NSF GRFP 2009-2010

[whalo22]

check out nsfgrfp.org

NOTE - The rescheduled Session B will take place on March 5, 2010 through March 7, 2010. The rescheduled Session C will take place on March 2, 2010 through March 4, 2010.

is this going to delay announcement of the results? uh oh limbo party 2010!?!

[bolani]

hmm, I'd like to think that my chances are at least ok.

good gre scores, lowish gpa from the number 2 institution in the field, research experience with publications, a long list of extra-curricular activities. I managed an honorable mention last year and my reviewers seemed to really like my broader impacts. Oddly enough, my ratings in intellectual merit were higher than in broader impacts even though my gpa was pretty low.

I think I have at least a 65% chance.. :-)

High GPA, decent GRE scores(had to send in the lower version though...retook the GRE b/c Q = 720)

4 years research experience w/ publications/conference pubs. NSF REUs(2).

Had 3 people look at my application who have served on committee in past. They said it helps that I'm from a small town, none of my family has a degree in sciences/math/engineering or has every gone to grad school. And they said the NSF has to fulfill quotas from different geographical demographics...so since I'm from the south it helps(b/c a large # of apps are NOT from the south).

One of my recommendation writers has served on NSF for years, and was appointed to Nat. Science Board by Clinton back in the day. I'm hoping that helps.

[bolani]

check out nsfgrfp.org

NOTE - The rescheduled Session B will take place on March 5, 2010 through March 7, 2010. The rescheduled Session C will take place on March 2, 2010 through March 4, 2010.

is this going to delay announcement of the results? uh oh limbo party 2010!?!

stupid weather.

I would think that when they make their decision, they usually hold on to it before all decision are made and that's why they release it 1.5 months after they start meeting in early Feb.

So, I'm guessing that we'll still have a decision around the expected time.

[UnlikelyGrad]

They said it helps that I'm from a small town, none of my family has a degree in sciences/math/engineering or has every gone to grad school.

Ummm...how in the world are people going to know that anyone in your family has a degree in science etc.? Would this really affect your chances? My dad has a Ph.D. in chemistry and three of my siblings were NSF fellows...family connections clearly didn't affect their chances, and I seriously doubt they will affect mine. (Especially since I have a different last name than they do. Though both my married and maiden names are quite common.)

[bolani]

Ummm...how in the world are people going to know that anyone in your family has a degree in science etc.? Would this really affect your chances? My dad has a Ph.D. in chemistry and three of my siblings were NSF fellows...family connections clearly didn't affect their chances, and I seriously doubt they will affect mine. (Especially since I have a different last name than they do. Though both my married and maiden names are quite common.)

I stated it in my personal statement. It's part of my broader impacts in a way...how <0.5% of adults in my hometown have advanced degrees, very few people go to college(<10% have bachelors degrees) ,etc. But I've made an effort to go back to encourage my high school's current students to go to college 1x a semester, and to tell them about undergrad research. And I'm doing the same at my "unranked state school" that I'm at as well...holding "yes, you CAN go to grad school, and go out of state" panels.

It's a topic I'm passionate about, but not something that I expect to weigh heavily other than the fact that I'm from the south(geographically less represented than the typical applicant), and I have been pretty self motivated in my choice of getting a PhD.

[sundevil2013]

For everyone who has applied before and looked at their review sheets, what sort of comments did you see for intellectual merit and broader impact? I am curious as to which parts of the application reviewers see as related to intellectual merit, and which are related to broader impact. Also, were the reviewers' comments helpful to you? Thanks.

[zxcv]

Don't expect helpful comments, except insofar as you may be told that you did better on one of the criteria than the other. My first year I learned I didn't take broader impacts seriously enough. My second year, the comments I received were essentially useless.

The reviewers need to look for intellectual merit and broader impact in all parts of the application, but the general advice for the NSF is to consider the personal statement to be all about broader impacts. I did that this year -- we'll see how it turns out.

[zilch]

the IM comments I got mostly referred to my research proposal and previous research experience. the BI comments cited one of my rec letters and the personal history. None of reviewers seemed to care about the GRE.

[LadyL]

I hope I have a good chance of at least getting an HM. I am not in a program currently and think that is a big detriment of my application, and that I'd do better next year once I'm attending. Reasons I will do well - my mentor helped a lot with my proposal and suggested I propose a method that is new and better than what is currently being done in that area. I have strong letters, and my broader impacts are reasonable. Reasons I won't get it - average GREs, high GPA from a school that's not well known/respected, not in a grad program yet.

[dumbmatter]

For everyone who has applied before and looked at their review sheets, what sort of comments did you see for intellectual merit and broader impact? I am curious as to which parts of the application reviewers see as related to intellectual merit, and which are related to broader impact. Also, were the reviewers' comments helpful to you? Thanks.

2x honorable mention winner here...

the reviews are nearly useless if you've done your homework. that is, if your research plan has been vetted by your advisor, if your essays have been read by people who have experience with the grfp program (these people exist at almost every school), and if you've looked online at all the information posted by past winners and past reviewers.

all my reviews did is confirm what i already knew were my weaknesses, which hopefully i have addressed this year.

[zilch]

sometimes the comments will mention specific things that they think need to be re-worked, it depends on the reviewer and probably also the discipline. I've talked to a few of my fellow engineers who had also applied before and a large number of us got comments on our personalities such as 'good entrepreneurial spirit' and 'student displays strong independence'.

[chickenandwaffles]

guesses as to when first announcement of any winners? (put your guess under the previous one)...winner gets the satisfaction of being right...and hopefully a nsf grfp.

april 7th - chickenandwaffles

[zilch]

April 9th, in the late afternoon. Because it's a Friday and it'll give people a weekend to read through everything before they start picking up the phones with questions already answered in press releases. Also, I've noticed that college admissions tend to send things out on friday afternoons for that reason.

Edited February 18, 2010 by zilch

[UnlikelyGrad]

April 9th, in the late afternoon. Because it's a Friday and it'll give people a weekend to read through everything before they start picking up the phones with questions already answered in press releases. Also, I've noticed that college admissions tend to send things out on friday afternoons for that reason.

After last year's debacle, I am voting for April 30, which is also (conveniently) a Friday.

[sundevil2013]

Last year they were waiting on budget information, I think this year they will actually do it on time. My guess is April 2 (also a Friday).

[kdilks]

March 30th, 2:07am.

[dumbmatter]

I predict it will be April 1, just to fuck with us.

[zxcv]

My guess is March 29, but almost certainly within the following week.

This year the NSF got the GRFP budget they asked for, so there won't be any reason for the huge delays like last year.

[Steven]

I am raising my "odds" to 60/40. Assuming the post at the link below is correct, there will be 2000 awards given this year.

http://groups.google.com/group/cs404siu-s10/browse_thread/thread/68d084f380cb3c9d/db5c5230b97bb97e?hl=en&q=grfp#db5c5230b97bb97e

[sundevil2013]

Yep, congress appropriated enough for 2000 new awards this year. Pretty exciting! That doesn't change the fact that my broader impacts were not great, so I am going 35/65 that I get it.

[UnlikelyGrad]

Do you know how many people usually apply?

[mtlve]

Do you know how many people usually apply?

The funding rate is usually 10%, so it will probably go up to 20% this year max. I think more people probably applied this year, since they have been advertising the increased funding rate for over a year. Hence we could still have a 10% funding rate this year!

The website said that the B/C review panel dates were moved to early March (probably because of the snow). THis may mean that they will delay the notification dates again. It takes a certain amount of time for NSF to decide who gets funding and get everything approved (probably at least a few weeks). I am hoping for an early April release.

I wonder what they will mess up this year in regards to the release.

[mtlve]

I wonder if they will have HM this year or will those guys be moved up to recipients and HM will be small/non-existent. Probably depends on the number of applicants.....

[Krypton]

Waaa, I hope results are out early enough to guide our grad school decisions.

[Language Lover <3]

With the increase of awards, does anyone know if they will be increasing both hard science and social science awards? I know there was talk earlier on by Congress about starting to phase out social science awards. Hope this doesn't end up being true! >.<