Is SMART Worth It

[Guest]

As another current Scholar, I just want to go on record that I firmly support the notions of RPI.

I support those who recognize it is a breach of contract (that could potentially happen again) and take the opportunity to leave the SMART program without repaying (as is there right when a contract is substantially altered).

I also support those who stay because they sincerely believe that they are in the best position for their personal situation (be that the current SMART program or just the opportunity to work for their SF).


People currently applying need to be aware of the past and current status of the program and hearing all opinions, no matter how extreme, are important.

This is an excellent post. It is silly for anyone to get upset at each other. It is fine and good if anyone wants to keep going with the program. It is also fine if they feel it is still a good opportunity. Every situation is unique. I don't feel either of those things, and I hope that's fine with everyone else too. I just hope we can all get behind one another and support each other, no matter how useful we find SMART. There are many of us who feel cheated and are going to have financial hardships due to this, no matter what arises. I hope those who are still supportive of the program can at least help us out by standing up to OGS with us. We are all in a fairly small group and should watch out for one another, because no one else is going to. Hopefully they won't change anything else in the future, but if they do, and it affects you people who are still gung-ho, I'll be there for you guys. FB page

[smart_hopeful]

This is an excellent post. It is silly for anyone to get upset at each other. It is fine and good if anyone wants to keep going with the program. It is also fine if they feel it is still a good opportunity. Every situation is unique. I don't feel either of those things, and I hope that's fine with everyone else too. I just hope we can all get behind one another and support each other, no matter how useful we find SMART. There are many of us who feel cheated and are going to have financial hardships due to this, no matter what arises. I hope those who are still supportive of the program can at least help us out by standing up to OGS with us. We are all in a fairly small group and should watch out for one another, because no one else is going to. Hopefully they won't change anything else in the future, but if they do, and it affects you people who are still gung-ho, I'll be there for you guys. FB page

You don't just feel cheated, you were cheated. I'm applying for SMART for the job and thus for me the pre-graduation money is essentially a nice bonus, but that doesn't change the fact that reneging on an agreed-upon contract is wildly unethical, especially since any student who decided to unilaterally modify their end of the contract would be nailed to the wall.

Honestly I'm going to be a bit cowardly and avoid joining the FB group until I hear about whether I'm accepted or rejected, but either way once that happens I'm going to try to help out however I can.

[guest2243123]

I am one of the current scholars that still thinks SMART is a great deal. I do not have children to support and my wife makes a good living as well - I will hardly notice the missing 7k this year and will be done with phase 1 or whatever (graduate next year) before the support payments completely expire.

I am conflicted by what is happening for several reasons.

At orientation I was very impressed when my branch liaison made a statement that I remember going something like this: "You have likely heard that some SMART Scholars are not being hired due to funding cut-backs at their SF, and I am here to tell you that this is true." The liaison then elaborated on what SMART is doing to rectify the situation and said that some of us may/will have a similar experience. I was impressed by this level of honesty and bluntness. It was an example of people within SMART showing good leadership by demonstrating the "bottom line up front" approach that they want us to take.

Coming from that, SPO has always been very fast at answering any questions and concerns that I have had. Furthermore, I am disorganized at times and have missed deadlines by a couple days on a couple things. I was contacted by SPO, I responded appropriately and quickly and they did not punish me with taking my cash award or anything like that - bottom line; they are reasonable people.

From there I learn of concerns with getting a low-ball offer from an SF - that is in fact frightening. However, SMART encourages you to communicate regularly with your SF. I took this advice and have had at least weekly contact with my SF and talk to several people within my SF. I have a certain level of trust in them and and hope that I will not be in that situation.

In the event that this does happen - any salary they offer me is going to be better than an academic postdoc and it is only 2 years. I really want to work in the field of defense-related research and will not let a low starting salary dissuade me from this end (ie: will move to another facility after 2 years or bargain for a higher salary - if you make yourself indispensable, either should be well within your scope)

Then there is the late paycheck and slashed support payments. I see this as a sign of hard economic times, coupled with the fact that SMART is a relatively new program. I knew they were completely restructuring some things when all of the internship and CAC paperwork was being revised and was delayed.

I don't really feel lied to or scammed - I was worried about this program when I heard a new story involving our military branches, pitted against one another, in a scramble to not have their budgets cut (http://www.npr.org/2011/08/25/139934178 ... udget-cuts). I remember wondering to myself if the SMART scholarship will likely experience cuts as well? I am not trying to say that this has anything to do with our support payments being reduced, just that I am not surprised - given other things that are going on.

At worst I feel disappointed that I will not be able to add an extra 7K to my savings account to assist with moving expenses associated with the permanent relocation upon graduation.

Lastly, I couldn't possibly compare what is happening with SMART to social issues like civil rights or women's suffrage or the like. I do not believe that the majority of SMART scholars will get low-ball offers from an SF. I do not believe that SMART is going to take advantage of us and make unnecessary cuts or changes to our contracts.

My personal opinion is that if you believe that SMART has maliciously screwed you over because they have money that they are withholding from you, and you then pursue legal action against them; then you are headed towards a self fulfilling prophecy.

[RPI CSE]

I am one of the current scholars that still thinks SMART is a great deal. I do not have children to support and my wife makes a good living as well - I will hardly notice the missing 7k this year and will be done with phase 1 or whatever (graduate next year) before the support payments completely expire.

From there I learn of concerns with getting a low-ball offer from an SF - that is in fact frightening. However, SMART encourages you to communicate regularly with your SF. I took this advice and have had at least weekly contact with my SF and talk to several people within my SF. I have a certain level of trust in them and and hope that I will not be in that situation.

Then there is the late paycheck and slashed support payments. I see this as a sign of hard economic times, coupled with the fact that SMART is a relatively new program. I knew they were completely restructuring some things when all of the internship and CAC paperwork was being revised and was delayed.

I don't really feel lied to or scammed - I was worried about this program when I heard a new story involving our military branches, pitted against one another, in a scramble to not have their budgets cut (http://www.npr.org/2011/08/25/139934178 ... udget-cuts). I remember wondering to myself if the SMART scholarship will likely experience cuts as well? I am not trying to say that this has anything to do with our support payments being reduced, just that I am not surprised - given other things that are going on.

At worst I feel disappointed that I will not be able to add an extra 7K to my savings account to assist with moving expenses associated with the permanent relocation upon graduation.

guest2243123, you seem to be in a very good position even while this is going on. I just hope that you understand that there are many who are not.

As for the budgets being up for debate, I don't think you quite understand the concept of a budget, or perhaps you weren't informed of how the SMART budgets work year to year. The funding that we are receiving from now until the day we graduate is coming from money that was allocated in 2011. It is not a part of the current budget and can not be cut from the budget, it essentially is money that has been spent. That is where the feelings of mistrust are coming from. We were told they had this money and we were told directly that there was no chance of it being removed. This is also the reason that you cant change your graduation date easily, they might not have enough money. So our money being cut doesn't have to do with current issues.

Lastly, I couldn't possibly compare what is happening with SMART to social issues like civil rights or women's suffrage or the like. I do not believe that the majority of SMART scholars will get low-ball offers from an SF. I do not believe that SMART is going to take advantage of us and make unnecessary cuts or changes to our contracts.

Please don't take a comment and make it so out of context. I never once compared what is going on to social issues like civil rights or women's suffrage. I did say that those things happened... and that they changed... as an example that things in the government can change... Which is not equivalent to comparing the situations themselves. Its a bit insulting to have a comment taken so out of context and it is one that could take a reasonable thread down in a flame war very quickly.

If $7,000 is something you would barely notice, don't you feel bad taking the scholarship from people who actually need it? Please note, I am not serious, I realize that the statement was not one of superiority, but an attempt at reasoning and justification. Context is a pretty good thing to have.

And a loss of upwards of $50,000 in some cases is not an unnecessary cut or change to a contract?

[Scholar]

I am one of the current scholars that still thinks SMART is a great deal. I do not have children to support and my wife makes a good living as well - I will hardly notice the missing 7k this year and will be done with phase 1 or whatever (graduate next year) before the support payments completely expire.

I am conflicted by what is happening for several reasons.

At orientation I was very impressed when my branch liaison made a statement that I remember going something like this: "You have likely heard that some SMART Scholars are not being hired due to funding cut-backs at their SF, and I am here to tell you that this is true." The liaison then elaborated on what SMART is doing to rectify the situation and said that some of us may/will have a similar experience. I was impressed by this level of honesty and bluntness. It was an example of people within SMART showing good leadership by demonstrating the "bottom line up front" approach that they want us to take.

Coming from that, SPO has always been very fast at answering any questions and concerns that I have had. Furthermore, I am disorganized at times and have missed deadlines by a couple days on a couple things. I was contacted by SPO, I responded appropriately and quickly and they did not punish me with taking my cash award or anything like that - bottom line; they are reasonable people.

From there I learn of concerns with getting a low-ball offer from an SF - that is in fact frightening. However, SMART encourages you to communicate regularly with your SF. I took this advice and have had at least weekly contact with my SF and talk to several people within my SF. I have a certain level of trust in them and and hope that I will not be in that situation.

In the event that this does happen - any salary they offer me is going to be better than an academic postdoc and it is only 2 years. I really want to work in the field of defense-related research and will not let a low starting salary dissuade me from this end (ie: will move to another facility after 2 years or bargain for a higher salary - if you make yourself indispensable, either should be well within your scope)

Then there is the late paycheck and slashed support payments. I see this as a sign of hard economic times, coupled with the fact that SMART is a relatively new program. I knew they were completely restructuring some things when all of the internship and CAC paperwork was being revised and was delayed.

I don't really feel lied to or scammed - I was worried about this program when I heard a new story involving our military branches, pitted against one another, in a scramble to not have their budgets cut (http://www.npr.org/2011/08/25/139934178 ... udget-cuts). I remember wondering to myself if the SMART scholarship will likely experience cuts as well? I am not trying to say that this has anything to do with our support payments being reduced, just that I am not surprised - given other things that are going on.

At worst I feel disappointed that I will not be able to add an extra 7K to my savings account to assist with moving expenses associated with the permanent relocation upon graduation.

Lastly, I couldn't possibly compare what is happening with SMART to social issues like civil rights or women's suffrage or the like. I do not believe that the majority of SMART scholars will get low-ball offers from an SF. I do not believe that SMART is going to take advantage of us and make unnecessary cuts or changes to our contracts.

My personal opinion is that if you believe that SMART has maliciously screwed you over because they have money that they are withholding from you, and you then pursue legal action against them; then you are headed towards a self fulfilling prophecy.

Thank you for saying everything better than I could! I agree with you completely. Except I wouldn't be able to put the extra money into my savings due to my SF location. But yes. To everything you said. Thanks for still being out there too!

[Guest]

Sigh... This is not an argument. If you still like SMART, rock on! Don't think it is your duty to convince others that SMART is great. It's a personal choice for each applicant. The purpose of the comments by those of us who do not feel the same way as you is to let those who have not been contracted yet to see what is happening. The state of the program and the actions and behavioral trends of OSG and SPO should be transparent for those who will be stuck with their contracts regardless of whether they like or dislike the program. This is like a PSA. Enter at your own risk. This product may cause frustration and bewilderment. Get it?

As far as you guys throwing out the ungrateful title, who are you to judge. I was highly qualified for all the rock star fellowships and I chose this one 100% for the money. I have no real desire to work for the federal government beyond what I owe for the money unless I get interesting work and great pay. Now that I have done an internship, I know that the money is mediocre and the work will be blah. That would be fine if I was still getting my money. But, I'm not. So am I grateful for my pergatory sentence? No. Just like I'm not grateful for student loans. They are a mechanism to pay bills for a while which I will pay back in the future. Now if SMART gave me that money free and clear...then I'd be grateful. It wasn't a gift. I didn't need or really want a job. It was strictly a business decision. So, don't judge us. We aren't judging you. Be grateful if you want. Don't dare think we are all in a position which requires gratitude.

[fish_]

RPI CSE said "As for the budgets being up for debate, I don't think you quite understand the concept of a budget, or perhaps you weren't informed of how the SMART budgets work year to year. The funding that we are receiving from now until the day we graduate is coming from money that was allocated in 2011."

just because the money was allocated, doesn't mean that it cannot be cut. it is happening to all federal budgets, including DoD. there are budget drills all of the time where the question is asked "if we cut your budget another x%, what will not get done?" sometimes the pentagon doesn't even ask, they just pull back dollars in an across-the-board cut.

[RPI CSE]

just because the money was allocated, doesn't mean that it cannot be cut. it is happening to all federal budgets, including DoD. there are budget drills all of the time where the question is asked "if we cut your budget another x%, what will not get done?" sometimes the pentagon doesn't even ask, they just pull back dollars in an across-the-board cut.

I apologize because I may have explained it poorly. The money is not in the budget anymore. Our funding has not been and will not be cut, because of budget cuts, any time that the program still exists. The money that is being used to bring on new participants is in the budget and could be cut. But for the SMART scholarship, our money is behind the current budget that will be used to pay for 2012 Scholars. This is what I was told during orientation and was corroborated by other sources. To compare our situation to another, if the Air Force was buying 100 new fighters and had payed for 50 that were in the process of being made and was going to order the next 50 the following year, if their budget is cut in half, they lose money that was going to be paying for the new fighters, not the ones that are sitting half built and half payed for.

[me123]

This would seem to be beneficial to those who wanted a year to finish their dissertation and just put in time at a local facility. Those of us in that situation appear to be unaffected. In fact it could be advantageous.

[fish_]

@RPI CSE, you are correct in that scenario. i figured SMART was more like a gov't office where you submit a budget for salaries, travel, training, and supplies. then mid-year, they cut your budget (either pull back some money or reduce quarterly disbursements). then you have to decide what to cut so you protect salaries. living in that scenario right now

[Scholar]

just because the money was allocated, doesn't mean that it cannot be cut. it is happening to all federal budgets, including DoD. there are budget drills all of the time where the question is asked "if we cut your budget another x%, what will not get done?" sometimes the pentagon doesn't even ask, they just pull back dollars in an across-the-board cut.

I apologize because I may have explained it poorly. The money is not in the budget anymore. Our funding has not been and will not be cut, because of budget cuts, any time that the program still exists. The money that is being used to bring on new participants is in the budget and could be cut. But for the SMART scholarship, our money is behind the current budget that will be used to pay for 2012 Scholars. This is what I was told during orientation and was corroborated by other sources. To compare our situation to another, if the Air Force was buying 100 new fighters and had payed for 50 that were in the process of being made and was going to order the next 50 the following year, if their budget is cut in half, they lose money that was going to be paying for the new fighters, not the ones that are sitting half built and half payed for.

This is true, but only for our school tuition and cash award, I believe. Last year when we were waiting for approval from the SPO for our internships the government was operating under a Continuing Resolution until the federal budget was passed. Here's a quote from that email: "The SPO has been withholding approval for these internships due to delays in the SMART Program’s annual budget ratification from our sponsor. If our budget is reduced, the SPO may be forced to reduce all Participants’ internship periods by several weeks, which will reduce the total amount of your internship support payments."

[Guest]

I would have happily reduced the LENGTH of my internship, rather then the payment per week.

-SMART scholar 2009

[anotherGiuest]

Sorry for the possibly silly question. But can someone lay out what exactly has gotten/is getting cut? I.e the 25k/year stipend?
Thank you!

[RPI CSE]

Sorry for the possibly silly question. But can someone lay out what exactly has gotten/is getting cut? I.e the 25k/year stipend?
Thank you!

Hello anotherGiuest,

The 25k/year stipend is the same and fine. The cut was the 1200/week internship support payment. It is being reduced to 600/week and given to all participants for this summer, and will be reduced to 0/week for all following summers, regardless of when you became a SMART Scholar.