NSF Fellowship

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The National Scientific discipline Foundation Graduate Enquiry Fellowship (NSF GRFP) is a cracking way to outset a research career. I was a successful applicant in 2010. Beneath are some details about the program and some tips for applying. Y'all will also find many examples of successful essays and you tin even submit your ain essays if yous are willing to serve equally inspiration for the next circular of applicants.

Note, this communication was last updated in Sept 2021.

The NSF GRFP provides $34,000 to the student and some coin to your section for three years. Y'all take the flexibility to defer for up to ii years in instance you have some other source of funding (but you cannot defer to take a twelvemonth off).

The basic requirements are:

one. United states Denizen, United states of america National, or permanent resident

ii. Currently a graduating Senior or Start/2d twelvemonth graduate pupil

3. Graduate students may but utilise in their first OR second year (Not both) . I accept some thoughts on which yr to use .

4. Going into science research (does not apply to medical school)

Check out the official requirements at the NSF GRFP website . Here is the more than detailed NSF presentation on the requirements. The deadlines are usually the terminal week of Oct , just it is never too early to get-go.

Basic Outline of Application Process

  • Yous will demand to write two essays:

    • Personal Argument, Relevant Background, and Futurity Goals (iii pages)

    • Graduate Research Statement (ii pages)

  • You will need to get at least three letters of reference

  • These essays will be reviewed on the criteria of Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts.

And that's really it. The challenge is to sell yourself in five pages and to successful address the two criteria.

  • Read over the official NSF GRFP website , peculiarly their tips .

  • Look through the NSF GRFP FAQ , with detailed answers hither.

  • Here is a detailed website from Robin Walker . She has a very very thorough guide to the awarding .

  • Expect at advice from past winners. In that location are lots of not bad advice out there, simply in an involvement to not overload yous, hither are my personal peak choices. You tin observe more in my examples table at the bottom of the folio.

    • Mallory Ladd - If you can follow her schedule, y'all should be more than prepared

    • Claire Bowen - Lots of communication interleaved with excerpts from successful essays

    • DJ Strouse - Applied under old organisation, simply still great advice.

    • Blengineers - Fun video series of application tips

  • Read an example essay. I have posted all of my essays (and others) as well as my ratings sheets at the lesser of this folio and organized into them into a table . Personally, I establish this extremely useful and I accept to give credit to two University of Wisconsin NSF GRFP winners who shared their essays with me, without which I was struggling on how to start the application.

  • Check out an old guide for reviewers.

  • For current discussions on the application process, check out this years NSF GRFP discussion at The GradCafe Forums . Some past years discussions include: 2020-2021 , 2019-2020 , 2018-2019, 2017-2018 , 2016-2017 , 2015-2016 , 2014-2015 , 2013-2014 , 2012-2013 , 2011-2012 , and 2010-2011 .

  • Every essay should address both Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts.

  • Each essay needs explicit headers of Intellectual Merit / Broader Impacts .

  • NSF GRFP funds the person, not the project. The most of import selection you make is designating the primary field (Chemical science vs Physics & Astronomy, etc). The subfield is less important. If you are an undergrad doing research, I would strongly propose to brand your research proposal related to what you are currently researching as long equally: 1. you are going to apply to programs in the same primary field and 2. there is at least a modest run a risk (even if merely a few percent) that you could practice something related to your proposal in graduate school. NSF volition not strength you to follow through with the research; instead they just want to see that yous can actually write a proposal. I personally wrote about my undergraduate research. It was in physics and I just applied to physics graduate schools (so aforementioned primary field), but I was not certain I wanted to continue with it in graduate schoolhouse, and in fact it concluded up being impossible since I did not get into any graduate schools with anyone doing enquiry in my proposed subfield.

  • Write for a full general scientific discipline audience and presume the reviewer is in your primary field, merely non your subfield. This is NSF's tentative review panels , you lot can run into that the only guarantee is that the reviewer is in your master field.

  • Ask for messages of reference early and gently remind your writers of the borderline. Get a diverse set of letter writers. I had my current adviser (who was doing enquiry like to what I proposed), a past research adviser, and my boss at a tutoring centre. Therefore, I had two letters addressing my intellectual merit, while 1 letter addressed broader impacts.

  • Ask for help. Your current university probably has a writing heart. Don't be shy, they will dearest to aid you lot. Likewise attempt request around your section to discover students who take applied previously.

(Below is direct text from NSF but with sentences cut and added highlights)

General Review Criteria

In considering applications, reviewers are instructed to accost the 2 Merit Review Criteria as canonical by the National Science Board - Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts. Therefore, applicants must include separate statements on Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts in their written statements in order to provide reviewers with the information necessary to evaluate the application with respect to both Criteria as detailed below.

Reviewers volition exist asked to evaluate all proposals against two criteria:

  • Intellectual Merit: the potential to advance knowledge

  • Broader Impacts: the potential to do good society and contribute to the achievement of specific, desired societal outcomes.

The post-obit elements should be considered in the review for both criteria:

  1. What is the potential for the proposed activity to

    1. Accelerate noesis and understanding within its own field or beyond unlike fields (Intellectual Merit); and

    2. Do good lodge or advance desired societal outcomes (Broader Impacts)?

  2. To what extent do the proposed activities suggest and explore artistic, original, or potentially transformative concepts?

  3. Is the programme for carrying out the proposed activities well-reasoned, well-organized, and based on a audio rationale ? Does the plan incorporate a mechanism to assess success ?

  4. How well qualified is the individual, squad, or organization to acquit the proposed activities?

  5. Are in that location adequate resource available to the PI (either at the home system or through collaborations) to comport out the proposed activities?

Extra details on Broader Impacts: (additional tips from NSF here )

Broader impacts may be achieved through the research itself , through the activities that are directly related to specific research projects , or through activities that are supported past, but are complementary to, the projection . NSF values the advancement of scientific knowledge and activities that contribute to accomplishment of societally relevant outcomes. Such outcomes include, but are not limited to: full participation of women, persons with disabilities, and underrepresented minorities in scientific discipline, applied science, engineering, and mathematics (STEM); improved STEM pedagogy and educator development at any level; increased public scientific literacy and public engagement with science and technology; improved well-beingness of individuals in society; evolution of a various, globally competitive Stalk workforce; increased partnerships betwixt academia, industry, and others; improved national security; increased economic competitiveness of the US; and enhanced infrastructure for inquiry and education.

Merit Review Criteria specific to the GRFP

  • Intellectual Merit Benchmark : the potential of the applicant to advance cognition based on a holistic assay of the consummate application, including the Personal, Relevant Groundwork, and Time to come Goals Statement, Graduate Research Plan Statement, strength of the bookish tape, description of previous enquiry feel or publication/presentations, and references.

  • Broader Impacts Criterion : the potential of the bidder for futurity broader impacts as indicated by personal experiences, professional experiences, educational experiences and hereafter plans.

Review Criteria: My Two Cents

Here is how I similar to think of the review criteria, signal by indicate.

  1. How would answering this research question alter scientific discipline (Intellectual Merit) or social club (Broader Impacts)?

  2. Why should I fund you lot specifically, and not just this research question? What innovation exercise you lot specifically bring to the table?

  3. Is there a detailed plan? With built in measures of success?

  4. What are your qualifications?

  5. Can you actual carry out the needed inquiry?

At the end of each essay, yous should exist able to check off how you answered each point to a higher place for BOTH Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts.

Personal Statement, Relevant Groundwork, and Future Goals: Essay Prompt from NSF

Prompt in 2021:

Delight outline your educational and professional development plans and career goals. How do yous envision graduate school preparing your for a career that allows y'all to contribute to expanding scientific understanding as well as broadly benefit society?

Additional prompt previously provided by NSF:

Describe your personal, educational, and/or professional experiences that motivate your decision to pursue advanced study in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM). Include specific examples of any inquiry and/or professional activities in which you have participated. Nowadays a curtailed clarification of the activities, highlight the results and hash out how these activities have prepared you to seek a graduate degree. Specify your office in the activity including the extent to which you worked independently and/or equally office of a team. Describe the contributions of your activity to advancing noesis in Stem fields every bit well as the potential for broader impacts (See Solicitation, Section VI, for more information about Broader Impacts).

NSF Fellows are expected to get globally engaged knowledge experts and leaders who tin can contribute significantly to research, education, and innovations in scientific discipline and engineering. The purpose of this essay is to demonstrate your potential to satisfy this requirement. Your ideas and examples practice not take to exist bars necessarily to the subject that you have chosen to pursue.

Personal Statement, Relevant Background, and Futurity Goals Essay: My Ii Cents

Based on the new emphasis NSF GRFP general requirements, I would write the essay in three main sections with ii subsections for Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts.

  1. Personal Statement (~i page). This is where you tell your unique story of either how yous became interested in scientific discipline, what makes yous special, and/or whatsoever unique perspective you bring to scientific discipline. Smashing place to mention if you had to overcome whatsoever hardships or would be adding to the diversity of the STEM field. Definitely employ this section to highlight Broader Impacts.

  2. Relevant Background (~1 page). Hopefully y'all already accept research feel, so explicate how that has prepared you for success in graduate school and beyond. Mainly utilise this section for Intellectual Merit, simply also highly the Broader Impacts of your research experience.

  3. Future Goals (~1/2 page). This is where you tie your personal background and scientific background into i cohesive vision for the future.

  4. Intellectual Merit (~one/4 page). Conclude the essay by summarizing all of your contributions to Intellectual Merit. Brand sure this is an explicit header.

  5. Broader Affect (~1/iv page). Conclude the essay past summarizing all of your contributions to Broader Impact. Brand sure this is an explicit header.

Graduate Inquiry Statement: Essay Prompt from NSF

Present an original research topic that you would like to pursue in graduate school. Describe the research thought, your general approach, as well equally whatever unique resources that may be needed for accomplishing the research goal (i.east. access to national facilities or collections, collaborations, overseas work, etc). Y'all may cull to include important literature citations. Address the potential of the research to advance knowledge and understanding within science as well as the potential for broader impacts on gild. The inquiry discussed must be in a field listed in the Solicitation (Section Ten, Fields of Study).

Graduate Research Statement: My 2 Cents

I would recommend structuring the essay every bit follows:

  1. Introduction

    • Introduce the scientific problem and its affect on science and society (accent on Review Criteria 1)

  2. Inquiry Plan

    • Show the major steps that need to be achieved

    • What is the artistic part of your arroyo?

    • Have you thought of alternatives for hard or crucial steps?

    • What skills practice you have to make this plan successful?

  3. Intellectual Merit

    • Have a articulate header for this section

    • Clearly demonstrate that tackling this problem will make an bear upon and advance scientific discipline

    • Try to summarize how you lot striking all v Review Criteria

  4. Broader Impacts

    • Have a articulate header for this section

    • Paragraphs to accost how this research impacts all five Review Criteria.

  5. Decision

    • (Optional). Could use the Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts sections as conclusion. If not, eastnd with several sentences summarizing your projection.

This essay will be Intellectual Merit heavy, just still needs to address Broader Impacts. Show why the broader scientific community / lodge should care well-nigh your inquiry!

Examples of Successful Essays

These are all the essays of recent winners that I could find online. If you want me to link to an example on your website, or if you are willing to share your essays just don't have a site, I can add it to the table if you fill up out the contact form below .

Some notes:

  • Click here to utilize your own sort / filters to the table.

  • Remember the format changed starting in 2014!

  • If I couldn't effigy out the year, I filled in 2013 for one-time format and 2014 for new formats.

  • Proposal Cavalcade --- Graduate Enquiry Plan ( >= 2014) or Proposed Enquiry ( <= 2013)

  • Personal Column --- Personal, Relevant Background, and Futurity Goals ( >= 2014) or Personal ( <= 2013)

  • Previous Column --- Previous Research Argument ( <= 2013 just)

  • HM = Honorable Mention

  • Tin can't find an instance in your surface area? Tip from GradCafe Forum: politely e-mail past winners!

  • I've linked to a lot of sites, let me know if any links break! A suggested fix is even better :)

  • Case essays below, or open in Google Drive

NSF GRFP Examples