The Unofficial SMART Scholarship Forum

If you're in a PhD I'd be vary wary of accepting this award (you can search my post history as to how I speak from experience).

SMART will IN NO WAY help you actually finish your PhD. It will in fact actively hinder your due to the internship requirements. They don't help you with funding. You are already several years in so your SF isn't going to help you with your research topic (99.5% likelihood). You will simply be not as poor during your degree as if you were RA/TAing.

In exchange, you are risking (because PhDs take a long ass time) many years at your SF where there are good odds you won't actually be doing "real" PhD grade research. Your skills will atrophy and after a few years good luck getting a job elsewhere.

Also, for a STEM PhD your GS11 salary will be shit compared to what you can get elsewhere, even in just the private defense industry. I'm making 25-30k more annually now than had SMART not stabbed me in the back.

Lastly, if things go wrong with your PhD (and believe me, as bad as you THINK they can go...they can go worse...) SMART [b][i][u]WILL NOT UNDERSTAND[/u][/i][/b], they are basically ignorant illiterates when it comes to the nature of a PhD and what it entails, and operate under the assumption that it's as deterministic as a BS or MS (they say they don't, but words and text are worthless when actions speak for themselves).

While your specific circumstances/SF/PhD progress/etc. might make it a not terrible choice, I literally cannot recommend ANYONE go into SMART as a PhD. Too many things can go wrong and the SPO does NOT have your best interests at heart. You are a credentialed serf to them.

As per the program handbook, you are required to do an internship every summer until you graduate. If you're in a PhD, make sure the corresponding research delay due to being absent every summer is built into the award length of your service agreement.

I can't answer your other questions, but my advice is to "accept" the award because you don't REALLY accept it (commit to the service agreement) until you go on your site visit and sign your final acceptance of the award. At the site visit, you'll meet people who can talk about what GS level you should expect to come in at (PhD shouldn't be below GS-11) and what working there is like. If you think it's a bad fit, you can decline the award without penalty after the site visit. My only warning with that approach is that your funds for your site visit travel are taxable, so don't spend it all! But you will not have to pay it back if you ultimately decline the award.

Hi there. I just received an offer for SMART DoD. I am currently finishing up my 3rd year of my physics PhD program. I was matched at the Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific (NIWC) in San Diego and I was wondering if anyone could share their DoD.

1. How many internships are you required to do, especially if you are currently enrolled in a PhD program?
2. What is the entry level starting salary for someone who just received a PhD?
3. What is it like working at NIWC Pacific?
4. What positions are available for people with a physics background?

I want to make an informed decision, so your feedback is much appreciated. Thank you!