NSF Graduate Research Fellowship

[Wapote84]

Hey everyone,


So I am currently looking into fellowships and research funding for my graduate study. I was wondering if anyone knows anything regarding the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. I know their website says the following:

Clinical and counseling psychology programs are not supported in this program. Clinical study includes patient-oriented research, epidemiological and behavioral studies, outcomes research and health services research. Clinical study includes, for example, investigations to provide evidence leading to a scientific basis for consideration of a change in health policy or standard of care, and includes pharmacologic, non-pharmacologic, and behavioral interventions for disease prevention, prophylaxis, diagnosis, or therapy. Community- and other population-based intervention trials are also included. Applicants in clinical or counseling psychology graduate programs are ineligible even if the proposed graduate research may be classified under one of the NSF-supported fields of psychology.

I have heard conflicting anecdotes concerning the feasibility of getting funded for non-clinical related research. My current research interests aren't focused on clinical populations or clinical work. I am debating on whether or not I should even try to apply for this fellowship or not. Anyway, if anyone has any insight on this I would greatly appreciate it.

Does anyone know of any other similar fellowships?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[AlaskanJustin]

Hey everyone,


So I am currently looking into fellowships and research funding for my graduate study. I was wondering if anyone knows anything regarding the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. I know their website says the following:


I have heard conflicting anecdotes concerning the feasibility of getting funded for non-clinical related research. My current research interests aren't focused on clinical populations or clinical work. I am debating on whether or not I should even try to apply for this fellowship or not. Anyway, if anyone has any insight on this I would greatly appreciate it.

Does anyone know of any other similar fellowships?

If you are in a clinical or counseling psych program, they wont fund you regardless of what the project is on, their words "That's what NIH is for"

Wouldn't waste your time on NSF. Fair warning about any of these types, i.e., F31, DOJ, etc they all base selection on merit during your grad school training, so if you dont have a substantial track record of pubs and presentations then they won't see you as a person legitimately heading into academia...

Also, many of the awards are for doctoral work,i.e., after you have proposed.

Best wishes,

AJ

 

[nycegurl]

I emailed them last year and they said:

"Thank you for your interest in the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP).

We are still waiting for the 2011 GRFP Program Solicitation to be published; the 2011 solicitation will contain the updated guidelines for the upcoming competition. However, in general applicants in clinical and counseling psychology programs are usually ineligible even if their specific topic of research doesn't focus on the etiology, diagnosis or treatment of mental disease.

If you have any further questions, please contact this office toll-free at (866) 673-4737 or via email at [email protected]"

Hope this helps.

 

[VeggieDelight]

Someone in my cohort-- first-year, straight out of undergrad, not clinical area-- just received this. All of the first-year experimental psych students here are strongly recommended to put in an NSF app. So, it happens. For clinical students, it's probably rare, but I would consult with someone who is knowledgeable about the application process/selection guidelines.

 

[AlaskanJustin]

Someone in my cohort-- first-year, straight out of undergrad, not clinical area-- just received this. All of the first-year experimental psych students here are strongly recommended to put in an NSF app. So, it happens. For clinical students, it's probably rare, but I would consult with someone who is knowledgeable about the application process/selection guidelines.

I dont think you are getting the difference. The NSF explicitly stipulates NO clinical or counseling psych Phd... of course experimental students are eligible. Hell look at UIUC Cognitive Psych program, the majority of their students get the NSF funding... ALL non-clinical or counseling psych programs are eligible

 

[VeggieDelight]

I dont think you are getting the difference. The NSF explicitly stipulates NO clinical or counseling psych Phd... of course experimental students are eligible. Hell look at UIUC Cognitive Psych program, the majority of their students get the NSF funding... ALL non-clinical or counseling psych programs are eligible

That is not true, at least not now. I heard that in the past, clinical/counseling was not eligible, but they have relaxed this slightly. I know I have seen clinical recipients (neuro, but still clinical), and we, in the clinical program, were permitted to apply if we so chose.

 

[AlaskanJustin]

That is not true, at least not now. I heard that in the past, clinical/counseling was not eligible, but they have relaxed this slightly. I know I have seen clinical recipients (neuro, but still clinical), and we, in the clinical program, were permitted to apply if we
so chose.

hmmmmmmm ok. I mean I guess anyone can apply. Whether it is worth the time or not I suppose is a different story. If this is true, me, as someone focusing on cognitive neuroscience research should be perfectly ok applying for it.

 

[futureapppsy2]

FWIW, I actual emailed NSF this fall (October-ish, I think) about this very question, and they said that students from clinical, counseling, and school psychology programs aren't eligible. I don't know if anything's changed since then.

 

[CatoftheCanals]

Technically, if your research falls in another domain, such as developmental or neuroscience, you can still apply. We actually have a couple of clinical students who have been awarded the NSF and another that has received the honorable mention.

Usually the research has clinical implications, but the proposed research is not clinical in nature (i.e., not an intervention). But it's a fine line, and I've seen clinical students' proposals get rejected because the research is too clinical.

But the key thing is, not impossible. Very very very hard, but not impossible.

 

[cara susanna]

I've also heard that with NSF your research can't have any clinical applications.

 

[nessa34]

I've also heard that with NSF your research can't have any clinical applications.

also hearsay- but I have heard this as well. Even if applicants are not in a clinical field, having too "health-related" of a proposal will kick you out of the running. I looked into this pretty thoroughly, as I may be applying to experimental as well as clinical programs. Regardless of the program I apply to, though, my research at least is too health-related to have a chance. It seems like you have to do a lot of twisting and wiggling in your application to make it work.

It's frustrating, because there is no NIH funding until at least the second half of grad school, but NSF funds people right away (if you get it, of course!).

 

[attackemu]

I know UCLA encourages their clinical students to apply for the NSF fellowship. They did say that it doesn't always work (sometimes for reasons previously mentioned in this thread), but in the past many clinical students have been successful.

 

[PsychPhDone]

In previous years, it was possible to get funded if your project was not clinically-oriented, even if you were in a clinical program. They made the restrictions much more explicit this year, however, and this is no longer possible. I got good reviews last year, and was DQ-ed this year because of this. I spoke with NSF about the rules a few months ago, and based on that conversation, I would not bother applying if you are in a clinical or counseling program. I respect the restriction, though I do not agree with it.

Your efforts are better put into a publication.

 

[tofubam]

I know UCLA encourages their clinical students to apply for the NSF fellowship. They did say that it doesn't always work (sometimes for reasons previously mentioned in this thread), but in the past many clinical students have been successful.

I can attest to this. At UCLA, the clinical psych department has more NSF grants won by their graduate students than any other grad department on campus. They were verrrryyy proud of this point and repeatedly drilled it in during the interviews there. Of course, they don't mention in the app that they are clinical students at all; instead, they reframe their work in terms of developmental psych or social psych.

It's a fine line!

 

[MarshmallowsNOM]

Hi Guys,

Came across this on the Duke University website. I haven't looked into these yet but thought others might be interested! Here is the link to the original page in case those links don't work:
http://psychandneuro.duke.edu/graduate/apply


Below is a list of websites for the some of the most widely known predoctoral fellowship programs. Many of our current students have secured funding from these sources.

• National Science Foundation Predoctoral Fellowships
• National Institutes of Health National Research Service Awards
• Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowships for Minorities
• Howard Hughes Forum in Neuroscience
• National Defense Science Predoctoral Fellowships
• Minority Neuroscience Fellowship Program

 

[cara susanna]

I'm actually applying for one of those.

 

[doctoroxygen]

My mentor in undergrad got one of these as a second-year student - she was in clinical, but her research interests and half of her committee were in social. It can be done, but it's hard and rare.