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Tips and Strategies for NSF GRF Applicants. Matt Williams NSF Graduate Research Fellow October 12, 2009. Why am I talking to you?. 2004 Winner, Barry Goldwater Scholarship 2005 Winner, NSF Graduate Research Fellowship 2006-present - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Tips and Strategies for NSF GRF Applicants
Matt WilliamsNSF Graduate Research Fellow
October 12, 2009
10/12/09 Matt Williams ([email protected])
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Why am I talking to you?• 2004
– Winner, Barry Goldwater Scholarship• 2005
– Winner, NSF Graduate Research Fellowship• 2006-present
– Help advise undergrad and grad students in my lab who apply for fellowships• Involved w/ 10 NSF applications to date
– 3 NSF Winners– 2 Honorable Mentions
10/12/09 Matt Williams ([email protected])
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Should you apply?• Many professors will say…
– “3.98 GPA and >1500 GRE or don’t bother”• 2003-2007 UF Winner (28) Stats:
• Women and minorities: You’re crazy if you don’t apply!
Mean Median
GPA 3.84 3.9GRE V 590 590GRE Q 740 760
10/12/09 Matt Williams ([email protected])
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Essays• They will make or break you• You need to stand out• Pay attention to the prompt and rubric• Revise, revise, revise ...
– … then have others read it and revise some more.• Express excitement and be positive
– Never “I hope”; always “I will ”• Broader Impacts
– Should permeate all your essays– Common examples:
• Dissemination of your research results• Your goal of being a professor (and thus a mentor)
Intellectual Merit…Broader Impacts• What are the broader impacts of the proposed activity?• How well does the activity advance discovery and understanding while promoting teaching, training, and learning?• How well does the proposed activity broaden the participation of underrepresented groups (e.g., gender, ethnicity, disability, geographic, etc.)?• To what extent will it enhance the infrastructure for research and education, such as facilities, instrumentation, networks, and partnerships?• Will the results be disseminated broadly to enhance scientific and technological understanding?• What may be the benefits of the proposed activity to society?
10/12/09 Matt Williams ([email protected])
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Specific Essay Tips• Research Proposal
– Clearly “place” your proposed research within your field• What is novel?• What is the impact?
– Support• Expertise• Courses• Equipment
– Don’t be too technical• The best essays are accessible• Limit the jargon and acronyms• Pictures• Don’t let your professor write it for you
– Remember: You’re not locked in
10/12/09 Matt Williams ([email protected])
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Specific Essay Tips (cont’d)• Personal Statement
– Don’t be afraid to open up• What are you about?• What makes you tick?
– Address Broader Impacts at every turn– Be memorable
• Childhood wonderment and fuzzy feelings about science• Cool intros
– “The raw power of a top-fuel dragster screaming down the quarter mile…”
– “I can feel the drone of the aircraft engine pulsing through my chest almost as strongly as my quickly beating heart.”
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Recommendation Letters• Prepare your letter writers
– Rubric– Memory-jogging notes– Notes on effective letter writing
• Yale website– Resume
• Good letters are specific– “Jim is a bright and conscientious student who does excellent
work in the lab.”– “Jim recently solved some long-standing difficulties with an
optical test setup entirely on his own - and he fixed our toaster, too!”
• Pick writers who have something interesting to say about you…– …or else give them something to say.
• Arrange a middleman for letter review– Honors College? Library?
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Other Fellowships• Hertz Foundation Fellowship (Due: 10/30)
– $31-$36k/yr for 2-5 years• DoD SMART (Due: 12/15)
– $25-$41k/yr• DoD NDSEG (Due: 1/4)
– $30.5-$31.5k/yr for 3 years• NASA GSRP (Due: Feb.)
– $22k/yr up to 3 years• And many more!
