FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Question:
Do I need to include an official or unofficial transcript?
 
Answer:
No.  The transcript requirement has been removed.  Any mention of a transcript in the application was merely overlooked in the editing process, and needs to be removed.  Please inform the CTF Director.
 
 
Question:
I know my name is not supposed to be on the application (except for Part I), but someone else wrote my name on the application [mentor, registrar, conference e-mail, etc...].  What should I do?
 
Answer:
You should black out your name.  Blackout ONLY your name, and not the surrounding sentence(s).  If you are not able to black out your name, the CTF Director will do so before handing your application to the reviewers.
 
 
Question:
I don't know if I am eligible to apply because I am in the XYZ department/school.  Does that count as being in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS)?
 
Answer:
I am not sure.  If you do not know if you are enrolled in the GSAS, then please contact your registrar.  If you still aren't sure, you can ask me.  My usual first course of action is to check Yale Phonebook.  Sometimes, the phonebook is able to give a quick answer.  Occasionally, someone's status is unclear until after we have made an award decision, at which point the financial aid office informs us that there is a problem.  So, first, contact your registrar, then contact the CTF director.  If we still don't know, the CTF director will attempt to resolve the issue.
 
 
Question:
The place I wish to travel to is not a conference but a...XYZ, is this covered by the CTF?
I would like to go on multiple conferences, each costing $300, is this covered by the CTF?
 
Answer:
You are eligible for the CTF if the conference/seminar/event you are going to is an academic setting where you are presenting your work.  If you have been invited to give a seminar at a university as part of a large seminar series, this may also be eligible, depending on the circumstances.
As for multiple conferences, this is not allowed at this time.  The CTF can only be used to fund the costs of a single conference.  You are not eligible to win back-to-back CTF awards during back-to-back cycles.
 
 
Question:
I just found out about the CTF, and the deadline is in 48 hours!

Answer:
Phew!  Luckily, you have 48 hours before you need to turn it in!  :)  The deadline is a hard deadline.
 
 
Question:
When is the actual time deadline on the final day of submission?

Answer:
You should try to drop off the form no later than 2pm.  The deadline is when the office locks its door for the day.  Anything not handed in by the time the office closes (4 or 5pm) may not be accepted.  Give yourself a couple of extra hours, just in case.  2pm is the recommended deadline.  5pm is a hard deadline.
 

Question:
How should my application be handed in?  Anything specific?
 
Answer:
There is a specific protocol that should be followed.
1.  Fill out your application using the Word file, if possible.
2.  Print out your application (single sided).  Fill out any remaining parts (signatures) using pen (any color is fine).
3.  Staple or clip your application together.  Either is fine.
4.  Put your application into a folder or envelope.
5.  Label the folder/envelope as follows:

"YOUR NAME"
"GSA CTF Application"
"month+year"

Turning in your application in such a fashion will make losing part of your application almost impossible.  As an added bonus, following this procedure will make the job of anyone who collects the applications much easier.
 

Question:
Are electronic submissions allowed?
 
Answer:
For most people, NO.    THE ONLY electronic submissions that are accepted are for applicants who are residing away from Yale for academic reasons or critically important personal reasons.  These individuals should contact the CTF Director well in advance of the deadline to make sure they understand what to do and how to do it.  A physical hard copy will still be needed, but an electronic back up copy may be accepted in some cases.  This exception exists because we have had to disqualify applicant(s) who have been out of the country and have relied upon a registrar who did not properly turn in their application. 


Question:
When should I expect to know if I have received an award?
Will I receive an acknowledgment that my application is under review?  
 
Answer:
The Conference Travel Fund prides itself on doing a thorough, but quick, review of all applications.  The exact amount of time required to review all applications varies from cycle to cycle, but 3-4 weeks is not uncommon.
Upon submitting your application, you will receive first word from the CTF Director when your application is judged to either be eligible or ineligible.  After this, you will receive a second notification informing you as to whether we have been able to fund your request.
 

Question:
What is the funding rate?
Will I be fully funded?
 
Answer:
This varies by the cycle.  A 40-65% funding rate of total applications is not unusual, but we make no guarantees. 
Most applications are not fully funded, but one never knows.  We purposefully do not reveal how much each applicant receives or does not receive.  Every cycle we get requests for far more money than we have to award to students going to conferences.
 
Question:
What criteria does the Selection Committee use to determine whether or not they will fund me?
 
Answer:
The main criteria are career importance and need.  A fifth-year student giving a talk at the most important conference in her field, introducing her thesis results just before going on the job market, will be ranked ahead of a second-year going to a graduate-students-only workshop.  And a historian who has budgeted a bare-bones trip to present at his first ever conference, but still will need to cough up hundreds of dollars of his own money, will be considered preferentially to the biologist who is attending her third conference of the year and whose advisor or department will fund the trip if she doesn't win the award.

_______________________________________________
Adding/editing FAQ page.
-chris 9/18/08