The Unofficial SMART Scholarship Forum

Hey Guys,

I am a rising sophomore that is currently pursuing a degree in physics, electrical engineering and minoring mathematics. I have a 3.8 GPA and am an eagle scout (plenty of community service, teamwork experience, and leadership experience). I am interested in pursuing masters and possibly a Ph.D. I just want to see where I stand in comparison to old recipients and what are some good tips for me. I am interested in Electromagnetism (electronic warfare), nanotechnology, and quantum physics. I have no research experience and I applied last year but didn't make it past the first round. I am currently in a web development and design internship this summer (mainly to build my coding skills and communication skills).
Im hoping to get a scholarship this year but I have no idea where I should go for research labs or anything else... any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!!

IMHO PhDs are not respected in the government. You'll find that in Phase II the best possible outcome is GS13 (after at least 12 months at GS12); however, people with a mediocre Bachelor degree and mediocre military experience will be hired as GS14 Engineers. If you really want to seve the needs of the US, working for a defense contractor is a better option.

Hi blocktavian,

I attended a scholarship information session done by the program last summer, and subsequently applied to and was accepted into the SMART program in this years cohort. Like you, I applied in my freshman year (December) and didn't make it. I can share some of my own personal experience as well as the advice given by the information session.

1) Your primary goal in your application is to make it clear that you are capable of supporting the DoD and that you personally will be an asset. That is, why you and your background will be more capable and more valuable than a similar student with perhaps a higher GPA or more research experience.

2) Next, it is vital that you represent a continued interest in working for the DoD past when the service commitment ends. The SMART scholarship forces a "mandatory" commitment after you complete your education, but in all reality that should come across as a guaranteed job offer that you are interested in and would like to maintain past the service time requirement. Remember the aim of the program in this: to cultivate talent and recruit participants that will be long-time members of the DoD.

3) Choose a facility and mentor that you are comfortable with; if you don't know any yourself, use your university contacts to make sure to pick a lab that is doing innovative and interesting work. I spent 1 summer and 2 semesters working with my sponsoring facility before SMART picked me up. Therefore I'm fully confident in the fact that when I graduate I will love my job and will want to be doing it for many years to come (albeit with a break to finish my PhD). It will also help your application immensely in stage 2 if someone is already looking for your name. It is possible for a random lab to pick you up and give you a call, but from my understanding the vast majority of accepted candidates have a connection in the lab they end up in. The labs you "choose" in your application will have your name highlighted as they are aware you'd like to work there.

4) Have strong recommendation letters, preferably from sources that can a) represent your ability to complete your degree on time and b) speak to your work ethic. For me, this ended up being two professors, one of which was a research mentor, in addition to my lab coordinator at the facility I am working with. Yes, I got picked up by the same person that wrote my recommendation letter. Surprise surprise, he recommended me and also was willing to hire me.

Additional info:
When I applied, I was a double major in mathematics and physics, and got the award for my physics degree. 3.97/4. Limited volunteer experience, fair amount of tech skills and research experience, medium amount of leadership.