2012 Applicants

[tseug]

I turned my focus to finals, which are now over (!!), and missed the last 10 or so pages of postings; is it worth reading/are there any significant updates?

[WestToEast]

I turned my focus to finals, which are now over (!!), and missed the last 10 or so pages of postings; is it worth reading/are there any significant updates?

umm probs not. quick synopsis: conspiracy, impatience, complaining, ranting, and wishing. no real updates, bc still, no one seems to know anything.

[Guest]

I doubt this coming week will provide any updates.

I would look for movement in the last week of May or early June.

[guestieguest]

I doubt this coming week will provide any updates.

I would look for movement in the last week of May or early June.

Do you have any reason to think this? Or are you just trying to convince yourself, so you feel less anxious about it?

Notice how in the first few weeks of the delay, all the baseless suppositions revolved around how soon they'll tell us... now we're all trying to talk ourselves into not expecting anything soon. I don't know about you guys, but I used to wake up in the morning and think "maybe this will be the day". Now I just feel exhausted ambivalence. Thanks DoD - you've broken my spirit.

[Guest]

I have reasons.

I am not an applicant, so I'm not super anxious.

[smart_hopeful]

I have reasons.

I am not an applicant, so I'm not super anxious.

There are then three options.

1) You're involved with SMART, and you can tell us something, in which case you should just say it.
2) You're involved with SMART, but you aren't allowed to tell us anything, in which case you're a month behind deadline (and counting) and should really get off the internet and get back to work.
3) You're not involved with SMART, and you are blowing smoke, and should stop posting.

[AZGeologist]

There are then three options.

1) You're involved with SMART, and you can tell us something, in which case you should just say it.
2) You're involved with SMART, but you aren't allowed to tell us anything, in which case you're a month behind deadline (and counting) and should really get off the internet and get back to work.
3) You're not involved with SMART, and you are blowing smoke, and should stop posting.

You forgot 4) Involved with smart and blowing smoke? and who knows how many other alternatives

[Joe Mama]

Just to let you all know, I received an award last year and was not notified until June 20.

[guestieguest]

Just to let you all know, I received an award last year and was not notified until June 20.

That's great - congratulations! However, it's entirely a different situation this year. We're still waiting for first round notifications. Soooo... yeah.

[2012_UMD]

If one more person asks me about the fellowships I've replied for .... I'll answer them.

*sigh*

[Guestish]

If one more person asks me about the fellowships I've replied for .... I'll answer them.

*sigh*

Band name idea: "Frustrated Ambivalence Against the Machine" Resitance is futile, you may or may not be assimilated, we'll let you know...eventually.

[Guest]

If one more person asks me about the fellowships I've replied for .... I'll answer them.

*sigh*

Band name idea: "Frustrated Ambivalence Against the Machine" Resitance is futile, you may or may not be assimilated, we'll let you know...eventually.

As soon as an update is received. Thank you for your interest in the Borg.

[Guest]

happy week 5 everyone!

[In_Stitches]

I swear to god if they're waiting for NDAA 2013 to pass the house, senate, and get an autograph from the President before they announce awards I'm going to burst every blood vessel in my body.

[smart_hopeful]

I swear to god if they're waiting for NDAA 2013 to pass the house, senate, and get an autograph from the President before they announce awards I'm going to burst every blood vessel in my body.

Surely not. It would be tantamount to cancelling SMART for 2012. These bills don't usually get signed until winter.

For fun(?), I pulled up the text of the bill. In its 996 pages, NDEP is mentioned on exactly one line, and that line appropriates money exactly equal to the DoD funding request: $87,979,000. This is a bit worrying. A while back in this thread, I linked some budget projections from previous years. The NDEP budget projection published in 2010 for FY 2013 was $125 million, and the FY 2013 projection published in 2011 was $93 million.

[smart_applicant_189]

I cannot understand why they don't tell us anything. Even if it was just a quick email to say that they are working things out. The email they sent a month ago was ambiguous at best. I was hoping to work on my thesis through the summer knowing that I would have a scholarship at the start of fall term. Even if all they told us was that it we won't know anything for another month, then I could make some decisions about my future. When I explain to people that all I've ever had was a phone interview and an email, the whole thing looks like a joke. This is really pissing me off.

[Guest]

I cannot understand why they don't tell us anything. Even if it was just a quick email to say that they are working things out. The email they sent a month ago was ambiguous at best. I was hoping to work on my thesis through the summer knowing that I would have a scholarship at the start of fall term. Even if all they told us was that it we won't know anything for another month, then I could make some decisions about my future. When I explain to people that all I've ever had was a phone interview and an email, the whole thing looks like a joke. This is really pissing me off.

Yeah, my boss at work had a very serious talk with me along the lines of 'Look, you shouldn't be trying to mold your life around them. You haven't heard anything in weeks. Stop operating under the assumption you might have it. It's stupid. Just let it go and move on.' Sigh.

[Guest]

I cannot understand why they don't tell us anything. Even if it was just a quick email to say that they are working things out. The email they sent a month ago was ambiguous at best. I was hoping to work on my thesis through the summer knowing that I would have a scholarship at the start of fall term. Even if all they told us was that it we won't know anything for another month, then I could make some decisions about my future. When I explain to people that all I've ever had was a phone interview and an email, the whole thing looks like a joke. This is really pissing me off.

Yeah, my boss at work had a very serious talk with me along the lines of 'Look, you shouldn't be trying to mold your life around them. You haven't heard anything in weeks. Stop operating under the assumption you might have it. It's stupid. Just let it go and move on.' Sigh.

harsh, but probably good advice. i've gotta believe that at this point, there must be budget issues, what else could take this long to resolve?

[guest22]

I cannot understand why they don't tell us anything. Even if it was just a quick email to say that they are working things out. The email they sent a month ago was ambiguous at best. I was hoping to work on my thesis through the summer knowing that I would have a scholarship at the start of fall term. Even if all they told us was that it we won't know anything for another month, then I could make some decisions about my future. When I explain to people that all I've ever had was a phone interview and an email, the whole thing looks like a joke. This is really pissing me off.

Yeah, my boss at work had a very serious talk with me along the lines of 'Look, you shouldn't be trying to mold your life around them. You haven't heard anything in weeks. Stop operating under the assumption you might have it. It's stupid. Just let it go and move on.' Sigh.

harsh, but probably good advice. i've gotta believe that at this point, there must be budget issues, what else could take this long to resolve?

/Amused because I gave this advice about 20 pages back and got flamed because no one wanted to hear it.

[Guest 2012]

Yeah, my boss at work had a very serious talk with me along the lines of 'Look, you shouldn't be trying to mold your life around them. You haven't heard anything in weeks. Stop operating under the assumption you might have it. It's stupid. Just let it go and move on.' Sigh.

harsh, but probably good advice. i've gotta believe that at this point, there must be budget issues, what else could take this long to resolve?

/Amused because I gave this advice about 20 pages back and got flamed because no one wanted to hear it.

Shut up, man! No one wants to hear it!

jk...as valuable then as it is now. I am glad I don't have any important decisions riding on notification of the awards. But that doesn't stop me from checking by once in a while. Sorry to all those that do have or have missed deadlines for important decisions. And as always, good luck to all.

[SA SMART]

I got this from our chief scientist who is in contact with the SMART people at Wright-Pat. "Last we heard DoD was doing a review of the program. They will not give an indication of when the students will be notified this year." The whole "review of the program" sounds like DoD may be wanting to cut it or at least heavily modify it. Maybe I am wrong, but why else would they be taking so long.

[smart_hopeful]

If they were going to terminate the program I don't think they'd have requested any budget for it this year, or at least only what was necessary to pay the salaries of the office workers responsible for winding it down. They did officially request upwards of $80 million for FY '13 in the NDAA written a couple months ago, which is a substantial reduction from previous projections but far from being zeroed out.

That said, I'm personally starting to think that there's a nontrivial chance our notification email is going to say something like "Sorry, we canceled the program."

[Guest]

I got this from our chief scientist who is in contact with the SMART people at Wright-Pat. "Last we heard DoD was doing a review of the program. They will not give an indication of when the students will be notified this year." The whole "review of the program" sounds like DoD may be wanting to cut it or at least heavily modify it. Maybe I am wrong, but why else would they be taking so long.

Why didn't they do any of this before the notifications were going to begin?

[2012_UMD]

If they were going to terminate the program I don't think they'd have requested any budget for it this year, or at least only what was necessary to pay the salaries of the office workers responsible for winding it down. They did officially request upwards of $80 million for FY '13 in the NDAA written a couple months ago, which is a substantial reduction from previous projections but far from being zeroed out.

That said, I'm personally starting to think that there's a nontrivial chance our notification email is going to say something like "Sorry, we canceled the program."

I refer you guys to the copied email a few pages back that responded to these type of assertions, "the SMART program is not being canceled."

[smart_hopeful]

I refer you guys to the copied email a few pages back that responded to these type of assertions, "the SMART program is not being canceled."

Yes, I believe the continued existence of the program is the most likely scenario, and I sincerely hope it is. But...

1) ASEE is not DoD, and it's not clear that they are actually any more in the loop than we are.
2) The track record of ASEE emails is not impressive. Feb 15: "The 2012 SMART Scholarship-for-Service awards will be announced on or about April 9, 2012."