Typical new applicant concerns

[NoxRiddle]

I've seen a few posts in a similar boat already, but I have some other concerns about competitiveness as well, so I will address them all here. Basically, "should I bother applying?"

1. My previous education history is so-so. I graduated with my AA with a 3.41 GPA, which isn't particularly spectacular. After obtaining my AA, I took a few more classes that I did not fair well in. I took a few years away from school to reevaluate my path, and returned this year. I have since made straight As, including in those classes I did poorly in prior to my hiatus. I anticipate a 3.46-3.47 GPA when I apply this term (I'm currently at a 3.43, and my fall term ends before the application deadline.)

2. I don't have volunteer, internship, or club activity. I have worked a full-time job the entire time I have attended college. (This remains the case currently.) I am a member of the AIChE, but not in any leadership capacity. In addition to full-time course loads at college, extracurricular activities like these have been out of the question. Is it worth it to make a point that I have been employed full-time the last eight years (with zero gaps in employment,) and that I am the operations manager in my current position? Will the fact that I lack volunteer/internship experience because of work severely hinder my chances?

And in the interest of the application itself:

I am majoring in chemical engineering, but there are subjects within that major that I am looking at specifically. There are some SF that seem a better fit to those subjects, but do not list chemical engineering as one of their disciplines. Should I still list those SF as facilities I am interested in, or is it better to stick strictly to those that list my proper major as one of their fields?

Thank you in advance.

[Larry]

Your competitiveness is directly related to how much someone wants you. And not some generic person with a 3.4 GPA.

I asked why we accept applications from 3.0 students when the average we select is 3.8... I was told because we end up selecting a few down as low as 3.0...

You'd do well googling organizations, searching linkedin for permanent staff, and in general finding people at the organizations you want to work at to talk to in advance.

The application isn't much different than a Graduate school application, so by all means fill it out (completely!!) and submit it.

Do your homework, find the place that does the work you like. In Navy that would be China Lake or Indian Head. Both have SMART students. Both have excellent reputations as places to work AND as places to be from.

You need to either communicate with their leadership (an easy google) but eventually with folks who hold common research interests.

We are deeply committed to fixing SMART, but that requires both facilities and students to recognize what they are getting into. Some facilities do, some don't. That ratio/percentage is about to change.

Good luck!
Larry

[Guest2014]

I am part of the 2014 cohort. Best of luck with your application and studies. Two points: First, I think your ability to balance full-time work with an education (and be a manager) is an excellent example of leadership. Second, as with many other fellowships, I think SMART is a lot more about references than about extracurriculars.

First: Your unique experience (zero employment gaps, balance full-time with school) is absolutely something to highlight. Don't question as to whether others will like it. You should be proud of it and highlight it in a positive, rather than apologetic way. Instead of "sorry, I didn't have any leadership positions..." I'd suggest "I work full-time and manage [5/10/15/20...] people. I'm trusted with [X,Y,Z] at work and have been there for N years." Connect it with how you will succeed in the DoD environment - good at mentoring/working with people, good at balancing multiple projects, efficient with time management. For AIChE, maybe talk about why you chose that organization over others given limited time (because you did make that choice...you could be in a different organization, right?). If professional community is something you value, talk about why you want to find that in the DoD.

Second: You're right that you are competing against people with tons of different credentials, but that's the case with most fellowships. Many fellowships (NSF, NDSEG, and I assume SMART) put a lot of weight into good references. When you ask for a letter of rec, ask, "Can you give me a strong letter of recommendation?". Two of my letters were faculty, and the other was from work. I was upfront with my references about my concerns for my SMART application ("I don't have many publications, but I can do good research."). Knowing my concerns and qualifications allowed them to explicitly address the elephant in the room in their letter.

Wishing you the best of luck.

[Guest]

We are deeply committed to fixing SMART, but that requires both facilities and students to recognize what they are getting into. Some facilities do, some don't. That ratio/percentage is about to change.

Can you give us some characteristics of facilities who don't "recognize" what they're getting into? What red flags will a facility have that we can spot and avoid applying to that facility?

What is SMART doing to help increase the percentage of facilities who recognize what they are getting into? Are they contemplating any changes pertinent to students (to make them more aware of what they're committing to)?

[Larry]

A facility that would agree to hire a student "sight unseen" is one that I would walk away from. Anyone who thinks they can hire without an interview (or preferably a work period prior to selection) shouldn't be hiring.

I also think that facilities should be hiring people with the proper level of education for the position - again, you are interviewing a facility AND they are interviewing/selecting you. It's a two way street.