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
– 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
(mdwilli@ufl.edu)
2/9
Should you apply?
• Many professors will say…
– “3.98 GPA and >1500 GRE or don’t bother”
• 2003-2007 UF Winner (28) Stats:
GPA
GRE V
GRE Q
Mean
3.84
590
740
Median
3.9
590
760
• Women and minorities: You’re crazy if you don’t
apply!
10/12/09
Matt Williams
(mdwilli@ufl.edu)
3/9
Essays
Intellectual Merit
… make or break you
• They will
Broader Impacts
• You need
to are
stand
out impacts of the proposed
• What
the broader
activity? to the prompt and rubric
• Pay attention
• How well does the activity advance discovery and
• Revise,understanding
revise, revise
while...
promoting teaching, training, and
– … then
have others read it and revise some more.
learning?
well does the
proposed
activity broaden the
• Express• How
excitement
and
be positive
participation of underrepresented groups (e.g., gender,
– Neverethnicity,
“I hope”;
alwaysgeographic,
“I will ” etc.)?
disability,
what extent will it enhance the infrastructure for
• Broader• To
Impacts
research
and education,
such as facilities,
– Should
permeate
all your essays
instrumentation, networks, and partnerships?
– Common
examples:
• Will the results be disseminated broadly to enhance
• Dissemination
your research
results
scientific andof
technological
understanding?
• Your
goalmay
of being
professorof(and
thus a mentor)
• What
be thea benefits
the proposed
activity to
society?
10/12/09
Matt Williams
(mdwilli@ufl.edu)
4/9
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
(mdwilli@ufl.edu)
5/9
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.”
10/12/09
Matt Williams
(mdwilli@ufl.edu)
6/9
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?
10/12/09
Matt Williams
(mdwilli@ufl.edu)
7/9
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!
10/12/09
Matt Williams
(mdwilli@ufl.edu)
8/9
Questions?
• Thanks for listening!
10/12/09
Matt Williams
(mdwilli@ufl.edu)
9/9