My Dream Program and Funding

[zigazowohnow]

Okay, so the program that may accept me wants to put me on an Institutional Research Training Grant, which is great if all goes well BUT I'm curious to know what is the difference between this type of NRSA and Individual NRSA's??? (FYI: NRSA=National Research Service Award

Comments

[ravenword]

Well, you can still list both on your CV under "awards." I think it is more prestigious to win an individual NRSA, since that would mean that you wrote the grant yourself. Institutions seem to vary in how they choose students to put on their training grants. At some, the training grant is for a very specific research area, so students who want to study that area can apply to go on the training grant. At other places, the training grant is meant to cover all first-years who haven't picked a lab yet. You should ask your program for more info about this particular training grant and what it means. And if you have the opportunity to apply for individual awards in the future, do it! The more awards, the better... (and many schools give you a stipend bonus even if the award you win is small).