Second Thoughts....

General Discussion for SMART Scholarship Recipients
Guest

Second Thoughts....

Post by Guest »

Is anyone still considering leaving the program even though the contract changes have been rescinded? I am still a little worried that down the road things could change again and leave me in a bad situation. This scholarship was so appealing because of the security it provided but now it seems as if there is actually little to no security.

Guest22

Re: Second Thoughts....

Post by Guest22 »

Guest wrote:Is anyone still considering leaving the program even though the contract changes have been rescinded? I am still a little worried that down the road things could change again and leave me in a bad situation. This scholarship was so appealing because of the security it provided but now it seems as if there is actually little to no security.
Not too concerned. They just got their budget slashed by like 30-40% or something I think. I doubt it's going to get much worse than that in the future. The precedent at this point is, even with extensive budget cuts, we need to maintain current scholars and simply cut back on future scholars. I'm okay with that.

Guest

Re: Second Thoughts....

Post by Guest »

Guest22 wrote:
Guest wrote:Is anyone still considering leaving the program even though the contract changes have been rescinded? I am still a little worried that down the road things could change again and leave me in a bad situation. This scholarship was so appealing because of the security it provided but now it seems as if there is actually little to no security.
Not too concerned. They just got their budget slashed by like 30-40% or something I think. I doubt it's going to get much worse than that in the future. The precedent at this point is, even with extensive budget cuts, we need to maintain current scholars and simply cut back on future scholars. I'm okay with that.
This is good for the remainder of Phase 1, where you will be dealing with the same decision makers who came to the realization of that particular precedent. You shouldn't have to worry about them changing the contract again.

When it comes time to enter Phase 2, where the decision makers change completely, you may still end up surprised. The decision makers in Phase 1 have no real authority over the decision makers in Phase 2. It's sad, but Phase 2 decision makers in some cases do not feel the need to honor contracts that were signed between participants and Phase 1 decision makers. There is less of a possibility of this hiccup if you are not one of the first 5 or 10 scholars at your SF. Usually after 5-10 scholars have been hired into Phase 2, the SF has a precedent of honoring the SMART participant agreement.

Guest22

Re: Second Thoughts....

Post by Guest22 »

Guest wrote:
This is good for the remainder of Phase 1, where you will be dealing with the same decision makers who came to the realization of that particular precedent. You shouldn't have to worry about them changing the contract again.

When it comes time to enter Phase 2, where the decision makers change completely, you may still end up surprised. The decision makers in Phase 1 have no real authority over the decision makers in Phase 2. It's sad, but Phase 2 decision makers in some cases do not feel the need to honor contracts that were signed between participants and Phase 1 decision makers. There is less of a possibility of this hiccup if you are not one of the first 5 or 10 scholars at your SF. Usually after 5-10 scholars have been hired into Phase 2, the SF has a precedent of honoring the SMART participant agreement.
Yeah, I definitely see your point and its valid. For me though, personally, its worth the risk though. Also I have a good standing relationship with my SF (outside of SMART) and although i'm the first undergrad at my SF, I do know there are precedents established for others. Pay will be a concern though, because they haven't hired on an undergrad before through SMART. I'll get that taken care of this summer, but even worst case, its a good deal, especially if I get to keep my ISP.

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