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NSF GRFP 2016


sierra918

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Putting my application in again this year. Got VG/G VG/VG VG/VG last year as an undergrad senior. Kind of mixed feeling about the reviewers comments. Some comments were helpful, but others were totally off target (saying I was missing things that were in bold print in my papers). Likely revising it a bit and submitting almost the same things this year...

An aside: I ended up postponing graduate school until spring 2016 because of an internship offer, so I can apply as an undergrad senior again (I think), because I haven't taken any grad classes. Has anyone else done this?

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An aside: I ended up postponing graduate school until spring 2016 because of an internship offer, so I can apply as an undergrad senior again (I think), because I haven't taken any grad classes. Has anyone else done this?

I did!  I applied twice as an 'undergrad' (once while still in undergrad, the second time while reapplying after deciding to take 2 gap years) and got it as a first year grad student.  As long as you haven't taken more than whatever number it is of grad hours, you're golden.

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I did!  I applied twice as an 'undergrad' (once while still in undergrad, the second time while reapplying after deciding to take 2 gap years) and got it as a first year grad student.  As long as you haven't taken more than whatever number it is of grad hours, you're golden.

Ah awesome, congrats! I imagine you addressed the gap years in the personal statement? That probably made your application more interesting to the reviewers.

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I'm a second year graduate student, and found out a paper I helped with a year ago has a "revise and resubmit" status. Should I list this on my application if this is my only publication so far?

Yes, list any publication you are in progress, submitted, or under review. You want to demonstrate to the reviewers that you understand and can "endure" the rigors of research from the data collection and analysis to presenting your work at a conference and publishing the findings. If your paper hasn't been accepted yet, ask a letter writer who has worked with you on a manuscript to talk about your work ethic in completing research.

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Ah awesome, congrats! I imagine you addressed the gap years in the personal statement? That probably made your application more interesting to the reviewers.

Well, I did research during my gap years (full-time), so I talked about how that furthered my academic goals and led to the development of my current research interests.

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Anybody know the exact time the 2015 emails were sent out?

Also: 

2014: Tuesday, April 1, 2014 @ ~2:00AM

2013 :Friday, March 29, 2013 @ ~2:00AM
2012: Friday, April 1, 2012 @ ~2:00AM
2011: Tuesday, April 5, 2011 @ ~12:50AM
2010: Tuesday, April 6, 2010 @ ~1:00AM
2009: Friday, April 10, 2009 @ ~1:00AM
2008: Tuesday, April 1, 2008 @ ~2:00AM
2007: Monday, March 23. 2007 @ ~11:20 PM
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Anybody know the exact time the 2015 emails were sent out?

Also: 

2014: Tuesday, April 1, 2014 @ ~2:00AM

2013 :Friday, March 29, 2013 @ ~2:00AM
2012: Friday, April 1, 2012 @ ~2:00AM
2011: Tuesday, April 5, 2011 @ ~12:50AM
2010: Tuesday, April 6, 2010 @ ~1:00AM
2009: Friday, April 10, 2009 @ ~1:00AM
2008: Tuesday, April 1, 2008 @ ~2:00AM
2007: Monday, March 23. 2007 @ ~11:20 PM

2015: Tuesday, Mar 31, 2015 at 3:03 AM

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Is anyone else having issues uploading their transcript? My PDF transcript file is 7 pages long, but it is only uploading the first 3 pages. I haven't seen any page requirements for that so I am not sure where I am going wrong. Suggestions?

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Anyone know if we can add headers/footers to our statements? I can't find anything about it on the solicitation form...

Down to the final edits :wacko:

You can have headers and footers, but the overall margins must be whatever NSF specifies, including headers and footers (1" all around? I don't remember, I'm using my template from last year).

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Anyone know if we can add headers/footers to our statements? I can't find anything about it on the solicitation form...

Down to the final edits :wacko:

A few others and I (recipients of NSF GRFP) added headers that were within the 1" margin requirement. However, these headers were our names, page number, and statement name ("Personal Statement" or "Graduate Research Proposal" NOT research title). Anything else such as information that adds to your statements (e.g. references), would disqualify you because the text is against formatting requirements.

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Is anyone else having issues uploading their transcript? My PDF transcript file is 7 pages long, but it is only uploading the first 3 pages. I haven't seen any page requirements for that so I am not sure where I am going wrong. Suggestions?

Probably a file size issue, as otherss suggested. Go to smallpdf.com to shrink the file (for free).

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I hope people's essay-writing journeys are going well...

For the project proposal, do we need to include the title/ key words in the document (since we enter it separately online)?

From the winning proposals that I have seen, there doesn't seem to be a pattern that is required. I've seen proposals without titles of keywords; ones with titles but no keywords. Ones with and without other breakdowns like AIM 1, BACKGROUND, etc. 

Whatever looks good for you is what matters. If you have enough space to make it more aesthetically pleasing, then why not? 

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The guidelines say that fonts in figures also have to be Times New Roman 10-pt. Does anyone know how picky they are about this? I'm paranoid that sizing my figures will make the font too small for the guidelines.

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The guidelines say that fonts in figures also have to be Times New Roman 10-pt. Does anyone know how picky they are about this? I'm paranoid that sizing my figures will make the font too small for the guidelines.

Let's just put it this way: don't get yourself disqualified over something like font.

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The guidelines say that fonts in figures also have to be Times New Roman 10-pt. Does anyone know how picky they are about this? I'm paranoid that sizing my figures will make the font too small for the guidelines.

Be paranoid! NSF is very picky. Stick to the guidelines.

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Is anyone else creating their application in LaTeX? I have an "nsf.bst" file I made last year to format the references in a simple way. They look like the attached image (except size 10 font)Screen Shot 2015-10-22 at 7.02.28 PM.png

Edited by rehab-robotics
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Is anyone else creating their application in LaTeX? I have an "nsf.bst" file I made last year to format the references in a simple way. They look like the attached image (except size 10 font)Screen Shot 2015-10-22 at 7.02.28 PM.png

Looks great. Was just struggling with this... I was going to use the IEEE Transactions style, since it used 10-point font as well.

I may end up just "hard coding" a bibliography and put everything in a single line in the tex file. That way the layout engine will not add carriage returns. I've seen some proposals where they manage to fit 10 or more references. Currently I only have room for 4!

Anyway, please post the .bst file!

Edited by DavidB144
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My citation format is not a real format, but there aren't strict regulations on it. I followed what I saw in a successful previous application that's really short, since I have 7 papers to cite and I'm really tight on space.

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I am wondering if anyone has heard of people's applications being tanked by talking about future science careers that are not research centered? Right now I am talking about potentially going into science policy in my personal statement but I am wondering if including that might hurt more than leaving it out all together.

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I am wondering if anyone has heard of people's applications being tanked by talking about future science careers that are not research centered? Right now I am talking about potentially going into science policy in my personal statement but I am wondering if including that might hurt more than leaving it out all together.

The NSF is definitely interested in its fellows pursuing science policy careers. One of the main perks of the fellowship is that it offers professionalization opportunities NOT oriented toward academic research -- for example, the GRIP (Graduate Research Internship Program) which places NSF fellows in government research and policy positions. Also, science policy is a classic example of "broader impacts" criteria, so your desire (and plans -- always make sure to list concrete plans, no obligation to follow thru) to contribute to policy enhances the potential broader impacts of your application.

(PS - I'm a GRFP grantee now)

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