Spring Semester 2022 Mentoring Program – Virtual
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship
Program Description
We are pleased to invite applications to participate in the GradFund Spring 2022 NSF GRF Mentoring Program – Virtual. This 7-week (February 11 – April 1) online mentoring program will consist of 5 webinars, 2 workshops (optional), and an optional one-on-one virtual advising appointment scheduled by individual participants. The goal of this program is to have participants ready to prepare and submit competitive National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship applications during the Fall 2022 application cycle.
Applying for and securing external funding to support your graduate study is an important part of your scholarly professional development. Early graduate fellowships like the NSF GRF will bring important recognition and resources to your work and will ultimately help you to complete more robust dissertation research. To write a competitive external funding application, it is critical to get started well in advance of the deadline and to dedicate an adequate time to the proposal development process.
As a participant in the GradFund Spring 2022 NSF GRF Mentoring Program – Virtual, you will work with a dedicated Fellowship Advising Team that will guide you in your preparation for this prestigious and competitive application. You will also have an opportunity to be in dialogue with fellow participants, as you work toward shared goals and mutually benefit from the support and accountability of a structured mentoring program.
The program is open to current first-year Rutgers doctoral students in NSF-funded fields who have not previously applied for the NSF GRF as graduate students and who are eligible to apply in the Fall 2022 application cycle.
The deadline to apply is February 1, 2022. You can access the application here on our Submittable Platform. To access the application, please use your Rutgers credentials to log in through the SSO button.
Please direct any questions to fellowship_advisor@gradfund.rutgers.edu.
NSF GRP Mentoring Program Schedule: February 11 – April 1, 2022
Week 1
February 11, 1–2:30 PM: Webinar #1: Introduction to GradFund, Overview of the Mentoring Program, The Funding Landscape, Applying for External Funding
Week 2
February 18, 1-2 PM: Webinar #2: Get to Know your Funder.
Mission and Goals of the NSF, Eligibility Criteria, Review Criteria, Key Questions to Ask Before Writing
Week 3
February 25, 1–2 PM: Webinar #3: Writing a Personal Statement.
Common Questions to Consider, Style and Organization, Tell Your Story, Merit Review Criteria
Week 4
March 4, 1-2:30 PM. Optional: Workshop “Personal Statement.”
Hands-on application of personal statement best practices through discussion of pre-written paragraphs and/or in-session exercises
Week 5
March 11, 1-2: Webinar #4: Writing a Research Statement.
Strong Proposal Dos, Common Structure, Merit Review Criteria
Week 6
March 25, 1-2:30 Optional: Workshop “Research Statement.”
Hands-on application of research statement best practices through discussion of pre-written paragraphs and/or in-session exercises
Week 7
April 1, 1–2 PM: Webinar #5: Next Steps.
Individual appointment: Participants are invited to schedule one individual advising appointment at https://rutgers.mywconline.com/
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