by Sdillon94 » Wed Mar 22, 2017 8:49 pm
Callister wrote:One thing to consider is that as a SMART scholar, you are only permitted to work 16hrs/wk. My guess is that your situation is very similar to mine: I receive full tuition and a monthly stipend; however, that is in compensation for 20hrs of work/week (in my case, as a teaching assistant). My guess is that if you only worked 16hrs/wk, your funding would be cut by 20%. Either that or you'd have to work out a deal with your SF to work the full 20hrs.
My question would be this: for tax reasons, my income includes not only my monthly stipend but my tuition assistance as well. If I enter the SMART program and continue working as a TA, would the school have to pay me the income stated on my tax form since they are no longer providing the tuition assistance?
I e-mailed the SMART scholarship program and they mentioned the same thing mentioned in other replies. The SSPP may accept funding from a private institution, but if the tuition and fees covered by your university ARE federally funded, you'd likely have to choose one over the other. I did ask about the summer work and they quoted me 18 hrs/wk, but it may be different for everyone. They also mentioned that the SSPP must attend an 8-10 week internship during the summer (during your grad studies--for me it'd be summer 2018), although if this time-frame can cause issues with thesis work/projects, it can be deferred or altered accordingly (obviously communication is KEY if you get the award).
I still haven't heard from any SF's and I may not even get a call (they mentioned that in the email stating I'd made it to the next application phase). I'm going to look closer into the funding I've already accepted from ASU, and I highly recommend at least letting your advisers/mentors know if you're even just a semi-finalist, that way your prepared for either an award or a rejection, and you have a financial game plan.
[quote="Callister"]One thing to consider is that as a SMART scholar, you are only permitted to work 16hrs/wk. My guess is that your situation is very similar to mine: I receive full tuition and a monthly stipend; however, that is in compensation for 20hrs of work/week (in my case, as a teaching assistant). My guess is that if you only worked 16hrs/wk, your funding would be cut by 20%. Either that or you'd have to work out a deal with your SF to work the full 20hrs.
My question would be this: for tax reasons, my income includes not only my monthly stipend but my tuition assistance as well. If I enter the SMART program and continue working as a TA, would the school have to pay me the income stated on my tax form since they are no longer providing the tuition assistance?[/quote]
I e-mailed the SMART scholarship program and they mentioned the same thing mentioned in other replies. The SSPP may accept funding from a private institution, but if the tuition and fees covered by your university ARE federally funded, you'd likely have to choose one over the other. I did ask about the summer work and they quoted me 18 hrs/wk, but it may be different for everyone. They also mentioned that the SSPP must attend an 8-10 week internship during the summer (during your grad studies--for me it'd be summer 2018), although if this time-frame can cause issues with thesis work/projects, it can be deferred or altered accordingly (obviously communication is KEY if you get the award).
I still haven't heard from any SF's and I may not even get a call (they mentioned that in the email stating I'd made it to the next application phase). I'm going to look closer into the funding I've already accepted from ASU, and I highly recommend at least letting your advisers/mentors know if you're even just a semi-finalist, that way your prepared for either an award or a rejection, and you have a financial game plan.