The Unofficial SMART Scholarship Forum

iraa1 wrote: ↑

Fri Jul 30, 2021 9:22 am

I do find it interesting that you mention the "sexual" side of things because I knew someone in DHS agent who was into a ton of crazy stuff that had no trouble maintaining clearance.

Guideline D: Sexual Behavior

Sexual behavior that involves a criminal offense; indicates a personality or emotional disorder; reflects a lack of judgment or discretion; or may subject an applicant to undue influence or coercion, exploitation or duress can raise questions about the applicant's reliability, trustworthiness and ability to protect classified national security information (CNSI). No adverse inference concerning the standards in this guideline may be made solely on the basis of the sexual orientation of the individual.

I advertise so much caution about SMART not because of my own experience but because of what that experience can be and what it has been for some past scholars. It doesn't take much time browsing through this forum to find horror stories. My biggest gripe of all is how young the program is willing to recruit. I just don't think they have any business offering four-year service agreements with the threat of six-figure debt to 18 year-olds fresh out of high school. They probably aren't going to have a solid idea of what they want to do when they're old growed up, and they're less likely to fully understand the implications of the contract they're signing. They're also entering the stage of life when they're most likely to do things that will compromise their eligibility for security clearance in the short term which could lead to them ultimately being dismissed from the program. I find it all quite morally problematic.

iraa1 wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 28, 2021 8:46 pm

I applied a few years ago during my Bachelors. Made it to semifinals and was told I was top 6 for the SF. Didn't get picked because my school wasn't top tier, so I didn't stack rank well. Things changed drastically for me the next year and I got a FAANG offer.

I came back out of curiosity because I'm wrapping up my Masters. With the advice you've given, I'm starting to wonder if I didn't miss the bullet.

kyleculus wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 18, 2021 3:31 pm

Is there by any chance you're in the Discord server that was recently started?

kyleculus wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 17, 2021 10:57 pm

do you happen do know where PhD graduates will enter on the GS pay scale?

kyleculus wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 16, 2021 11:41 am

However, my largest concern is not being able to finish my degree in 5 years.

Will there be huge repercussions if I were to take an extra half year to a year to complete my degree?

• They put you on a sort of probation (don't remember their official terminology for it) and allow you to finish the degree on your own dime, with department funding, etc. You would then resume the program and complete your 5-year service agreement once you were deemed back in compliance.

• They move to terminate you from the program. This is a thoughtless approach, but it has happened before, and by complete happenstance, I actually recently met a former SMART scholar who went through this with them. He is several years separated from the program, has a mortgage and a child, and still doesn't know whether he owes the DoD several tens of thousands of dollars. This is the worst case scenario.

• SMART has a rough history. You should know that going in. IMO, they seem to have gotten better in recent years, but there is a well-documented history of the program treating students VERY poorly. To minimize the risk of complications, I suggest ensuring your award length is more than sufficient to complete your degree. Once enrolled, focus on the finish line rather than being the superstar who goes for as many extra clubs and certificates/minors and whatever else they can possibly have. It's much easier to finish early and say you need less of their money than to finish late and say you need more of it.

• I suggest all of you accept the award and go on your site visit no matter your situation. You do not enroll in the program until your "final" acceptance of the service agreement after your site visit, so there's really nothing to lose other than that your site visit allowance is taxable.

• While on your site visit, look for signals that you will be a valuable asset to the SF, not just a source of free labor for a few summers. One of the number one complaints of Phase Two students is that they aren't paid properly and aren't treated well at their SF. Make sure you know that your SF really wants you and the services you have to offer before signing a service agreement to work with them.

• For grad students, look at the money VERY carefully and see whether it's worth the service agreement to you. All STEM grad students should at a minimum have their tuition covered and receive a liveable stipend. As such, SMART has less to offer over the typical grad school experience than the comparative boost undergrads will experience. Additionally, while on the scholarship, you probably won't receive insurance benefits from your university, so be prepared to pay market price for insurance... the allowance doesn't come close to paying for a half-decent insurance plan. Because of this, I encourage you to look at the offer much more as a career move than as a source of funding. My SF is a place that was on my short list of post-graduation employers anyways, so it was a very easy choice for me. Don't sign your soul to a place you have no interest in just because the SMART stipend is probably better than what your program offers.

• Undergrads, especially younger ones: talk to your parents, a counselor, or some trustworthy adult figure about whether a service agreement is right for you. I don't say this to be belittling, but y'all are VERY young. Putting four years of your life on contract as an 18 year old is quite a big proposition.

• Again, for the younger ones. Be careful with what parts of the "college experience" you explore. As part of this program, you will have to receive and maintain a national security clearance of a level acceptable for your work, ranging from Secret (S) to Top Secret - Sensitive Compartmentalized Information (TS-SCI). Your SF will tell you what level of clearance you need. The younger students probably haven't had a wild phase yet and gotten the chance to make the types of dumb decisions a lot of us did in college without much consequence. When I was processed, I had some baggage to talk about, but there is a general understanding that most people go through a college phase. I had addressed those issues, matured, and moved on in life, so it didn't cause me a problem. If you have an active clearance, you probably will not have that luxury. You have to get it right the first time. Don't do drugs, including marijuana in regions where it's been decriminalized because it's still a federal offense. Don't drink and drive. Don't engage in behaviors (especially sexual) that somebody could blackmail you over. All that stuff. If you have any curiosities about how suitability for clearance is assessed, google the "security clearance adjudication guidelines"

• If you accept, then for the love of everything good PAY YOUR QUARTERLY ESTIMATED TAXES. It's crazy how many theoretically brilliant students in this program let themselves get surprised by a $3000 tax liability because they didn't make estimated payments.