<p>Does anyone have any experience of the program, and how the selection criteria differs from that of NSF?</p>
<p>I'm also kind of concerned about LORs - is it very important for me to have at least one LOR from a professor at my new graduate institution?</p>
<p>I didn’t apply to NDSEG and so I cannot speak to experience. I do know that the selection criteria differ in that the reviewers are interested in work that could be potentially useful to the defense mission of the US.</p>
<p>The DoD then selects applicants to receive NDSEG Fellowships based on an assessment of the applicants’ academic ability in fields of interest to the DoD. Selection of awardees is made by the Army Research Office, Office of Naval Research, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, and the High Performance Computing Modernization Program. Each agency directly monitors the awards conferred to fellows in discipline areas closely related to its mission.</p>
<p>So you want to write a proposal about something that one of these military offices will find appealing. They don’t necessarily have to want to use the research right this moment, but it should be something that can contribute to a defense mission.</p>
<p>Your application will be stronger if you have a letter from a professor at your new institution - ideally an adviser. Of course that will be more difficult if you are at your undergraduate institution still, and I don’t think that’s expected. But if you are a first-year student, you should certainly have at least one letter from a current professor. That someone will speak to your potential for success in their program, as well as whether your program and university can offer support for the project you intend to undertake.</p>