The Unofficial SMART Scholarship Forum

About a week into summer after I applied last year I received an email that stated I was declined for the award. The following week I was told that the amount of awards has increased and I was back in the running. Then another week after that I was informed I had been awarded the scholarship, all without any interview ever taking place. On the other hand a friend of mine from the same college DID get an interview with a SF but didn't get the award. So I think I can say with a high degree of certainty that just because you do or don't receive a call/interview doesn't indicate at all your standing whether you'll receive the award or not. So I would say you still have a chance to be awarded just as much as someone who has had an interview already. Best of luck!

I was offered the scholarship without an interview. Occasionally the SFs are offered additional SMART spots on little notice and they don't have time to interview candidates. I was told that's what happened with me.

Good luck!

I wouldn't worry too much about not being contacted yet. From what I've read about past years, a lot of SFs do emails and phone calls in March. Also only two semifinalists on this forum have said they've been contacted so far, so if that's any metric I'd say you shouldn't be feeling nervous at this point. Most SMART FAQs just say that 'some SFs do not reach out to applicants they will recommend', but maybe someone who has received an award can touch on that.

Hi,

I am a semifinalist, but I still haven't been emailed by a SF for an interview. I was just wondering how many semifinalists receive awards without getting an interview. It says in the semifinalist email that you still might be selected even without being contacted, so wanted to know if its rare for it to happen.

thank you