NSF GRFP Applicant Fellowship Mentor Consultation Program
About the Program
The Graduate and Postdoctoral Scholars Resource Center (GPSRC) offers fellowship mentorship support to graduate students applying to the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP). All Fellowship Mentors have received NSF-GRFP awards and/or a honorable mention, and are trained to mentor you through the process of creating your own stellar application in a supportive environment. We also present a Roadmap for crafting high-stakes applications that takes you from pre-writing to polished statements, which we encourage you to use and adapt as you chart your path towards success.
Services Offered
Eligibility
Use this roadmap to chart your route to a successful fellowship application! This roadmap is developed by the Mentorship Alliance and based on the NSF GRFP Primer written by Dr. William Head, who has served as a reviewer for the NSF GRFP Fellowship program and has mentored many students through a successful fellowship application process. The goal of this roadmap is to empower you to find your own way through the application process by offering you engaging modules for each milestone along the way.
Below is an example roadmap schematic that includes many of the pre-writing milestones we encourage you to work through. All of the milestones and strategies in this example roadmap are explained in detail as you work through the “Roadmap for Crafting High-Stakes Fellowship Applications.”
Fellowship Mentors are trained to help you at any stage of your application! There are two general stages of the application process: the pre-writing stage, and the statement draft stage.
Pre-writing Support:
Not sure how to start? Struggling to put your ideas on paper? Fellowship Mentors are trained to guide you through a variety of pre-writing methods to get the ball rolling and your ideas flowing. With our pre-writing framework you’ll develop a writing ritual and, working with your CV, mindmaps, and storyboards you’ll construct the framework of your statements that meet the merit review criteria at a benchmark level and that wow the fellowship reviewers!
Statement Draft Support:
Work with the Fellowship Mentors to design your statement structure, develop your key statements, hone your narrative, and polish your statements. Bring an early draft or a more polished version of your personal statement or your research statement to the consultation. Mentors are trained to work with you regardless of your research discipline.
Is This Process Worth It?
If your goal is to create a benchmark fellowship application, working through the Fellowship Application Modules while meeting consistently with Fellowship Mentors will get you there!
The Fellowship Application Modules introduce you to concepts and techniques important for fellowship writing so that you have the power to develop, revise, and polish your application statements. As you work through the Modules, you’ll draw your fellowship application roadmap, set application milestones, and establish a game plan. You’ll learn about fellowship review criteria, develop a routine for a successful application process, utilize the 4 Pillars framework as you craft mindmaps, storyboards, and statement drafts, and put on the reviewer’s lens as you revise and edit your statements to a benchmark level. This is a challenging process but it can guide you to a successful application and will prepare you for future fellowship, scholarship, and grant applications.
To support you along your application journey, Fellowship Mentors will help you get to know the fellowship through the lens of the reviewer and will hold you accountable to your application roadmap. Through one-on-one consultations and drop-in hours, they’ll help you understand how reviewers use the merit review criteria to appraise applications. Mentors will guide you through the different writing stages that include pre-writing, drafting, revising, editing, polishing, and submitting! Working with Fellowship Mentors, you’ll set up your writing ritual and create a cadence of commitment and accountability.
Mentor Meetings
One-on-One Consultations:
Fellowship Mentors will meet with you for a 50 minute virtual consultation. They can help you with pre-writing, review your application materials, provide constructive feedback and direct you to helpful resources. All Fellowship Mentors are NSF-GRFP awardees or have received honorable mentions and can share tips on submitting a competitive proposal. After booking you will receive a pop up with the mentor’s email, you must send them your drafts/materials 24 hours prior to your session so they have time to review.
Book A One-On-One Appointment Here
Read the NSF GRFP 2025 Solicitation Here
Prepare For Your One-On-One Consultation
Prepare for your consultation to maximize your time with the mentors!
- Expect to meet one-on-one with a Fellowship Mentor for 50 minutes on Zoom.
- Be specific about your needs. When booking your consultation, indicate if you are seeking Pre-Writing Support or Statement Draft Support and whether you want to focus on the personal statement, the research plan, or another aspect of the application.
- If this is your first pre-writing consultation, bring an updated CV.
- After booking you must email your mentor the materials you will be reviewing a minimum of 24 hours in advance. (You will receive a CampusGroup message after booking with your mentors email address as well as a calendar invite and zoom link)
- Write down your questions ahead of time and include specific questions when you book your consultation.
- Review the eligibility criteria for the fellowship that you are applying for to make sure you are eligible.
- Review the Roadmap and identify where you are in the process. Are there any steps you can take before your consultation?
- Be prepared to screen share your materials. Test your camera and audio prior to your appointment.
- Be prepared to read your writing out loud. This will feel strange. However, it is an effective method that helps writers hear the problems they can’t see and will significantly improve your writing.
- Be receptive to feedback. Fellowship Mentors are trained to listen, ask questions, and provide feedback to help you strengthen your application materials in a supportive setting.
- Please provide a 24 hour notice to the fellowship mentor if you must reschedule the consultation.
Fellowship Mentors are available to work with you wherever you are in the process. Don’t wait to start the application process – book your consultation on come to a drop-in hour today!
All mentors are trained to assist in all fields! Mentoring spots are limited. If one mentor is fully booked or their times do not work with you, please select another mentor even if they are not in your field.
All mentors have received an NSF-GRFP award of honorable mention.
You can book with a specific mentor by clicking on their bio below
Hi, I’m Gabriella, and I’m a PhD candidate in Political Science. My work explores critical questions of power and security in international relations. I’ve worked as a GRFP writing coach for several years now, and I’m excited to be back this year to support applicants through what can feel like an overwhelming process. My belief is that the proposals come from conversation, reflection, and attention to both clarity and depth, and I’m especially committed to supporting first-generation, international, and underrepresented students as they navigate the application process.
I’m looking forward to meeting with you!
Book with Gabriella here
Hi! My name is Anthea and I’m a fourth-year Materials Science and Engineering PhD student in Prof. Stacy Copp’s Molecular Nanomaterials research group. My work focuses on the design and photophysics of novel biocompatible fluorophores for deep-tissue imaging. I’m excited about the potential of interdisciplinary research to solve problems in the biomedical field.
Outside of the lab, I enjoy watercolor painting, working in my garden, and weightlifting. This is my second year as a fellowship mentor, and I look forward to meeting you and supporting you through the NSF-GRFP application process!
Book with Anthea here
My name is Berenice, and I am a third-year Ph.D. candidate in Chemistry in the Smith Research Group. My research focuses on investigating the organic composition of non-exhaust vehicle emissions, particularly brake wear particles, and their implications for air quality and climate. As a first-generation college student, I am passionate about supporting students as they navigate graduate school, research, and fellowship opportunities. I have mentored graduate and undergraduate students through Next Gen Pathways Program, Chemunity, the Graduate–Undergraduate Mentorship Program, and SURF. Outside of the lab, I enjoy gardening, exercising, and reading.
Book with Berenice here
I am a second year PhD student in the Earth Systems Science department at UC Irvine, working with Dr. Angela Rigden to understand plant interactions with the atmosphere and the critical role of soil moisture in plant productivity. My focus for my PhD is to deepen my expertise in hydrology and how the water cycle is transforming under a changing climate. Before joining UCI, I completed my undergraduate study at the University of North Carolina, graduating with Honors and degrees in Geology and Geography. During my undergraduate studies, I researched Indigenous relationships to land in the Ecuadorian Amazon and did flood modeling for Hurricane Helene in Asheville, NC. In the future, I want to become an educator and researcher for students of all backgrounds and get them excited about our Earth. Outside of research, I am interested in hiking, reading, and watching sports.
Book with Valeria here
Hi, my name is Skylar, I’m a second-year PhD student in the department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. As a student in the Daley lab, my research is all about unsteady locomotion. My work in particular aims to understand the control of bipedal locomotion by studying humans and guinea fowl in running perturbation experiments. I got my undergraduate degree at Georgia Tech while learning biomechanics research. Outside of the lab I love reading, writing, playing basketball, and exploring new cities. As a fist generation student, the journey to graduate school was confusing without guidance. I aim to help other students navigate this experience while developing creative and competitive applications and setting them up for future research success.
Book with Skylar here
Hello! My name is Claire Benjamin and I am a second year PhD student in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. I work with Dr. Judit Romhanyi in the field of quantum magnetism where I study how quantum computations can be performed using entangled spin systems.
I grew up in Los Angeles and completed my undergraduate studies at Scripps College where I double majored in Physics and Writing and Rhetoric. I spent a year in Budapest, Hungary on a Fulbright scholarship working on my physics research and immersing myself in the culture. In my free time, I love hiking and going to the beach, reading fantasy novels, playing music, and petting furry creatures!
I look forward to bringing together my passion and knowledge in writing and science to help students on their NSF-GRFP application process.
Book with Claire here
Hi! My name is Karina and I am starting my second year as a PhD candidate in the Biomedical Engineering department. My research in the Pathak lab focuses on exploring Piezo1, a mechanically activated ion channel, and its role in neural development and cholesterol metabolism in physiological and Alzheimer’s disease conditions. I earned my B.S in Bioengineering from Northeastern University in Boston, MA.
Outside of lab I enjoy working out, trying new recipes, and spending time at the beach. I am passionate about increasing accessibility in higher education among students from underrepresented backgrounds. I am excited to support students through the NSF-GRFP application process and hope to make it less daunting.
Book with Karina here
Hi, I’m Christian, and I’m a 4th year Ph.D. Student in Psychology. My research examines the social-psychological mechanisms driving intergroup conflict, particularly the role of morality in understanding political polarization. As a first-generation college student, I understand the impact of strong mentorship and am passionate about providing students with the proper resources needed to thrive in personal and professional settings. I have mentored many students through Ph.D. applications and several friends with their NSF GRFP proposals, so I look forward to working with the next generation of aspiring applicants. Outside academia I enjoy spending time with family and friends, trivia nights, discovering new happy hours, and playing basketball/volleyball. I look forward to chatting with you!
Book with Christian here
Meet The Mentorship Alliance
Fellowship Mentors are trained by the Mentorship Alliance. The Mentorship Alliance works within and among partnering institutions to build sustainable, equitable, evidence-based, and high-impact mentorship capacity to serve graduate and undergraduate students. The Mentorship Alliance is composed of graduate and undergraduate students across various disciplines at nine universities: UC Irvine, UC Santa Cruz, Oregon State University, University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, Yale University, Stanford University, University of Southern California, San Jose State University, and Cal State University at Monterey Bay. If you’d like to learn more about the Mentorship Alliance, please email our UCI Representative, Maya Silverman, at msilver2@uci.edu.