katsharki3 Posted March 20, 2015 Posted March 20, 2015 My understanding is that it totally depends on the program. I know that MIT/WHOI and Scripps (oceanography) do not care if you have external funding or not; they are going to fund you through their program anyways and if you are rejected it is not because of financial reasons. I looked into this a little deeper and it seems that programs that are "funding blind" won't care one bit if you win the fellowship or not because [lack of] funding was not the issue when the rejection was reached. I know things have changed a lot since the 80s, but my professor who got his PhD in biological oceanography at Scripps there was one year there when only one person got accepted to his lab group because he came in with external funding from the Office of Naval Research. So even at those top institutions, I'm fairly sure there are cases where funding is an issue--you could be a fabulous applicant, but they just didn't get enough money in grants to fund students for that year. I mean, again, I know things change, but funding has definitely been an issue concerning Scripps admission in the past at least.
Freudian_Slip Posted March 20, 2015 Posted March 20, 2015 I asked about this directly at a school where I was waitlisted. I told the prof that I applied for NSF and wanted to see if this was considered at all. He responded that I should definitely stay in touch and let him know if I received it.
Pitangus Posted March 21, 2015 Posted March 21, 2015 I was going to start a new thread on this, but decided to post it here: If you have applied to the NSF GRFP, is it okay to mention this in your grad school SOP? I've heard that it is a no-no to mention it to a POI, but I cannot seem to find any info on if it should go into your SOP or not? I mentioned it in my SOP. My POI (now advisor) encouraged me to apply during our first phone conversation, so I didn't see why it would be a no-no.
marty3 Posted March 21, 2015 Posted March 21, 2015 If you have applied to the NSF GRFP, is it okay to mention this in your grad school SOP? I've heard that it is a no-no to mention it to a POI, but I cannot seem to find any info on if it should go into your SOP or not? I can only speak for my school and department, but when profs get down to their final list of candidates, preference first goes to candidates with funding, then to students who applied for funding AND they think will win/could win in the future, then lastly to candidates that didn't apply. This is a brutally selective program, so I doubt this is a standard thing, but it makes sense. That's just how an advisor once explained it to me. It really doesn't hurt to apply and mention it in your application. Personally I don't think the SOP is the right place to put it. On my applications there were specific boxes to list externally fellowships I had applied for. Some advice a friend gave me, which might be more what CrucialBBQ could have been thinking, is that it's not always best to let a prospective POI know you have funding. Of course external funding is an excellent bargaining chip, and it really can change a prospective advisor's mind from "I'm taking know students this year" to "I'll take you". That said, the longer they don't know you have your own funding, the better you can gauge a prospective advisor's genuine interest in you and your project.
Monochrome Spring Posted March 22, 2015 Posted March 22, 2015 Out of curiosity why do you want the NSF GRFP most? Is it the prestige, security of funds, ability to have more freedom in your research, increase in stipend amount, all of the above? I want the GRF, because I want the ability to control where and when I do my research more. The large stipend (>$10k more than I would make on a research assistantship) allows me to do just that. I can work anywhere at any time with that kind of money. Oh, I want to fly out to Costa Rica to do some pilot studies every other month? Easy with the GRF. I want to visit my long-distance partner every month? Easy with the GRF. Money can't buy happiness, but it can alleviate stress and make our lives a bit easier as grad students. I can live comfortably on my current funds, but I am restricted, and I want freedom. dcampos6398 and BioBum 2
shadowclaw Posted March 22, 2015 Posted March 22, 2015 I think it's a little weird not to mention to a POI that you are applying for the GRFP or any other fellowship. For one, it shows that you are motivated to find funding and not just expecting a TA position to be handed to you. Grant writing is an important part of academia and I imagine it would be desirable to have a graduate student who is already thinking in those kinds of terms. I think it also demonstrates your seriousness in your pursuit of graduate studies. Aside from that, there are many POIs out there who have time and space for new graduate students, but no grant money to support them. External funding solves that problem and can get you into a lab that otherwise doesn't have the funding to support you. I had two POIs in this position who were happy to nominate me for school fellowships and specifically told me to apply for the GRFP and seek out any other funding opportunities I could find. As for mentioning it in a SOP, I'm agree that it doesn't seem like a good place for it. I know I have filled out at least one that specifically requested that information in the SOP, so if course in that case it's fine. Most applications I filled out had separate sections on the application for what fellowships I applied for. Mentioning it to your POI seems like the best way to let the school know aside from filling in the appropriate boxes on the application. Monochrome Spring 1
Monochrome Spring Posted March 22, 2015 Posted March 22, 2015 Every professor I talked to asked if I was applying for the GRF, and it seemed like not applying was a big taboo. It's a free opportunity for funding, prestige, and writing experience. And withholding that you are applying also seems weird to me. It can only help you, so why not?
commodork Posted March 22, 2015 Posted March 22, 2015 Every professor I talked to asked if I was applying for the GRF, and it seemed like not applying was a big taboo. It's a free opportunity for funding, prestige, and writing experience. And withholding that you are applying also seems weird to me. It can only help you, so why not? Yeah, agreed here. I haven't necessarily thrown it in abruptly, but I've mentioned that I've applied to professors when it seemed relevant. I've got nothing but "Excellent"'s and "Good for you!"'s when I bring it up. Professors like to see the initiative, and the fact that you might be paid for is obviously huge.
Argon Posted March 22, 2015 Posted March 22, 2015 Someone posted on the results board. Looks like we have a liar http://www.thegradcafe.com/survey/index.php?q=nsf&t=a&o=&pp=25
kbolya1 Posted March 22, 2015 Posted March 22, 2015 (edited) that gave me a heart attack! Edited March 22, 2015 by kbolya1
giants418 Posted March 22, 2015 Posted March 22, 2015 Is there any possibility of awards being announced this week? The earliest results have been announced in recent history is ~March 23rd. But realistically its almost always the last weekday of March, right? mkd17 1
Cosmojo Posted March 22, 2015 Posted March 22, 2015 Is there any possibility of awards being announced this week? The earliest results have been announced in recent history is ~March 23rd. But realistically its almost always the last weekday of March, right? I suppose, they have announced in late March before, but when they say early April I tend to not get my hopes up until the calendar hits April...that being said I have been checking fastlane everyday sooo...idk. Unfortunately the rest of us are just as clueless as you.
Freudian_Slip Posted March 22, 2015 Posted March 22, 2015 Is there any possibility of awards being announced this week? The earliest results have been announced in recent history is ~March 23rd. But realistically its almost always the last weekday of March, right? Highly unlikely--that one year seemed like an aberration and they recently said "early April" via Twitter. I would bet almost anything it's going to be next Wed., 4/1 in the very early hours (2-3am) between Tuesday-Wednesday. It seems possible it might also be next Tues., 3/31 (early morning between Mon.-Tues.), though. There's an overwhelming trend of results being released on Tuesday or Friday from earlier posts of past results.
Humulus_lupulus Posted March 22, 2015 Posted March 22, 2015 I found out April 1 at 3:07 a.m. last year so that is my target. I'd be fine with it being announced earlier though... I don't see why not as I'm sure the decision has been made. Every email I receive these days makes me jump with anticipation!
giants418 Posted March 22, 2015 Posted March 22, 2015 Thanks - I suppose I dont really expect it before 3/31 or 4/1 either, just hoping that it will so I can stop stressing about it, like everyone else im sure.
Humulus_lupulus Posted March 23, 2015 Posted March 23, 2015 I can imagine over the next two weeks that I'll be checking my email in the middle of the night if I happen to wake up...
stmwap Posted March 23, 2015 Posted March 23, 2015 FYI, I just logged into FastLane and it made me agree to terms and conditions and change my password.
katsharki3 Posted March 23, 2015 Posted March 23, 2015 FYI, I just logged into FastLane and it made me agree to terms and conditions and change my password. Huh. I just logged in and it didn't make me do any of that. Weird...???
M4ss5pec Posted March 23, 2015 Posted March 23, 2015 (edited) That is pretty wacky...and of course I had to log into Fastlane for myself to see if I get the same thing. Nope. Starting to feel all the more jumpy toward the smallest changes on that site. :/ Edited March 23, 2015 by M4ss5pec
Munashi Posted March 23, 2015 Posted March 23, 2015 FYI, I just logged into FastLane and it made me agree to terms and conditions and change my password. That happened to me a couple of weeks ago. It was just because my password expired.
kem962 Posted March 23, 2015 Posted March 23, 2015 Does anyone know if fellows are able to obtain income from additional non-institutional sources during their fellowship period? E.g. if I am enrolled as a full-time student and actively engaged in coursework and/or research, am I also able to do consulting work or work part-time for a private company on the side. The admin guide states: Stipend Supplementation Each Fellow is expected to devote full time to advanced scientific study or work during Tenure. However, because it is generally accepted that teaching or similar activity constitutes a valuable part of the education and training of many graduate students, a Fellow may choose to undertake a reasonable amount of such activities without NSF approval. It is expected that furtherance of the Fellow's educational objectives and the gain of substantive teaching or other experience, not service to the institution as such, will govern these activities. Compensation for such activities is determined by the GRFP institution and is based on the institution’s general employment policies. Fellows are required to check with their GRFP institution about specific policies pertaining to GRFP fellowship and paid activities. Fellows are permitted to solicit and accept, from NSF or other Federal and private sources, support for research expenses, such as laboratory supplies, instrumentation usage fees, fieldstation usage fees, travel expenses, conference/registration fees, workshop expenses, or subscription fees. For Fellows on Tenure, support for living expenses associated with off-site research activities will require approval by the CO. Does anyone know how this works?
Cosmojo Posted March 23, 2015 Posted March 23, 2015 (edited) This is outside employment, look in the FAQ's "Outside employment is not governed by the NSF. Fellows should check with their CO about specific institution policies." Edited March 23, 2015 by Cosmojo kem962 1
kem962 Posted March 23, 2015 Posted March 23, 2015 This is outside employment, look in the FAQ's "Outside employment is not governed by the NSF. Fellows should check with their CO about specific institution about policies." Awesome. Thanks.
kbolya1 Posted March 23, 2015 Posted March 23, 2015 Just got an e-mail from a thesis committee member with the word "discoveries" in it. NSF motto: Where discoveries begin. Me: Reading way too much into just about everything giants418 and M4ss5pec 2
M4ss5pec Posted March 24, 2015 Posted March 24, 2015 Just got an e-mail from a thesis committee member with the word "discoveries" in it. NSF motto: Where discoveries begin. Me: Reading way too much into just about everything Nice. Yeah, I think we're all at that point by now.
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