by 24August » Mon Aug 24, 2015 8:36 am
First things first: If you're accepted, you'll be supported for up to 5 years. After that, you can either continue to go to school and accrue pay back time, but with no income; or you could exit and work for the DoD for 5 years, then reapply for another 5 years.
Secondly, if you apply, realize that the first round cuts half of all applicants by major alone. So if you're in it just for the money, don't give the first round reviewers any inkling that you're there only for money; you'll be cut right there, no questions asked. Biology may be in demand in certain areas for the Army or Navy, but there aren't a lot of slots, so you'll have heavier competition than say a EE. If you're hanging your plans on getting SMART, good luck. I wouldn't count on getting accepted however, since not having a plan B can be a real downer.
First things first: If you're accepted, you'll be supported for up to 5 years. After that, you can either continue to go to school and accrue pay back time, but with no income; or you could exit and work for the DoD for 5 years, then reapply for another 5 years.
Secondly, if you apply, realize that the first round cuts half of all applicants by major alone. So if you're in it just for the money, don't give the first round reviewers any inkling that you're there only for money; you'll be cut right there, no questions asked. Biology may be in demand in certain areas for the Army or Navy, but there aren't a lot of slots, so you'll have heavier competition than say a EE. If you're hanging your plans on getting SMART, good luck. I wouldn't count on getting accepted however, since not having a plan B can be a real downer.