The Unofficial SMART Scholarship Forum

I am a retention applicant, currently in a pathways internship with my SF, and I was wondering if I am required to quit pathways Aug. 1st when SMART begins. The pathways internship is supposed to go until August 11th, and I am just wondering if I can still collect pay and work that last week of my internship. I am unable to get a straight answer from my SF POC.

Anyone else in this situation?

[quote="HOrobOD"]I am a retention applicant, currently in a pathways internship with my SF, and I was wondering if I am required to quit pathways Aug. 1st when SMART begins. The pathways internship is supposed to go until August 11th, and I am just wondering if I can still collect pay and work that last week of my internship. I am unable to get a straight answer from my SF POC.

Anyone else in this situation?[/q

According to my SF POC, pathways interns do not count as retention candidates, they are considered recruitment, so I would verify that to be sure. (If you were truly a retention candidate, they would not be asking you to quit your job at the SF because retention candidates maintain employment at the SF during every phase).

To answer your question, you are supposed to quit by August 1 because you are not allowed to do both at the same time. If you really want to finish, I would contact the SMART helpdesk and ask because maybe they can delay the start of SMART for you. However, it would likely be better for you to just end before August, because in my first year, any pathways students still working in August forfeited their August stipend, so unless you will make more money than your monthly stipend payment, I would just quit.

Interesting, well I am in pathways and the retention applicant box is check by default rather than recruitment on my service agreement.