NSF GRFP -- Apply as a clinical student?

[wrighna]

Hi! I'm curious if anyone in a clinical program has applied for the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program, especially with the recent changes. This is the relevent info from their application materials:

Individuals are not eligible to apply if they will be enrolled in an area of graduate study focused on clinical practice, for example, counseling, social work, as well as patient-oriented research, epidemiological and medical behavioral studies, outcomes research and health services research. Ineligible clinical studies include investigations to provide evidence leading to a scientific basis for consideration of a change in health policy or standard of care, and includes pharmacologic, non-pharmacologic, and behavioral interventions for disease prevention, prophylaxis, diagnosis, or therapy. Graduate study focused on community and other population-based medical intervention trials are also ineligible.

I've had mixed advice from mentors: some say you can get around this by applying with a super "general science" research program, and others say its not worth it. What's the deal? Should I just stick with NIMH/NIH fellowships? 

[8BitJourney]

This last app cycle I interviewed with a clinical student who went on to win it and he applied as a clinical psychology student. I honestly think that if your advisor is willing to support your application and can guide you into safe territory for the reviewers then its probably worth a shot

[acceptme]

I think it depends on your research background and focus. I applied this year and received an honorable mention. I had a neuropsychology focus and none of the reviewers had any issue with my research proposal being too "clinical." You just need to frame things specificically for NSF. I had professors who have served on the review board read my proposal and they helped me frame it in a way that would be appealing to NSF readers.

[wrighna]

Hmmm.... I was kinda hoping y'all would say "Nah, just forget about it." Now I have to seriously consider it. My area is interpersonal violence/abuse/trauma, which tends to be pretty in-your-face clinical. Though I'm doing a focus on developmental cognitive neuroscience, so maybe I can pull in some imaging stuff somehow. Sigh.

Though, I will say my advisor basically said I should bang out my master's before I apply for fellowships, so that takes a little weight off.