AFROTC scholarship questions/thoughts

Pima

10-Year Member
Joined
Nov 28, 2007
Messages
13,900
Okay, I first need to state VERY clearly I have no bone in this fight. DS is AFROTC scholarship class of 12.

I have endured as a parent not only scholarship, but SFT board, and now enduring the AFSC board; looking up in the sky to see where the shoe drops like AFROTC scholarships, but this time it is his career.

I only want this thread to go because I respect every branch and I think if you have AFROTC questions we should do it on an AFROTC thread.

Here's the deal:

MY OPINION, and opinion should be BOLD is any question regarding the 2/28 date should be answered this way:
Contact Maxwell

I know you want an answer, but NOBODY here works for the AF, let alone AFROTC!

The answers are opinions are anecdotal at best. Only Maxwell can give you the true answer.

Honestly, let's say I state, which I have, back in 08 they had until May to answer. I even link a link, which I have. Now because of the fiscal crisis the AF has re-worked the system. My info could have just cost your child a scholarship.

Clarkson is a great AROTC asset, and also and asset to this site. However, he is AROTC, not AFROTC.

The AF and Army have different parameters regarding scholarships.

Maxwell is the go to.

If your child is 17 you can talk to them. If they are 18, you are SOL.

The last thing I will state and something I try to drill in, but now I feel like I am:bang::bang::bang::bang::bang::bang::bang::bang::bang:

This path does not end with the scholarship. Your SFT will be another board like the scholarship. Your AFSC will be another.

Get that almighty Type 1, but pull a 2.6 gpa in engineering and you can see it all go BUH BYE!

Any AFROTC questions that I can answer from experience, I will be more than happy to do so.

Also, if you want to discuss AFROTC do it here. Respect your brethren. Let Army have their own thread to discuss their own ROTC issues.

Mama Bear signing off :shake:
 
Thanks for starting a thread focused on AF ROTC scholarships. For those of us new to this process, trying to navigate and make an informed decision is hard enough, throw in the different nuances from one branch of ROTC to the other just further complicates things.

To date: My DD was notified of a scholarship on 2/11/11 - Type is unknown at this time. Since then she received the preliminary medical review paperwork and has setup the various appointments required. She was also contacted by the local detachment, to schedule a "shadow" day. Lastly, today she received a letter from AFROTC, I presume it is the notification identifying scholarship Type - we will find out when she opens it tonight.
 
MY OPINION, and opinion should be BOLD is any question regarding the 2/28 date should be answered this way:
Contact Maxwell

I know you want an answer, but NOBODY here works for the AF, let alone AFROTC!

Well said, Pima!:thumb:
 
Pima: :confused:I'm sorry, but I don't understand your point......What is the deal about 2/28? My son received an AFROTC 4 year type 2 scholarship and the letter states that the deadline to accept is May 31, 2011. I feel like I am missing something from your post.
 
Some are receiving letters that state 2/28 is their drop dead date for acceptance of the scholarship. (This was discussed on the AROTC thread)

Back in 08 for our DS it was also May.

Again, for all anyone knows it may be the Type of Scholarship. In other words maybe Maxwell is saying if you want to convert the 7 to a 2, than you have until the 28th to complete the paperwork.

There are limited funds for AFROTC these days, and it may be just that the AF is trying to get their fiscal ducks in a row for FY 11-12.

That is the problem with internet forums, information can easily be misconstrued because for some it is particular to their situation, and not the entire group.

Again, that is why I say when in doubt contact Maxwell. Just like here, they are here to help your candidate, yet they are the ones that know each and every reg.

Also, even if your child is 17, it is still best for them to contact Maxwell. It is an easy way for them to start that transition from candidate to cadet and dealing with AD AF members.

Trust me the questions don't end once they accept the scholarship. Once you have it in hand, a whole new slew of questions start.

~~~DO we get the entire 900 book allowance at one time? Before school begins?
**** No it is divided in parts. If your school is semesters it will be 450 each semester. You will get it about 6 weeks after the start of the semester.

~~~DO they provide all of the uniforms?
**** Yes, they will give you blues and PT gear. You will not get ABU's until you are selected for SFT.

~~~ROTC orientation is a week before school starts and the dorms aren't open yet, can we skip it because we live 8 hrs away?
**** Call the school, and ask if they will have dorms opened at earlier time. Both of our kids schools do open dorms earlier than the move in date, so there is a chance they can move in earlier...beware dorms are open, dining facilities probably not.

~~~Will they be able to get a military ID card (CAC) as a cadet?
**** No, however, if they are a military dependent as long as they show every yr that they are enrolled in school, they can still use it.

~~~Will they be required to see only DodMerb approved docs?
**** Yes and no, if it is for AF purposes they may be forced to see their approved docs, but if it is for sniffles, they can go to the school health clinic and use your private insurance.

~~~ When will they get their 1st paycheck, do I need to use a specific bank?
**** They will receive the 1st paycheck around Oct, as long as they are contracted. It will be deposited in whatever checking account they have.

~~~ What is a good PFT score?
****96+

~~~ My gpa is below 2.8 at school, can they revoke my scholarship?
**** Yes, but it is a case by case situation

~~~ How much does the AFOQT counts to boards?
**** A lot.

~~~ What is the AFOQT like?
**** Think AF SAT/ACT

~~~ Should I join Honor Guard or AAS?
**** Both will look good from an EC point, it is a personal decision

~~~ What is AAS
**** Arnie Air Society. Depending on dets, they vary like any fraternity. It is a military fraternity, and only cadets can join.

If there are any other questions/answers that you are all starting to think about, feel free to post.
 
Thank you Pima!

Pima, you have been so helpful and I appreciate you answering all those AFROTC questions! My son received a type 7 4 year scholarship and only has until 28 Feb to get his response back. Of course, it's yes! :) Thank you, and congrats to your son for UPT!
 
One thing for your DS to keep in mind.

KEEP working out. He is accepting a Type 7, thus, come Sept. that PFT matters for contracting.

Here's a few suggestion when moving him into college rolls around.

1. Send TIDE TO GO PENS.

It works great on their shirts

2. Buy a good shoe shine kit. Start asking advice on how to do it.
~~~People have their own tricks, and it is a personal decision of what you like best.

3. If you have access to an AFB, go to the BX and buy him a 2nd set of blues.
~~~ If you are in the north or cold climate buy a 2ns long sleeve shirt. South buy an extra short sleeve.

Honestly you can't imagine the ring around the collar. Guys are guys, they will re-wear it as much as they can before washing.

Same with the PT shirt.

If you buy pants, they will need to be altered, let them do it because they know the reg for the cuff...and it weird. I can't remember where the break is, but I do remember the front is shorter than the back.

4. Buy frogs...these are the things that hold on their rank for their name tag, AF insignia, and caps.

They are small and get lost very easily.

5. Keep all important items in a place you can gain easy access. For example, back in 08 when he contracted, they wanted his SS card and birth certificate as proof...ironical that they refused to accept military id. We kept all our kids SS and passports in a fire safety box. I was able to FedEX it to him overnight.

Hope that helps you preparing for his upcoming yr.

Good luck, and thank you and your DS for wanting to defend this great nation.
 
I was notified that I received a Type 7 scholarship at the latest board but am yet to get anything in paper from Maxwell.

Anybody else in the same situation?
 
It is called snail mail for a reason.

If you have been informed that you have one, it will come.

Just remember that they are dealing with not only informing those who received a scholarship, but those they didn't.

Give it time.
 
Some are receiving letters that state 2/28 is their drop dead date for acceptance of the scholarship. (This was discussed on the AROTC thread)

Back in 08 for our DS it was also May.

Again, for all anyone knows it may be the Type of Scholarship. In other words maybe Maxwell is saying if you want to convert the 7 to a 2, than you have until the 28th to complete the paperwork.

I recieved a type 1 scholarship and was told I have until 31 May to accept or decline. Hope this helps.
 
DS received a Type 7 with a deadline of 2/28/2011 to reply. The local detachment has been best source of information on whether to convert to a 3 year type 2 and other questions regarding subsidies at that particular school:thumb:.
 
That is the way to go if converting a Type 7 to 2, like Dad has done. The reason why is that some schools, will charge a ROTC cadet IS prices even if they are OOS.

Also remember to check into the school if they give reduced rates for room and board for the ROTC cadet. It is not something the school typically will announce publicly during that decision making process regarding costs. They will give it to you when the bill arrives, but you may not find that out if you don't ask until later.

I.E They will still charge you OOS, but knock off 25% for room and board. Due to the fact that a Type 7 cannot pay over the IS rate, most likely you would than convert to Type 2. You will still get that 25% all 4 yrs.

At our DS's det it is the 1st shirt that would be the go to guy for these questions. They are the ones that process the financial paperwork. The command is in charge of the det., but if you approach it as a business model...you would think that the President (CC) does not have the intricate knowledge of personnel policies/mandates like the HR (1st shirt) person.
 
Some stats

14000 people applied for AFROTC scholarships last season 2009-2010.

1600 all types given out. Of those only 5% were non-tech. Average ACT score for non-tech 32.

The trend over the years those who have scholarships 27% give them up after. Overall 45% who join leave realizing that this is not for them.
 
1600 all types given out. Of those only 5% were non-tech.
That doesn't sound correct to me. Nursing and Foreign Language majors are considered non-tech and I'm fairly certain there were more than 80 (5% of 1600) scholarships given to just those majors...not counting the other non-techs.
 
ds received a type -7 - technical major with a reply date of 2/28. our comment upon seeing the letter was the date would be an issue for anyone waiting for an appointment to the USAFA since majority of those dont come out until march/april. our ds received an LOA to the USAFA; and received an appointment in january. he was surprised about the type 7 scholarship - i guess it really is a very competitive year. This was the smallest scholarship he was offered in comparison to merit based scholarships offerred from the colleges he applied to.
at this point he will be attending the academy so the scholarship will go back into the pot to be offerred to someone else. we wondered if maxwell knew about the appointment or knew he was applying to the academy - thus the date - maybe they started to talk to each other?
good luck to everyone!
 
ds received a type -7 - technical major with a reply date of 2/28. our comment upon seeing the letter was the date would be an issue for anyone waiting for an appointment to the USAFA since majority of those dont come out until march/april.

Our son received a 4yr/Type 7 with a 2/28 response date; he is also wating on USAFA. He contacted Maxwell rep...by 2/28 they are looking for a decision on whether or not he wants to convert it to a 3yr/Type 2. My recommendation would be to have candidate contact their AFROTC rep. wrt clarification/concerns.
 
the date would be an issue for anyone waiting for an appointment to the USAFA

I don't see how it would be an issue for him. Why can't he accept the ROTC scholarship while waiting for USAFA? If he receives an appointment then he can notify Maxwell that he no longer accepts the ROTC scholarship. At this point he is not under contract.
 
Blackbird is correct. If they receive an apptmt from the AFA he will be released from his scholarship obligations.
 
My DD will decline her Type 7 Technical scholarship. She is committed to a non-tech medical career - right now she is weighing the various options to meet the ultimate goal of becoming an officer in the USAF.

I don't know if there will be any positive impact (if any) for simply being offered an AF ROTC scholarship - maybe. Regardless, it was a learning experience for her, and an accomplishment in my eye's. Time to move on.

Again, congratulations to all of those who were offered scholarships and wish those who are in the application process great success!
 
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