by smart_hopeful » Tue May 29, 2012 11:13 pm
mrjameslat wrote:Hello all, I have a few questions that I hope you all can help me with.
I have currently finished my freshman year as an electrical engineering student at Liberty University and my gpa is a 3.47.
First off, you'll want to read the big 2012 applicants thread, or at least everything since April 8 or so. Long story short, SMART is in a state of severe budgetary flux, and nobody knows anything for sure. That said, here's the current state of our knowledge:
1: How many people apply for the SMART scholarship and what percentage of them get accepted?
SMART has stated in previous years that ~8% are accepted. Half make the first cut, a quarter make the DoD cut, and 2/3 of those make the final cut. This year, nobody knows but all evidence points to it being considerably smaller. The absolute number of applicants is pure conjecture, but is likely a few thousand.
2: Is it possible to get in with a gpa of 3.47 and can i just round it off and say that I have a 3.5 gpa?
Maybe. You're going to send them official transcripts, so no point in fudging.
3: If I do get accepted in this program for next summer (just after I complete my sophomore year) then will I be given a place to intern at over the summer and be paid roughly $25,000 - $41,000 (which by the way, will that be in a lump sum or divided out monthly, weekly, or what?) and I will no have to pay these funds back?
Yes, yes at $25k (as an undergrad), monthly, and you will not have to repay anything unless you drop out.
4: Also, will this program will cover my tuition fees for the remaining 2 years of college? And then upon graduation will I have to work at the place I interned at, or can I work for any place that is listed on their site and/or works with the DoD? And then how many years will I be contracted to work at this place?
This is all on the website, which you should read, lazybones. It will cover all tuition and fees. You will have to work for the specific agency that picked you. You will have to work for them for the same amount of time as the duration of the education they paid for.
5: What will my pay be upon graduation? Will it be significantly less than the average pay of someone in my field, or will it be around the average pay? (also, do you happen to have any numbers you could throw at me?).
Gub'mint salary. You won't be rich, but you probably won't be poor. Google can give you some ideas as to the standard GS levels for various technical jobs at different agencies. Most of this sort of thing is public record.
6: Is this a worthwhile program or is it not?
This is a matter of some debate, and you will find opinions here ranging from "awesome" to "hellish". Depends almost entirely on your sponsoring agency.
7: Any advise for getting in, and any recommendations for places to request?
Be on good terms with God, because he's apparently the only one who knows what the heck is going on with this stupid scholarship.
[quote="mrjameslat"]Hello all, I have a few questions that I hope you all can help me with.
I have currently finished my freshman year as an electrical engineering student at Liberty University and my gpa is a 3.47.
[/quote]
First off, you'll want to read the big 2012 applicants thread, or at least everything since April 8 or so. Long story short, SMART is in a state of severe budgetary flux, and nobody knows anything for sure. That said, here's the current state of our knowledge:
[i]1: How many people apply for the SMART scholarship and what percentage of them get accepted?[/i]
SMART has stated in previous years that ~8% are accepted. Half make the first cut, a quarter make the DoD cut, and 2/3 of those make the final cut. This year, nobody knows but all evidence points to it being considerably smaller. The absolute number of applicants is pure conjecture, but is likely a few thousand.
[i]2: Is it possible to get in with a gpa of 3.47 and can i just round it off and say that I have a 3.5 gpa?[/i]
Maybe. You're going to send them official transcripts, so no point in fudging.
[i]3: If I do get accepted in this program for next summer (just after I complete my sophomore year) then will I be given a place to intern at over the summer and be paid roughly $25,000 - $41,000 (which by the way, will that be in a lump sum or divided out monthly, weekly, or what?) and I will no have to pay these funds back?[/i]
Yes, yes at $25k (as an undergrad), monthly, and you will not have to repay anything unless you drop out.
[i]4: Also, will this program will cover my tuition fees for the remaining 2 years of college? And then upon graduation will I have to work at the place I interned at, or can I work for any place that is listed on their site and/or works with the DoD? And then how many years will I be contracted to work at this place?[/i]
This is all on the website, which you should read, lazybones. It will cover all tuition and fees. You will have to work for the specific agency that picked you. You will have to work for them for the same amount of time as the duration of the education they paid for.
[i]5: What will my pay be upon graduation? Will it be significantly less than the average pay of someone in my field, or will it be around the average pay? (also, do you happen to have any numbers you could throw at me?).[/i]
Gub'mint salary. You won't be rich, but you probably won't be poor. Google can give you some ideas as to the standard GS levels for various technical jobs at different agencies. Most of this sort of thing is public record.
[i]6: Is this a worthwhile program or is it not?[/i]
This is a matter of some debate, and you will find opinions here ranging from "awesome" to "hellish". Depends almost entirely on your sponsoring agency.
[i]7: Any advise for getting in, and any recommendations for places to request?[/i]
Be on good terms with God, because he's apparently the only one who knows what the heck is going on with this stupid scholarship.