The Unofficial SMART Scholarship Forum

I received this email yesterday:

Dear SMART Participant,

As you are aware, your security clearance has recently been initiated. It normally takes several months to complete an investigation; therefore it is our intent to pursue an interim clearance for you so that you can perform your summer internship. If an interim clearance is not in place before the start of your internship, it will be necessary for you to complete summer coursework/research in order to continue to receive your monthly stipend. Please contact your Cohort Administrator at smart@nps.edu to coordinate the details.

If you are scheduled to begin your internship in May, you will receive an internship support payment in April. Please do not spend this money on travel to your SF until you have officially received word that you are cleared to attend your internship. If it is determined that you cannot attend your internship, this funding will need to be adjusted.

Respectfully,

SMART Program Office
400 Camino Aguajito, First Floor
Monterey, CA 93940
smart@nps.edu
www.asee.org/smart



Did other people get this email? Because I am now very worried. I've already found an apartment at my internship location and I have NO place to live at my university. Even if I found somewhere, taking classes would not help me graduate earlier because of when the courses are offered. I could do research, but my CA said that it would have to be considered "full time" and I don't know how that works. I am also worried that it would result in an extension of my service commitment.

Thoughts?

Quick advice as my laptop is dying.

Plan for both scenarios. Talk to smart about getting summer tuition assistance because you might need it, figure out what you will need to do if you go to school over the summer. Do research if you can, if not, take courses that interest you but you couldn't take otherwise.

Internships do not count towards your commitment, so they shouldn't add to it.

Worse case is you don't get the clearance in time and have to take classes. But if you do, you get tuition and you get your ~2-3k a month (depending on degree level). If you don't intern or do school, you don't get the monthly stipend over the summer.

Best of luck!!

After talking to my CA, I wanted to make an update for anyone else in this situation.

Firstly, I was told that this is happening to all of the 2012 scholars. So even if you didn't receive an email, you might want to call your CA just to be sure.

My biggest concern was having to unduly extend my service commitment. My CA assured me that this would not be the case nor would I be expected to graduate any earlier. So, on the bright side, if the clearance does not work out, it is another semester of paid-for classes than can be used to lessen the load of future semesters, do research, or take classes not directly in my degree. The only condition is that I must be registered for nine hours.

I hope this information helps anyone in a similar situation!

Just FYI, an interim comes through really quick if you don’t have any detractors. It’s basically a quick look to see if you “should” be able to get the clearance. I wouldn’t stress over the timing.

Has anyone received interim clearance or full clearance yet?

smartanon wrote:Has anyone received interim clearance or full clearance yet?

I think most of the people who need TS/SCI have final clearances by now, apparently because those are initiated through the SFs rather than SMART.

I never received my clearance and classes at my school start today. As per the instructions of my CA, I sent in the Additional Tuition Request form and signed up for classes.