The Unofficial SMART Scholarship Forum

*bumpity bump while I delete the spam*

You'll bear some guilt for any debt they wind up with if you convinced them to enroll in the program (10% odds btw).

To be fair, if you just follow through on your commitment and don't screw up school, the only real issue is getting a bad a SF. Late stipends always get paid, schools always clear up past due tuition, etc. It's really people trying to not be normal causing issues. Spoken like the typical ignorant j...

October 1st comes and goes, and apparently so too does the COVID hibernation for SMART and DFAS...

If you've been waiting in debt limbo for a while, winter is probably coming sooner than you'd like...

I could be mis-remembering, but "back in the day" there was SOME pay differential for recruitment summer internships based on being >50 miles away from your SF. I can't remember if those <50 miles got less or no pay, but those >50 got at minimum additional money for the weeks they were interning. Th...

Yes, if you want to attempt to switch SF's that strategy is probably about the best you can do to try, but a couple things to note: - Unless this has changed, it is still the SF itself that funds each candidate from their own pool of money. That is why it is generally "SF or bust" for service. The c...

I think I remember a debtors discord member saying they needed to repay the tuition but not stipends, for the particular case of retention scholars. So that at least chops down any debt in roughly half depending on your school's tuition. No you definitely need to pay back your general stipend, what...

They'll make you repay whatever they spent on you (sans internship payments [if that's even a thing for retention], and health insurance payments). I've not seen anything that indicates retention candidates are treated differently from recruitment in this respect. I'm VERY hard pressed to envision a...

Unless SMART has explicitly given their blessing for you to leave your SF (which typically requires your SF to go to them and go "they are not a good fit here that's on us not on the participant wanting something better [i.e. NOT you being an uppity ungrateful serf]" AND has explicitly blessed where...

I don't think you'll have a particular problem applying again in the future as long as you decline before the deadline. You also have to remember that most qualified applicants do not receive an offer, so it's really a crapshoot if you would receive it again anyway. PhD also have some of the bigges...

I don't think you'll have a particular problem applying again in the future as long as you decline before the deadline. You also have to remember that most qualified applicants do not receive an offer, so it's really a crapshoot if you would receive it again anyway. PhD also have some of the bigges...

This is less of a SMART thing (though I'd never advise to keep burying the whole deeper in case things go wrong, but you do you), then more of a grad school thing: For engineering, if you KNOW you have a specialty you want to pursue and you can be in and out in a year with an MS...ok fine it's not a...

Nothing surprises me from SMART, but it would be indefensible if they refused to provide facility contacts to someone in your position. Try identifying a few facilities that really make sense and ask nicely. Because it is my job to be 'that guy' SMART has *literally* done this before (but it was be...

To counterbalance the optimism... Both from personal experience and many stories from other participants, SMART has a long track record of getting very indignant if not outright threatening if they ever think a participant isn't properly grateful for the Amazing Opportunity they offer (i.e. start ac...

Bumpity bump because apparently more letters went out...

So my question is, is there any way to switch SFs? Has anyone done it successfully? Yes, but afaik it's only something that's allowed if circumstances force the situation (abusive workplace environment, SF no longer able to hire you, etc.). If you do not want to work for your SF, you should not acc...

SMART only cares about your "degree conferral" date not your defense. As far as the SPO is concerned, until official conferral by your university (even if you have successfully defended, deposited and completed all course requirements) you STILL have not actually gotten your PhD because...they're ju...

3 Options are possible: - You can extend without issue and potentially get funding for it (if they're still even doing degree length extensions that are paid - who knows LMI might have put the kibosh on that). At least if this is your first extension. - You can go on Leave of Absence to finish on yo...

Given that a fresh round of meat has been admitted to the program, and it's been a long time since I posted here, if anyone has been thrown out of, left under adverse circumstances, or otherwise has had significant problems with the SMART program the Debtor's Discord is still being operated: https:/...

Barring rare potential exceptions of which I'm unaware, SMART wants you enrolled "full time."

Also that way they can ensure ABD PhD's rack of 10's of thousands of dollars of additional debt on "Thesis Research" credits well beyond what they actually need to graduate...

You would be a fool though to ignore all the horror stories and engage in Pollyanna-ish "well THAT won't happen to ME"-ism. Fact is, approximately 5-10% (closer to 10%) of participants, by the USDR&E's own admission in a response letter to me over a year ago, wind up owing SMART money in the end for...

It is very much a random crapshoot most of the time. Also don't forget, even if your SF is currently well funded to do research in your area...unless they have really long funding horizons/stable mission areas, it could easily be the case that by the time you actually get out with your PhD (if you g...

Some of the SFs are kind of... a source of trouble.... Talk to the facility SMART coordinator maybe. I told mine I expected to get worse treatment and she said, "We can burn you out in 3 years or aim for you to retire with us, we prefer the latter." I am disappointed all SFs are not handling this e...

No. As much as SMART might wish it they don't literally own you as a slave. If you're able/willing to pay it back when they come for it for leaving without cause, they just have to eat it. It will not affect your security clearance, either existing or in the future, so don't listen if SMART tries to...

Don't let them realize it's a standard forum with DM's...

Shhhhhhhhhh