NSF GRFP 2014-2015

[Munashi]

So does anyone know why they extended the submission deadline for rec letters?  Just curious.

[oceanlover]

I was wondering the same thing. weird how it was changed so last minute, considering the original deadline was today. feel bad because I was bombarding one of my writers yesterday about getting it in today since he was super busy and now he could have maybe used the extra 24hrs. oh well, just happy mines done!!

[moochie]

I bet either the system for uploading the rec letters was having issues, or more likely there were so many applicants with missing rec letters that they thought it'd be best to extend by a day so they didn't have to DQ thousands of people. The NSF application process can seem cruel sometimes (DQ for margins, font, 3 min late, etc), but I don't think they want a ton of people who had their applications complete and in on time to be DQ'ed because the rec letter writers are struggling.

[hb19]

They extended the rec letter deadline last year, too. I'd guess the same as moochie.

[shadowclaw]

It may be because of a system issue, as has been suggested. My adviser finally uploaded the letter today, but he shot me an email early in the day telling me he was having issues getting his password for the system. His specific words were "I have no idea why they call it Fast Lane. I'm still waiting for my password. " I'm not sure exactly when he initially tried to upload, but an hour passed from when he first emailed me and when he let me know it was submitted.

[skatjezero]

I emailed them about the issue with the right margin, asking if they could take a corrected copy as my submission, since this didn't actually give me any unfair advantage. Got this response:

 

 

  Thank you for your e-mail regarding the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP). We cannot accept any re-submitted documents, even if the text has not been changed, because all application content is locked as soon as the application has been submitted.

 

   However, when checking applications for compliance, we do take into account the possibility of formatting issues created by PDF conversions from Google Docs. If the right margin is less than 1" due to the conversion, but the statement is otherwise compliant, the application would not be automatically disqualified.

 

   We have added a note on our applicant record, stating that you contacted us to advise us of the conversion issue, if there are any questions about the statement.

 

   Please e-mail us at info@nsfgrfp.org or call us at (866) 673-4737 if you have any further questions. 

 

So apparently they actually know this is an issue with Google Docs.

[radiomars]

I emailed them about the issue with the right margin, asking if they could take a corrected copy as my submission, since this didn't actually give me any unfair advantage. Got this response:

 

 

So apparently they actually know this is an issue with Google Docs.

 

Oh wow. So maybe you're still okay?? No automatic disqualification, that's good.

[krizzle]

I can't decide if I should contact them or not. My top margin on the second page isn't one inch. If a reviewer looks at it I don't think I would be DQ because it is clear I wasn't trying to squeeze in extra text. I'm freaking out though. 

[Vader Was Framed]

I can't decide if I should contact them or not. My top margin on the second page isn't one inch. If a reviewer looks at it I don't think I would be DQ because it is clear I wasn't trying to squeeze in extra text. I'm freaking out though. 

 

It doesn't hurt to contact them, give them a call. Maybe they will add a note to your application like in skat's scenario (which is awesome skat). 

 

My guess (others may know) is that the reviewers themselves aren't asked to check the formatting requirements. This is done beforehand by NSF staff, etc. and applications that pass the formatting requirement are then prepared in the system for the actual review panel once that process starts. It doesn't make sense to waste resources on applications that will be DQd ... but then again... this is the government. 

 

Extending the LOR deadline is pretty standard protocol. They recognize it is silly to DQ many many strong applicants merely because letter #3 isn't in. 

[shadowclaw]

Woo hoo! All of my letters are finally in. Now I can forget about it for a while. Good luck, everyone.

[isilya]

My last letter writer didn't submit the letter until 7:50 pm Eastern Time today but at least it got in!!! Now I don't have to stress about this any more until early April...

[isilya]

I can't decide if I should contact them or not. My top margin on the second page isn't one inch. If a reviewer looks at it I don't think I would be DQ because it is clear I wasn't trying to squeeze in extra text. I'm freaking out though. 

 

I would contact them. I have a friend whose application wasn't read last year because his margins were 1.05 inches, and that's actually larger than the requirement!!

[hbgb]

It doesn't hurt to contact them, give them a call. Maybe they will add a note to your application like in skat's scenario (which is awesome skat). 

 

My guess (others may know) is that the reviewers themselves aren't asked to check the formatting requirements. This is done beforehand by NSF staff, etc. and applications that pass the formatting requirement are then prepared in the system for the actual review panel once that process starts. It doesn't make sense to waste resources on applications that will be DQd ... but then again... this is the government. 

 

Extending the LOR deadline is pretty standard protocol. They recognize it is silly to DQ many many strong applicants merely because letter #3 isn't in. 

 

A professor told my class that the panelists get a stack of applications and the first thing they do is go through and remove any that don't meet the formatting requirements. They don't want to be there any longer than they have to, so it makes sense that they immediately throw out anyone who doesn't bother to even make the formatting correct. Obviously with skatjezero's app it was a technical error, so it's nice that they are able to add a note for the reviewers not to disqualify him/her.

[RP15]

Warning to everyone thinking about applying to the NSF GRFP in the future.

 

Read the rules of the paper format, and then read them again.

 

I just got disqualified today because the margins of the second page of my Graduate proposal was less than 1 inch. The reason was because of the damn footnotes. I used the footnotes for references, and the margins were less than an inch. Bam, disqualified.

 

Don't make the same mistake

Edited November 18, 2014 by RP15

[nsfapplicant]

i was just browsing around and came across this.

 

I was surprised at how strict people are saying NSF is, so I went back and checked my documents. You think it's alright if I have things like a generic header/footer (for instance, page numbers) inside the margins? Also, for some weird formatting reason I think the margins on my last page of both of my statements is something like 0.97 inches, do you think NSF will care? I always imagined that it was some person looking at the document (like just the reviewer), so if it looked reasonable it was good enough. 

 

I haven't gotten any sort of disqualification email yet, so maybe I'm already OK?

[slowbrowin]

yeah, how did you find out? did they send an email or something?

[GeoDUDE!]

Why would you be surprised at how strict they are? They are an undermanned organization where people fight for their money. If you couldn't color within the lines in kindergarden  you are going to have trouble getting funding from them. 

[nsfapplicant]

Why would you be surprised at how strict they are? They are an undermanned organization where people fight for their money. If you couldn't color within the lines in kindergarden  you are going to have trouble getting funding from them. 

 

I and my friends have applied in the past without an issue. Some of us have pushed the limit on what 12-pt font is or what 1'' margins are. Not to mention the Latex crowd that doesn't use Times New Roman. I've never actually heard of anyone getting disqualified.

[guttata]

Well, now you have.

[poly]

I put a header on both of my statements.  I haven't been disqualified (yet at least).  I copied my header style directly from a friend who applied last year and won the fellowship.  

[Igotnothin]

Why would you be surprised at how strict they are? They are an undermanned organization where people fight for their money. If you couldn't color within the lines in kindergarden  you are going to have trouble getting funding from them. 

 

We're talking about extremely minor formatting issues like 0.97" rather than 1" due to quirks in word processing software or Google Docs. In my opinion, a poor reason to disqualify people who spent many hours preparing the application, and who may very well have credentials worthy of the award. Automatic DQ makes sense if the goal is to minimize the amount of work for reviewers. But the goal should be to give the awards to the most qualified applicants.

[Cookie]

We're talking about extremely minor formatting issues like 0.97" rather than 1" due to quirks in word processing software or Google Docs. In my opinion, a poor reason to disqualify people who spent many hours preparing the application, and who may very well have credentials worthy of the award. Automatic DQ makes sense if the goal is to minimize the amount of work for reviewers. But the goal should be to give the awards to the most qualified applicants.

 

But if you cant follow the rules, you are not qualified, are you?

I agree with GeoDUDE! completely. It is the applicant's sole responsibility to follow the (very simple, imho) guidelines. There are a lot of things one can do to maximize the use of 2 pages without "pushing the limit". This fellowship is so prestigious and $$$ that it is definitely worth your utmost care. 

[stmwap]

But if you cant follow the rules, you are not qualified, are you?

I agree with GeoDUDE! completely. It is the applicant's sole responsibility to follow the (very simple, imho) guidelines. There are a lot of things one can do to maximize the use of 2 pages without "pushing the limit". This fellowship is so prestigious and $$$ that it is definitely worth your utmost care. 

I don't know about that.  You can still be qualified and make a careless error.  However, I agree with you (and so does NSF).  It's only fair to award those who followed the rules.  

[Igotnothin]

But if you cant follow the rules, you are not qualified, are you?

I agree with GeoDUDE! completely. It is the applicant's sole responsibility to follow the (very simple, imho) guidelines. There are a lot of things one can do to maximize the use of 2 pages without "pushing the limit". This fellowship is so prestigious and $$$ that it is definitely worth your utmost care. 

 

Absolutely. If you don't notice when Google Docs reduces your margins by 3%, you are not worthy of a grad school fellowship. 

[Monochrome Spring]

Follow the rules for grants and fellowships you apply to. The end.