Guest guest]

Very strange. Which number did you call? I called (202) 331-3516 yesterday morning (at roughly 9:30 AM EST), and the man who answered said he had the list of winners and asked me my name. I told him, and he was able to tell me whether I had won the award or not (I hadn't). This number is the one listed at the bottom of http://www.asee.org/ndseg/.

[Guest guest from 7:51]

That is the number I called. They may do it differently by different discipline or assigning agency. He couldn't tell me on the phone, but I just got an email:

"We regret to inform you that we cannot fund you for an NDSEG Fellowship. The selection process was very thorough; your application was reviewed by many experts in your discipline. Unfortunately, NDSEG is very competitive and there were many more qualified applicants than could be funded; of the nearly 3,600 applicants, only 190 will be funded. You may apply again next year for the NDSEG Fellowship. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions. We encourage you to continue with your educational goals and wish you success in your future endeavors."

Oh well... looks like the NSF will have to do

[Guest guest]

Yeah, I talked to them too, and they gave me the info. You know, these awards are really administered badly. There are maybe 5 schools that between them get a ~75% of the awards, with MIT getting the largest share. Someone should really look into this. The schools that get most of the winners are good schools, but not the best schools in their areas usually. It's clearly just a case of schools with connections inside the funding agencies helping out their students.

[Guest guest]

I don't know if you can jump to that conclusion. The top students with the top GPAs, test scores, awards, etc., are going to find their way into schools like MIT, WUSTL, Stanford, etc., and so those schools will have higher percentage of winners. There is also the awe factor from some of the panelists: a great GPA at MIT may impress them more than a great GPA somewhere else. I doubt there is much of a conspiracy going on.

[ucflipcat]

I completely agree, MIT does get a lot. But I am not sure it is fair to say that, although it may seem true. A majority of students that are good end up going to those schools anyways, so statistically pans out. But that is not to say that a student who goes to a lesser known school, like myself, may not do as well or better at a powerhouse school. There is no way to prove this idea. If there is, I will write the proposal and get a grant out of this. There are many factors why people end up where they are, such as deciding very very late they wanted to go

It is my belief, it is what you make of it. I had the same belief in undergrad and I did pretty good for myself there. For me Im not letting anyone stop me in what I do. Although I dont go to a great institution, I admire and work great with my advisor who does interesting work. Grad work is proving you work independently and do it well.

So yeah it does suck, but you have to work hard everyday especially at a smaller school to make it, b/c some opportunities are just not present at these smaller programs. I didnt win either, but I it all works out. Enough preaching, back to the lab

[Guest guest]

guest said:

I don't know if you can jump to that conclusion. The top students with the top GPAs, test scores, awards, etc., are going to find their way into schools like MIT, WUSTL, Stanford, etc., and so those schools will have higher percentage of winners. There is also the awe factor from some of the panelists: a great GPA at MIT may impress them more than a great GPA somewhere else. I doubt there is much of a conspiracy going on.

It's not a conspiracy. I've worked in grant funded research labs for years and a large percentage of the decisions made about funding in academia are based on personal relationships rather than objective consideration of the merits of the proposals. That's just the way it is. You want a proposal funded, you call up a program manager you know, talk to him a bit, and it's funded. Submitting the proposal for review is just a formality. I'm just saying this is the same thing, when it shouldn't be.

[Guest guest]

That is the number I called. They may do it differently by different discipline or assigning agency. He couldn't tell me on the phone, but I just got an email:

"We regret to inform you that we cannot fund you for an NDSEG Fellowship. The selection process was very thorough; your application was reviewed by many experts in your discipline. Unfortunately, NDSEG is very competitive and there were many more qualified applicants than could be funded; of the nearly 3,600 applicants, only 190 will be funded. You may apply again next year for the NDSEG Fellowship. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions. We encourage you to continue with your educational goals and wish you success in your future endeavors."

Oh well... looks like the NSF will have to do

Interesting. I still haven't received an email (negative or positive). You'd think they'd have a script to just send these all out in one batch...

[menzies]

I haven't received an email either (affirmative or negative). I'm thinking it may have something to do with my "Incomplete" status (if you recall from the first post on this thread). They did tell me the "incomplete" was a mistake, but maybe their script missed me because of it. Is your status incomplete also?

[Guest guest]

I haven't received an email either (affirmative or negative). I'm thinking it may have something to do with my "Incomplete" status (if you recall from the first post on this thread). They did tell me the "incomplete" was a mistake, but maybe their script missed me because of it. Is your status incomplete also?

My status was incomplete and I received an email, but I received it several hours after the guy above posted that he had received his.

[ucflipcat]

i know i didnt get it, but i havent gotten email stating so yet either

[Guest guest]

they are clearly staggering their responses. I just got my rejection e-mail today, but another person from my department who applied hasn't heard yet.

[Guest guest]

I think "staggering their responses" may be generous; they just don't seem to have their $#*@ together

[Guest guest]

"they just don't seem to have their $#*@ together" is putting it mildly; Rumsfeld shoud be fired.