If you're planning to apply to the GRFP in Fall 2021, then this self-paced, web-based course is for you! This self-paced program guides applicants step-by-step to a compelling GRFP application. Using videos, worksheets, mini-assignments, and optional weekly office hours, this web-based course will keep applicants on track and help craft their applications to fully address the review criteria. Completing the course and assembling an application will take ~50 hours.
The Giant Angstrom NSF GRFP Preparation Course homepage is available at https://www.giantangstrom.com/grfp/.
PhD+ is sponsoring eligible students to enroll in and complete the Giant Angstrom NSF GRFP Preparation course. Any eligible student intending to apply for the GRFP in Fall 2021 may register for the course.
Register here!
Note: As part of the registration process, you are required to have the below acknowledgement form signed by your primary advisor or DGS (if you do not yet have a primary advisor).
We recommend that you register and begin the course as soon as you're able. Time is your friend when putting together this application!
The deadline to submit this form is 5pm on Wednesday, September 1, 2021. Beyond then, there will not be enough time to complete the course lessons and exercises.
Apply now or next year? (Incoming/ rising first-year graduate students)
Students may apply to the GRFP only once during graduate school. Therefore, graduate students who began (or will begin) in Summer or Fall 2021 (and meet all other eligibility criteria) have the option of submitting a GRFP application in 2021 or 2022.
Choosing when to apply is a strategic decision. First-year graduate students are compared only to other first-year graduate students; similarly, second-year graduate students are ranked relative to their peers. Therefore, applicants must stand out among their peers to be well-reviewed, and the bar for success is higher for second years than first years.
Giant Angstrom has a post discussing the “apply now or next year” decision that could aid students and their advisor/DGS in making this strategic decision. PhDPlus intends to sponsor eligible students to enroll in the NSF GRFP Preparation Course for the Fall 2022 deadline, too. Therefore, if a first-year student will benefit from waiting until their second year to apply, they will be able to take advantage of this course next year.