NSF GRFP

The NSF GRFP is a competitive fellowship for U.S. citizens that funds graduate students (both Master's & PhD) in STEM fields. It generally replaces or supplements your stipend and provides some additional funding to your institution. The application generally opens in July-August, closes in October, & awards are announced the following March-April.

You can apply as an undergraduate as many times as you like, but once you're enrolled in a graduate program, you can only apply once, and you cannot have completed more than one year in your graduate program. Click here for other details on eligibility.

I applied to the NSF GRFP twice - once during my last year as an undergraduate, and then again during my first year in my PhD program. My first application was unsuccessful, but my second was funded. I've made my application materials (both essays and reviewer comments) available here in the hope that they may be useful to others applying for the fellowship. The application calls for two essays, a Research Proposal & a Personal Statement, and both have two required components, Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts. The general structure of each essay section is very similar to "purpose, process, payoff" if anyone reading this is a fellow business major defector.

Your Research Proposal should be focused on a project that could hypothetically be your thesis research (it is in no way binding); at RGGS, we were told to start this essay with a brief synopsis: a paragraph or two beginning with a hook to distinguish your application from others, followed by a rough outline of your research question, hypotheses, intellectual contribution, and outreach goals (Broader Impacts). I recall my professors telling us that the Research Statement synopsis is the most vital part of the entire application: the goal is to convince the reviewers to fund you as quickly as possible, since they often have thousands of essays to read and rarely look over every detail. The Intellectual Merit section should justify your research goal: why should someone study this question? Finally, for the Broader Impacts section, the goal is to tie your research into some kind of specific, achievable outreach goal. Keep in mind that you are not bound to actually do what you propose, but you must show that you can propose and justify realistic, hypothetically attainable research & outreach goals.

Your Personal Statement should give an overview of your academic background and qualifications, and expand upon your Broader Impacts goals. This essay is also an opportunity to distinguish yourself from the thousands of other applicants - don't be afraid to show some personality! For this essay, the Intellectual Merit section is where you can elaborate on your research background and specific qualifications, and tie them to the goals in your Research Proposal: what did you do, what did you learn, what is the outcome? In the Broader Impacts section, give an overview of the outreach that you have already done and elaborate on specific projects, specific audiences, and specific outcomes for your outreach during grad school.

Always have an advisor or other trusted mentor review your application materials before you submit them. Another set of eyes will undoubtedly catch silly mistakes that you will miss, and they will of course be able to provide valuable feedback about your goals from a different perspective. If you've been working on your essays all day, it's a good idea to let it sit for a day or so before looking at it again - you will catch more mistakes after taking a break from it than you would if you were to just pick it up and resume working again. If at all possible, print out near-final drafts of your essays and proof the hard copies - it may seem silly, but, again, you will catch mistakes that you may not notice on a screen (and your reviewers may very well be reading hard copies themselves). Be very careful about who you choose to write your letters of recommendation - be sure to pick people who have actually seen you at work (e.g., advisors, research mentors), and who will speak positively of you (I've heard of too many instances of negative letters of rec...). The application only requires three, but you should ask four or five, just in case one of them misses the deadline. Ask your letter writers as far in advance as you can, and don't hesitate to remind them as the deadline approaches.

Finally, always, always, ALWAYS aim to have your application done well in advance of the deadline!!! This way, you'll have time to deal with any technical issues during the submission process, and you'll have breathing room in the event of any unexpected life events.

Some general essay writing advice: Pay very close attention to the most recent formatting guidelines - if you don't, your application could be rejected without consideration for something as simple as font size. Use bold, italic, and/or underlined font strategically - use it to emphasize key points, and be careful not to overdo it (which will mask the emphasis it's meant to provide). You will likely have a lot to say and not enough space to say it, as there are strict length limits, so be as concise and precise in your phrasing as you can - cut any words that aren't absolutely necessary, and avoid long words whenever possible. Target your goals to your institution (intended institution, if you're still an undergrad) - for your research goals, talk about the utilization of institutional resources, and for your Broader Impacts sections, specify the communities you intend to work with.

Good luck, and feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions!

2019 Application - Rejected

2020 Application - Successful