mcrawfo1

this is all a burst of gray hair !! aaahhh its so frustrating

CindyWC

awgreen, if you're still waiting - that might be a good sign? no news is good news. i'll keep my fingers crossed for you!

mcrawfo1

yea me too !! I really hope somebody out of the alternate crew gets it

awgreenarrow08

I'm crossin my fingers too! Thanks for wishing for me, I hope one of the Alternates gets something! Thanks!

mrcharliebrown

Got this today:

"Thank you for your interest in the SMART Scholarship for Service Program. At this time, the Department of Defense (DoD) has offered a majority of their 2009 SMART Scholarship Awards. The SMART Program Office is unsure if any additional awards will be made. Please let us know if you are no longer interested in receiving a 2009 SMART Scholarship. In the event that the DoD is able to make additional awards, we would only like to contact interested parties."

I'm still interested but it sounds unlikely that I will get an award. All the best to you guys!

matheo71

Hi guys,

Even though I have declined my offer a while back I have been following your posts on the subject and after reading some of the emails that you guys have received I must say that it makes me a bit angry (to say the least). The last email that you have posted is strange and is not professional at all. They should have provided candidates more accurate and honest information. Anyway sorry to hear that the scholarship was not offered to you (at least at this time). I hope you don't get too disappointed. Keep in mind that a scholarship is not always a good indicator of one's talents --- especially the one with "... for service" phrase.

In any event, best of luck in your future scholastic endeavors and keep up the good work.

TracySm

I also received the same email today. I am wondering if the Dept of Defense just didn't get back to the SMART Program Office with the final determination of budgets, as they stated in the last email, and that is why they sent this blanket email at the very last moment today. It appears it is just another postponement? And this time, they are afraid to state a date. Did anyone receive an award today? That, of course, would prove my hypothesis incorrect.

blackbishop

I agree with Tracy however i think that the DoD probably told them that more money was unlikely, but that the budget had not yet been finalized.

wowser

I am in the same boat as many of you: I was designated an alternate and now am waiting for what feels like eternity.

I agree with both Bishop, and Tracy. I think the email was rushed at the end of the day two weeks ago. I imagine they have us listed in order of priority and are waiting for the DoD budget to come through.

I wish they would have set a final date even if its 2 months down the road.

mcrawfo1

I got a call from someone in texas, and he told me that they found some more money and he is gonna call me back with my fate :-/ i feel a little revitalized somewhat

drinkmorejava

Wow, I wish I had known about this thread earlier this year.
*Applied as a Jr., Aeronautical and Mechanical Engineering Dual

I was accepted into the program, so here are a few things I have noticed.

Once you get past the first round of cuts, I believe everyone is open for nomination from a sponsoring organization (any of the facilities). Once nominated, they submit your name to ASEE/SMART, who makes a final decision based on other available applicants, funding, etc, but for the most part, I think it means you have it. Despite the website's directions, I believe nomination is very dependant on your top 5 selections, so it is essential to chose relevant facilities. No one will want to nominate someone who did not express any interest.

For me, the process went like this:
*email said I made it past the first round of cuts
*received a follow-up email telling me to complete a preliminary security questionnaire on the SMART site
*received a call from the flight performance director at Edwards. Talked for a while regarding my continued interest in the program and what I might be doing.
*received a call from SMART. I'm guessing this was the phone interview. All they did was review some of the security questionnaire questions.
*received an email with fiftymillion attachments saying I was accepted and to complete all the forms.

If anyone has questions, either this year, next, or whenever, feel free to email me at mo[rem0ve]uldc(at)rpi.edu

hamburgler2

I have some questions about this scholarship:

1. I'm going to be a freshman in the fall. The application opens in August, so how would they determine my gpa if I haven't even started my classes...?

2. Do I have to be nominated by my school to apply?

3. If I'm rejected freshman year, can I apply again sophomore, junior, senior year?

Has anyone had any experiences with this?

hamburgler2

*bumping this upppppp

CH121S

I guess this thread is a bit old, but I can offer some answers up since I have this ship.

I applied as a freshman (I had classes in the summer so I had a GPA) and got alternate. I applied my sophmore year and got it. You also do not need to be nominated.

It seems like a great program to me and a great way to save up money. You can go to grad school right after (if your undergrad) but you have to reapply to the program. (I am unsure if I want to hold off for two years, get some experience and then go or just reapply to SMART and a PhD....(Also some personal reasons why I am unsure.)

Overall I think its a great opportunity as I believe most of the other govt scholarships like this require a 2 for 1 commitment.

Feel free to PM me with or post any questions.

jay123

Hey! So I'll be a freshman in college this fall, and I think this scholarship sounds AMAZING! I have a couple questions, though:

1) My dream is to go to med school and become a doctor. Does the career of doctor qualify for the scholarship?

2) I know that I have to accept employment with the DoD right after graduation,but what if I want to go to medical school?