The Unofficial SMART Scholarship Forum

Thanks for the responses so far. I understand that the SF can't really guarantee an award, I was just wondering if this invitation meant that they were considering me past the interview (as in, after the interviews, maybe they discard some applicants, and then invite others to visit). This might be...

Thanks for the responses so far. I understand that the SF can't really guarantee an award, I was just wondering if this invitation meant that they were considering me past the interview (as in, after the interviews, maybe they discard some applicants, and then invite others to visit). This might be...

New VA SMART wrote:

New VA SMART wrote:Hi, I am one of the new recipients. I guess to start, do you have any specific advise?

advice*

Hey, shoot me a PM with your email and I'll reach out directly. You'll need to create an account here to do that.

If I remember right, this is covered in the handbook, but the two big deals is that I don't think they pay you anything extra, and the security team has to make sure it's alright to be wherever your program is taking you. They may or may not want to do a briefing with you before you leave, so be pre...

Until recently there was a grant at ASEE that allowed the government to provide funds in advance of a bill so that students could be paid on time (in theory). Because of the POTUS driven requirement for 100% auditability the use of grants in this fashion is being phased out. For SMART this means th...

When I applied, I had my supervisor from my previous internship write one, and my Department Head (a Chief Warrant Officer 4) write the other. I figured that was the best plan because the one from my previous internship spoke directly to my skills as an engineer, as well as my desire and drive to le...

SMART is notoriously bad at returning emails and calls, so I'm looking for a specific contact. It's funny, the only communications issues I've ever had with SMART have been with the Security Manager. Apparently he's out of the office often, and terrible at responding to emails, but if you can catch...

Hey all, have any of you had any experience with attempting to or succeeding in writing off your costs for your internship as educational expenses? I've been saving pretty much all of my receipts as I wait to talk with my tax professional, but I figured I would ask if any of you have actually done i...

ktran wrote:Has there ever been an applicant that received the award but did not go through the phone interview process?

I was selected by my Sponsor Facility without an interview. They just called me one day and asked if I was interested.

Wanted to keep this updated. At this point my SF has not officially filed the paperwork stating that they are unable to hire me. Because of this I am just stuck in a holding pattern waiting on them to decide where I will be working. At this point I am just stressed that I will have to move myself a...

Mine came in the mail today.

I have not.

jcantrell0018 wrote:Well, that certainly makes me a little more hopeful. What was your major?

Electrical Engineering

No problem whatsoever - I'm interested to hear what they do for you. Did you do an internship for your SF, and would you consider transferring to a different SF?

It's going to be several months more at least. I am not sure what the process is, but at some point in the near future we should be getting some kind of correspondence saying if we made the first rounds of cuts. then after that I am not sure what happens. Something about 2nd rounds and interviews e...

Email your CA, and if they don't get back to you, call them. If you can't find the phone number, I can send it to you privately. They don't like the number to be out there generally, because they don't have the staffing to be consistently answering the phone, but if they don't get back to you, it's ...

All recipients: SMART has posted a memo on the award page regarding taxes and our income. The contents are below: You are advised of the following: ASEE must report all stipend, internship support, health insurance and book allowance payments made to Recruitment Participants under the SMART Scholars...

The way I read it, the answer is no. You need to wait until you are actually enrolled and have started your school. They need to be able to consider how well you're doing so far so that they don't start paying you, you don't do well, and are forced to pay them back. Also, from what I've read on here...

Can anyone give me a straight yes or no with an explanation as to why I should apply or not? No. See my previous posts (and posts of many others on this forum) for the reasons. I started my new job outside the DoD after Phase II about three weeks ago. It is indescribably better than the work at my ...

Thinking of leaving after finishing degree in December. Smart has given me $250,000. So a lot of debt. Has anyone left right after the degree. I see a lot about leaving during Phase 2. Does anyone actually think they will require payback? My best guess is that, especially with the shortages of mone...

So, I am looking into applying for this scholarship thing. From what I have read from this forum it sounds like a bad idea. Can anyone give me a straight yes or no with an explanation as to why I should apply or not? Yes, you should apply. If you get the fellowship, if you like the offered agreemen...

[Disclaimer - I can only speak for the Navy SFs] If you're under a Navy/Marine Corps SF, you are required to do two External Rotations (TDY to other facilities for 60 to 90 days) and one Internal Rotation (TDY to another division/department/program office). I don't remember how long the Internal Ro...

[Disclaimer - I can only speak for the Navy SFs] If you're under a Navy/Marine Corps SF, you are required to do two External Rotations (TDY to other facilities for 60 to 90 days) and one Internal Rotation (TDY to another division/department/program office). I don't remember how long the Internal Rot...

Electrical Engineer - also Marine Corps System Command, in my undergrad at Seattle Pacific University.