The Unofficial SMART Scholarship Forum

So this probably does not indicate anything but just a slight different between the 2017 and 2016 "waitlist/rejection" notices I found. The main differences include that (1) in 2016 they all out said that the person was not selected and (2) in 2016 they said additional rounds of awards MAY be issued whereas for us in 2017 it says the DoD WILL BE CONTINUING to make awards.

2016:
"Thank you for applying for the Science, Mathematics, And Research for Transformation (SMART) Defense Education Program. Unfortunately at this time the Department of Defense has not selected you for an award. Additional rounds of awards may be issued in the coming weeks. You may be reconsidered for an award at that time.

If the Department of Defense is interested in making an award to you at a later date we will notify you. Otherwise this will be your final notification regarding the 2016 application cycle. Please consider reapplying in the future if applicable to your academic situation. We appreciate your interest in the SMART Scholarship Program.


2017:
Thank you for applying for the Science, Mathematics, And Research for Transformation (SMART) Defense Education Program. The Department of Defense will be continuing to make awards over the next few weeks. If the Department of Defense is interested in making an award to you at a later date you will be notified.

If you do not receive further correspondence, this will serve as your final notification regarding the 2017 application cycle. Please consider reapplying in the future if applicable to your academic situation. We appreciate your interest in the SMART Scholarship Program.

Thank you for the optimism!!!

I got this too. I wasn't sure how to interpret this. Does this mean the 1st round of awards were sent and I was rejected?

I sent an email asking for clarification for this, but I'm thinking it is just going to be a generic response that doesn't really answer the question. I will update with the response when I get it (probably tomorrow).

Yeah!!! That's how I feel. those really seem like major differences.

OK Guys. Here is what I think:

Those who get the "non-rejection" email with award portal Temp Closed are waitlisted.

Those who get "non-rejection" email with award portal incorrect password are rejected.

I am in the second case.

SMARTRejectee wrote:OK Guys. Here is what I think:

Those who get the "non-rejection" email with award portal Temp Closed are waitlisted.

Those who get "non-rejection" email with award portal incorrect password are rejected.

I am in the second case.

I just think they're not done and that you still may be in.

Guest wrote:

SMARTRejectee wrote:OK Guys. Here is what I think:

Those who get the "non-rejection" email with award portal Temp Closed are waitlisted.

Those who get "non-rejection" email with award portal incorrect password are rejected.

I am in the second case.

I just think they're not done and that you still may be in.

OK. We will see.

One person in another thread got this:

"Thank you for applying for the Science, Mathematics, And Research for Transformation (SMART) Defense Education Program. Unfortunately at this time the Department of Defense has not selected you for an award. Additional rounds of awards may be issued in the coming weeks. You may be reconsidered for an award at that time.

If the Department of Defense is interested in making an award to you at a later date we will notify you. Otherwise this will be your final notification regarding the 2016 application cycle. Please consider reapplying in the future if applicable to your academic situation. We appreciate your interest in the SMART Scholarship Program.


American Society for Engineering Education

1818 N St. NW
Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036
https://smart.asee.org
smart@asee.org"

Emphasis mine. This is slightly different than the email that I, and many others, received. It did not include the line that I bolded. It seems that there are two different "rejection" letters out there.

guest wrote:One person in another thread got this:

"Thank you for applying for the Science, Mathematics, And Research for Transformation (SMART) Defense Education Program. Unfortunately at this time the Department of Defense has not selected you for an award. Additional rounds of awards may be issued in the coming weeks. You may be reconsidered for an award at that time.

If the Department of Defense is interested in making an award to you at a later date we will notify you. Otherwise this will be your final notification regarding the 2016 application cycle. Please consider reapplying in the future if applicable to your academic situation. We appreciate your interest in the SMART Scholarship Program.


American Society for Engineering Education

1818 N St. NW
Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036
https://smart.asee.org
smart@asee.org"

Emphasis mine. This is slightly different than the email that I, and many others, received. It did not include the line that I bolded. It seems that there are two different "rejection" letters out there.

No that is the rejection in 2016. I think 2017 we have all the same rejection letters.

Guest wrote:

SMARTRejectee wrote:OK Guys. Here is what I think:

Those who get the "non-rejection" email with award portal Temp Closed are waitlisted.

Those who get "non-rejection" email with award portal incorrect password are rejected.

I am in the second case.

I just think they're not done and that you still may be in.

if theyre not finished sending awards then why would they send the people who actually got awards these 'rejection' emails??

guest_ne wrote:

Guest wrote:

SMARTRejectee wrote:OK Guys. Here is what I think:

Those who get the "non-rejection" email with award portal Temp Closed are waitlisted.

Those who get "non-rejection" email with award portal incorrect password are rejected.

I am in the second case.

I just think they're not done and that you still may be in.

if theyre not finished sending awards then why would they send the people who actually got awards these 'rejection' emails??

Because it's not a flat out rejection

The Department of Defense will be continuing to make awards over the next few weeks. If the Department of Defense is interested in making an award to you at a later date you will be notified.

For a lot of us it probably is a rejection but in wording alone it means something different than flat out rejection. compare it to last year's which was specifically waitlosting.

Here is my hypothesis from this:

The people who originally got their Award Portal message changed to "Temporarily Closed" first (back on Friday, April 21st) were to receive the award whether or not the budget increase was to be approved. Thus they got everything in order and all those applicants already approved and organized. Then once the budget was increased they added in more people who they wanted to give the award to but originally would not have had enough money for (back on Thursday, May 4th). Since those people were added later to the system they have not completed all the steps in offering the awards to those people.

So as for releasing the awards, since the majority of awardees were already prepared they decided to send those out while wrapping up the remaining few. I do believe that there are still a lucky few who were just late to the party that no matter what they will still send out an award to (hence the wording "the DoD WILL be continuing..."). Because if it was only a waitlist they they cannot guarantee that anymore awards would be sent out cause it would be contingent on other people rejecting the award which might not happen (hence the wording for 2016 that "additional awards MAY be issued").

Knowing how vague SMART likes to be so that they don't make any empty promises I don't think that the difference in wording was unintentional. Also because they don't want those who they still plan on giving the award to move on to other opportunities they took out the "you have not been selected" sentence to still give hope. It's just unfortunate that they gave that hope to EVERYONE by combining the belated awardees, the "waitlist", and the rejection email all into one.

As for me, I plan to check back in in about 2 weeks since the second group of "temp closed" was roughly two weeks after the first. If I don't receive anything by then I would just assume that I was a rejectee that the email was directed at.

littlehope wrote:Here is my hypothesis from this:

The people who originally got their Award Portal message changed to "Temporarily Closed" first (back on Friday, April 21st) were to receive the award whether or not the budget increase was to be approved. Thus they got everything in order and all those applicants already approved and organized. Then once the budget was increased they added in more people who they wanted to give the award to but originally would not have had enough money for (back on Thursday, May 4th). Since those people were added later to the system they have not completed all the steps in offering the awards to those people.

So as for releasing the awards, since the majority of awardees were already prepared they decided to send those out while wrapping up the remaining few. I do believe that there are still a lucky few who were just late to the party that no matter what they will still send out an award to (hence the wording "the DoD WILL be continuing..."). Because if it was only a waitlist they they cannot guarantee that anymore awards would be sent out cause it would be contingent on other people rejecting the award which might not happen (hence the wording for 2016 that "additional awards MAY be issued").

Knowing how vague SMART likes to be so that they don't make any empty promises I don't think that the difference in wording was unintentional. Also because they don't want those who they still plan on giving the award to move on to other opportunities they took out the "you have not been selected" sentence to still give hope. It's just unfortunate that they gave that hope to EVERYONE by combining the belated awardees, the "waitlist", and the rejection email all into one.

As for me, I plan to check back in in about 2 weeks since the second group of "temp closed" was roughly two weeks after the first. If I don't receive anything by then I would just assume that I was a rejectee that the email was directed at.

I think a couple people have reported getting the same rejection email WITH the "you have not been selected" line this year.

really??

Guest147 wrote: I think a couple people have reported getting the same rejection email WITH the "you have not been selected" line this year.

I need to correct myself, people have been posting in a forum that was created last year so I did not realize I was looking at posts from a year ago. It looks like everyone DID get the same email this year.

mecheng wrote:I sent an email asking for clarification for this, but I'm thinking it is just going to be a generic response that doesn't really answer the question. I will update with the response when I get it (probably tomorrow).

I sent an email asking if that meant the first round of offers had went out already and if this means I am on a wait list for second round awards. This was the reply that I got:

"Thank you for your email. The 1st round of awards went out. We do intend to make additional rounds.

Please let us know if you have any other questions."

So it can really still go either way. I'm not sure if additional rounds means only if people decline the first rounds or if it means separate awards.

mecheng wrote:

mecheng wrote:I sent an email asking for clarification for this, but I'm thinking it is just going to be a generic response that doesn't really answer the question. I will update with the response when I get it (probably tomorrow).

I sent an email asking if that meant the first round of offers had went out already and if this means I am on a wait list for second round awards. This was the reply that I got:

"Thank you for your email. The 1st round of awards went out. We do intend to make additional rounds.

Please let us know if you have any other questions."

So it can really still go either way. I'm not sure if additional rounds means only if people decline the first rounds or if it means separate awards.

Additional rounds is more than just waitlisted for sure. Otherwise they wouldn't word it as intend. They'd say we may have additional rounds. Since waitlisted is completely depended on awards being turned down.

Guest wrote:

mecheng wrote:

mecheng wrote:I sent an email asking for clarification for this, but I'm thinking it is just going to be a generic response that doesn't really answer the question. I will update with the response when I get it (probably tomorrow).

I sent an email asking if that meant the first round of offers had went out already and if this means I am on a wait list for second round awards. This was the reply that I got:

"Thank you for your email. The 1st round of awards went out. We do intend to make additional rounds.

Please let us know if you have any other questions."

So it can really still go either way. I'm not sure if additional rounds means only if people decline the first rounds or if it means separate awards.

Additional rounds is more than just waitlisted for sure. Otherwise they wouldn't word it as intend. They'd say we may have additional rounds. Since waitlisted is completely depended on awards being turned down.

I agree but I am not going to get my hopes up.

mecheng wrote:

Guest wrote:

mecheng wrote:[

I sent an email asking if that meant the first round of offers had went out already and if this means I am on a wait list for second round awards. This was the reply that I got:

"Thank you for your email. The 1st round of awards went out. We do intend to make additional rounds.

Please let us know if you have any other questions."

So it can really still go either way. I'm not sure if additional rounds means only if people decline the first rounds or if it means separate awards.

Additional rounds is more than just waitlisted for sure. Otherwise they wouldn't word it as intend. They'd say we may have additional rounds. Since waitlisted is completely depended on awards being turned down.

I agree but I am not going to get my hopes up.

I would say if you have a green temp closed then maybe get your hopes up enough to not accept a full time job or anything till june...otherwise look elsewhere