General Application Questions

Answers to various questions regarding the SMART Scholarship application process. Includes many tips and statistics.
picogomez

General Application Questions

Post by picogomez »

Hello,

Can anyone provide some insight into....

- Who makes the best LOR, industry or academia?
- What is the best way of approaching statements? How specific should one be in speaking of DoD research?

2012_UMD

Re: General Application Questions

Post by 2012_UMD »

picogomez wrote:Hello,

Can anyone provide some insight into....

- Who makes the best LOR, industry or academia?
- What is the best way of approaching statements? How specific should one be in speaking of DoD research?
Pick people who've seen your work the most, and who you also trust their writing ability (and ability to meet deadlines). This, to me, would suggest academia since professors are more used to writing LORs. But, don't just pick someone who you've taken a bunch of classes from; it's all about research experience.

In your statements, highlight what drew you to pick the facilities you did (for your top 3). Highlight how your prior research fits in with them, and also make sure to highlight any interdisciplinary elements of your research. The military is looking for strong applied researchers, so you want to show that you can think holistically and putside the box that is your academic distinction.

Those are my two cents.

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