<p>So I am applying for Bioengineering PhD programs and have received no acceptances. I am on the wait list for one school, but the outlook is not good. However, I do think I have a good chance to get the NSF GRFP fellowship.</p>
<p>A few questions:
-If I got the NSF, could I go back to a school that rejected me and ask them to reconsider?
-Is it possible to postpone your NSF funding for a year without losing it?</p>
<p>I have heard of cases where acceptance was granted after getting a prestigious fellowship such as that. Definitely contact school(s) you get rejected from if you do end up getting that. As for your second question, it is possible to postpone your fellowship for up to a year or two, but I believe it may be contingent upon you actually being in graduate school. There is a FAQ on the NSF GRFP addressing that (and other things) I believe.</p>
<p>I really would not get my hopes up for getting the fellowship as very few people could claim they have a “good chance” at getting it (e.g., minority female with a 1400+ GRE and first author publications in good journals who teaches at risk youth in her spare time). I have applied for it as well but I refuse to be optimistic about an award that has been characterized by my advisor as like winning the lottery.</p>
<p>Absolutely, if you have an outside fellowship you should immediately contact the departments and let them know - many departments are limited by their internal funding, and are happy to take qualified applicants who don’t need assistantships.</p>
<p>@gthopeful
Well, I think certain things in my application will look better to the NSF than they did to PhD programs: already have an M.S. degree and several years of very good industry experience, and feel that my essays were very strong. Plus graduated top 10% of major from Stanford and have solid GRE scores.</p>
<p>I don’t see why gender or ethnicity should play into this at all. They still consider people “disadvantaged” after getting a degree from a top college?</p>
<p>Also, just to make sure, the NSF does not look at which schools (if any) accepted you, right?</p>
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<p>Yes, they do. It’s just how NSF works. NSF has been trying very hard to increase the number of people from “underrepresented groups” who get the scholarship. Also coming into play is where in the country you are from (wonder why the application asked where you went to high school?).</p>
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<p>[Eligibility</a> Guide - NSF Graduate Research Fellowships Program (GRFP)](<a href=“http://www.nsfgrfp.org/how_to_apply/eligibility_guide]Eligibility”>http://www.nsfgrfp.org/how_to_apply/eligibility_guide)</p>
<p>Was the MS in a different field? I’m sure you probably checked that though.</p>
<p>The M.S. was in a different field, but some of the skills will translate to my graduate program very well. It was a co-terminal program and I completed in less than 12 months as a graduate student, so there is no eligibility issue.</p>
<p>Wow, it matters where in the country you’re from too? I should have thought ahead and moved to somewhere like Alaska for a year in high school.</p>
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<p>Yes, it’s really unfortunate for all the whiz kids in the Northeast or California. Congress sets NSF’s budget, and so all sorts of political things like that end up deciding partially how NSF spends its money.</p>
<p>wait, when do we hear if we got an NSF or not? Someone told me the percentage of applicants who get it is 5%, so I’m not holding my breath…</p>
<p>ps- NSF cares a lot more than your grad programs did about extraciriculars, essays, minority status etc and much less about scores than your grad schools did</p>
<p>I’m fairly sure the number of fellowships has increased this year with Obama in office. Could be more applicants though due to the economic situation.</p>
<p>About 2000 are being given out, I hear by the latest numbers. Somewhere between 10-15% of applicants get them in any given year, but usually only about 1000 are given out, and so the chances of getting one are better this year. However, I have heard from people who are on the NSF review panel that the “extra” fellowships are being used to give them to underrepresented groups to increase NSF’s progress in that area.</p>
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<p>I would start anticipating on April 1. If you do not hear back soon after that date, you probably did not get the fellowship, but you may have gotten honorable mention.</p>
<p>I doubt they’re giving all of the extra 1000 to “underrepresented groups.” That would be ridiculous. I would suspect that anyone’s chances will be better this year than in previous years.</p>
<p>As a white male who went to high school in PA and currently lives in CA, I guess I won’t be gaining any points on the diversity front. They don’t account for age diversity, do they? As someone in my late 20’s going up against mostly early 20’s people, that might help a little bit.</p>