(no subject)

[meanfreepath]

Doc and Chris both seem to be of the opinion that I should apply for an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. The deadline is next Monday.

The meat of the application will be three 2-page essays: a personal statement, a description of previous research, and a proposed plan of research. The personal statment and description of previous research should be manageable, in that I've had to write stuff like that for the Churchill application and for my thesis. The proposed plan of research - tougher. You get to put down a school where you'd like to do the research, if you haven't already been accepted. Given what I know about plasmas, I think I will do something involving the MRX experiment at Princeton - basically similar magnetic reconnection physics to what I've done in SSX. Although I'm not sure I'd actually want to work there... I've heard some things about the PI really driving his graduate students hard.

Here's the question: should I do this or not? If I want to apply for this, it will mean a lot of work and not much sleep this week. Is it worth trying to apply for something like this or would the time be better spent studying for the Physics GRE? For if I don't pull off a respectable performance on that, I might as well kiss my plans for graduate school goodbye.

The Wise Physics Alums out there (and anyone else who cares to weigh in) are hereby asked for their advice...

Comments

[rose_garden.livejournal.com]

Tough question.

I say: go ahead and apply for the NSF fellowship. The Physics GRE is just a dumb test. (DO make sure you get lots of sleep the night before the Physics GRE!)

[sildra.livejournal.com]

One bit of advice is when applying for the NSF fellowship you don't actually have to want to do what you're describing. They just want you to demonstrate that you can write a good proposal. You might not even get into the school that you're writing about, but you still get to keep the (very large) NSF fellowship.

In any case, sleep is the most important thing. You can reapply for the NSF fellowship next year--I have a friend who was rejected when she applied as a senior but was accepted when she applied as a first year grad student.

[obcordate.livejournal.com]

Just do you best-- that is, find a comfortable balance. Best with stuff.