The Unofficial SMART Scholarship Forum

Has anyone ever successfully changed SF's during phase 1? I can already tell that my current SF is a poor fit for me and don't wish to be committed there for several more internships and the entirety of phase 2. I'm asking here because the general consensus is the SPO may not have the scholar's best interest in mind and I'd like some additional info before I bring this to their attention.

I already have another SF in mind (a sister command of the one I'm at) that I've previously worked at and enjoyed my time there. I also have another facility (same military branch) in mind, but I've been told they do not participate in the SMART program, yet some of my predecessors at the current SF have been able to transfer there during Phase 2.

I have yet to talk to either alternative or my current SF about transferring and was hoping for some advice about how to go about this tactfully. I'd rather not step on any proverbial land mines and have this blow up in my face.

Unhappy wrote:Has anyone ever successfully changed SF's during phase 1? I can already tell that my current SF is a poor fit for me and don't wish to be committed there for several more internships and the entirety of phase 2. I'm asking here because the general consensus is the SPO may not have the scholar's best interest in mind and I'd like some additional info before I bring this to their attention.

I already have another SF in mind (a sister command of the one I'm at) that I've previously worked at and enjoyed my time there. I also have another facility (same military branch) in mind, but I've been told they do not participate in the SMART program, yet some of my predecessors at the current SF have been able to transfer there during Phase 2.

I have yet to talk to either alternative or my current SF about transferring and was hoping for some advice about how to go about this tactfully. I'd rather not step on any proverbial land mines and have this blow up in my face.

Your best bet with a transfer is to get both your current SF and your desired SF on the same page as far as having you transfer between them, get a consensus from both that it's in your best interest to do so, then present all of that to the SPO. Is there someone at your current SF that you feel would be receptive to discussions about changing? Maybe someone who observed the things that make you feel like it's not a good fit and feel the same way?

Do you feel comfortable saying what branch you're under? I'm under Navy and my impression of their organization is that they truly want what's best for you, the student/new employee. They care about happy employees that will want to stay at their SF. Also, if you feel comfortable saying, why do you think your current one isn't a good fit?

One last note - it's usually easier to change in Phase 2 because you're already done with school and are into your payback tour, so they don't have to speculate about you not successfully completing Phase 1.

I am in a very similar situation here. I am funded through SMART for my master's and am nearing the completion of my one summer internship at my SF and will return to school to finish my master's this fall/spring. After spending ~8 weeks at my SF, it definitely is not a good fit for me. They seem to be pushing me in a direction away from what I applied to focus on for my degree, along with many other issues (such as the facility trying to nudge in on my academics/research at school, which to my understanding is very atypical/not explicitly allowed under the SMART handbook). I have also not had a mentor, as my assigned mentor left the facility early on in my internship, and I have gone even a whole week at one point in time without any contact from co-workers on the same task or my direct "boss," despite my attempts.

The SMART website says that a change of SF has to be initiated by the SF (and not the student), which is where I believe my problem will lie. The SF is not a good fit for me, however I am very likely thought of as a great fit for the SF, since I actually try to do my work and do so at a pace that they seem to be in awe of (in all honesty, I haven't been able to complete that much work due to software/account access issues, and dealing with fixing incorrectly developed internal codes). The branch is fairly new and has agreed to more work than they can actually perform in the upcoming months/years (not enough analysts & they seem to be in a hiring frenzy).

I have yet to have contacted anyone at my SF or with SMART regarding my discontent at this facility. Does anyone have any advice on how to tactfully approach this & request a change of SF? I would greatly appreciate any help with this issue.

Speak to your liaison about the transfer. They are the most likely person to be able to help you out, the AF one has been able to get a few people transfered recently, not sure about the other services, but I would reach out to the one for your branch.

LefttheAF wrote:Speak to your liaison about the transfer. They are the most likely person to be able to help you out, the AF one has been able to get a few people transferred recently, not sure about the other services, but I would reach out to the one for your branch.

Are you by chance referring to Mr. Ed Bujan? My current SF is part of the Air Force, so I have had some communication with him before.

It's good that you already have another facility in mind. I got a transfer from my first SF, and the second one ended up being about 100 times worse. Unless you have personally worked at a SF, or know someone who does, I wouldn't recommend switching. Especially in the AF. The truth is, most of the SFs are pretty much just a place for you to sit around and do nothing until your service commitment is up.

I am with the Navy and am pursuing a PhD. I am reluctant to say exactly what facility, as I feel some anonymity is best to freely express my unhappiness. I have one more internship left after this and would largely prefer not to return, at least for the internship portion if possible (the ISP is break-even at best and insufficient at worst, it separates me from my wife for 2-3 months, and this current internship has been less than stellar). My current SF does allow for any internships past the first one to be waived in favor of completing classes or research that will help expedite or maintain the degree completion date. I like this policy and was planning to take advantage of it to absolutely ensure my degree finishes on time, given that administrative snafus are common at my university.

I feel that this place is not a good fit because the actual amount of PhD level work is sparse. They've not fully realized the support for PhDs and I'm wary they will by the time I graduate, if ever. My department is also misaligned with my current avenue of research. It's not an orthogonal misalignment, but it will require significant work on both my and the SF's part to close the gap. Additionally, my internship has been a miserable waste of time, with me sitting and waiting for access to the most basic of equipment (computer, phone, basic math software) for about 6 to 7 weeks. This is not a good first impression for my SF, as it leaves a bad taste in my mouth and it's a bad first impression for me, as I am literally unable to demonstrate my skills or work on anything of consequence. I've been fairly vocal at my facility about the need for these tools and the timeline of my internship being relatively short as far as government-time goes, but to little avail. I was able to procure some equipment that "fell off the truck" just so I can answer my emails, but it's woefully inadequate for any real research efforts.

I have interned at two other naval facilities and have had positive experiences with them and still maintain a POC at each of them. I will not blindly transfer to another facility, as the devil I know is better than the devil I don't. But the two naval facilities I've been at would be great fits for me, if the option is there to transfer to them. I refuse to passively sit around and do nothing while waiting out my phase 2 commitment, as this would preclude me from finding a decent job outside the government if I decided to leave federal employment.

I have a meeting with my SF liaison tomorrow. I will inquire about what my options are and update here at a later date.