Freshman in College

ShookOnes

5-Year Member
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Sep 15, 2011
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I am a Freshman in college right now and after doing a lot of thinking and planning I have decided I want to become an officer in either the Navy or Air Force. If I still have a chance I would like to get a 3-year ROTC scholarship the only problem being is that my current school does not offer and ROTC. I would have to transfer but that would not be a problem. I have a few questions I hope you guys could answer for me.

How difficult is it to get a 3-Year ROTC Scholarship?

What are some things I can do right now to help my chance for next year?

Would the selection committee look at my High School grades etc along with my First-Year college information.

Thank You.
 
To get a campus based scholarship, if they have any, you need to be enrolled in the program. You are not going to "apply" for the scholarship and get an offer before you join the Battalion, and show that you have what it takes to become an Officer. Right now you need to find a school with an ROTC program that is the right branch for you, and talk to the enrollment officer at that unit to see what they say. I would suggest that if becoming an officer is your priority you need to start making plans to fund your college education. If the scholarship is your primary motivation I would suggest that you reconsider your decision.

Good luck
 
How difficult is it to get a 3-Year ROTC Scholarship?

What are some things I can do right now to help my chance for next year?

Last year we made 4 offers of 3 year scholarships to freshmen that were already actively participating in our program. They ranged from 2.6 to 3.3 GPA. What they all had in common was an unquestionable commitment to the program.

We would never consider offering a scholarship to a Cadet that had just recently joined the program and had not yet proven themselves.
 
Unless I am mistaken, AROTC seems more flexible/generous with ROTC scholarship (Please correct me if I am wrong).

Even with AROTC, getting a campus based scholarship will be EXTREMELY difficult going forward, and what happened last few years may not be a good indicator what will happen now since the situation seems to have worsened by all account this year. On top of that you already HAVE TO BE on that campus and already a hard core participating member.

I think AFROTC and NROTC situation won't be any better than the AROTC situation, and potentially worse.

You said there is no ROTC at your school. However, can you participate in the ROTC program in a nearby town/colleges. Many battalions have a cross-town affiliate schools that participate in the program even though they do not host the battalion themselves on campus. My son's battalion draws students not only from his school (host campus) but from several other colleges/universities near by.

If you can participate in a nearby battalion ROTC program, then that's a good place to start.

If your career goal is to become an office, then you should be mentally prepared that you will join ROTC without any financial incentive. Once you go through the program and get excellent marks, you can join active duty upon graduation regardless of whether you were a scholarship cadet or not.

You could also do OCS (applying to become an officer after you graduate). But, the writing on the wall seems to be by 2015, there may not be many allocation for the OCS route, as the manpower need for officers is MORE than sufficiently met by the service academy graduates and ROTC cadets - hence not much a reason to allocate a lot of spaces from the OCS rank. Again, I am not an expert here on these options. Some other wise folks will be in a better position to explain.

If getting financial support while in college is very important, you need to explore other options, such as SMP. But I am not an expert on these options. Perhaps other people can chime in.
 
I agree with educateme, the AFROTC scholarships for 3 yr are very competitive, and for the last 2 yrs those boards were cancelled, hence nobody got one. Currently, they are suppose to hold one this yr., but who knows.

As educateme said, many times there are X-town ROTC units. If you go on the AFROTC website you should be able to find where the host college is for your area. Be forewarned, it could mean an hour commute each way.

If you are serious about applying for the scholarship, I would suggest you join ROTC asap. Additionally, they will look at your college grades, that is why this board meets after 1st semester. To be a viable candidate with a shot you want at least a 3.0 in a tech major and a 3.2+ in non-tech.

AF/NROTC scholarships are really tilted to tech majors, with @85% going to those majors. This is why as a non-tech you will need a higher gpa. It is doable, there are a lot of non-tech scholarship recipients out there, so don't throw in the towel if you are a non-tech major.

As it has been stated all over these boards, the scholarship is a perk, but the majority of cadets are non-scholarship. Gone are the days where they handed out scholarships like candy on Halloween.

Finally, it is important to decide what you want to do as an Officer because you will owe 4 yrs AD upon commissioning, at the least. Go rated (flier) and it is 10 yrs. So, if being on a boat for 6 months at a clip isn't your thing, you might not want to go Navy. If being landlocked at Minot, ND for 3 yrs isn't your idea of fun, AF might not be the way to go.

Take a realistic look at each branch, and that means looking at the worst too.

The statement of service before self is not a cliche, it is a fact.

Good Luck.
 
It will be difficult to get a Navy scholarship. You will enter as a college programmer and by the end of the 2nd year you must get the scholarship or advanced standing or you must disenroll from the program. There are 38 college based scholarships available nationwide for class of 2014. Then you are left with OCS or PLC pretty much as a last resort to become an officer and I understand there are not too many openings there. My DS as well as other posters here are college programmers getting great grades, PRT's and Tier 1 or 2 majors but still not sure they will be able to get a commission, so don't let anyone sugar coat it- It's HARD
 
I believe I may have been misinformed. I though the only way that you could participate in ROTC is if you had a scholarship. Thats why I was asking how does one "apply." This is good news because I did not know this and thought all ROTC members were on scholarship.

How does one get accepted in the Battalion is that a process you go with though the Air Force/Navy etc. Or do you talk to the Company Commander of the Battalion.

I appreciate the help
 
For at least our DS's det (AFROTC) you just go and enroll. Problem you may be facing right now is you are past the deadline.

DS just pm'd and said sarcastically...YEAH, I just got 2 more new cadets...that was yesterday.

It is 1 on Friday...walk over right now to your gut reaction, AF or Navy ROTC det and meet someone there. Gut reaction sometimes is the best, because you won't over think it and go with pure thought.

If you walk to NROTC there you go. Walk to AFROTC than there you go too!
 
It will be difficult to get a Navy scholarship. There are 38 college based scholarships available nationwide for class of 2014. My DS as well as other posters here are college programmers getting great grades, PRT's and Tier 1 or 2 majors but still not sure they will be able to get a commission, so don't let anyone sugar coat it- It's HARD

Can I ask where you got the number of scholarships? Yes, DS is all of the above you mention...we are beginning our 2nd year of waiting.

Kat
 
You will enter as a college programmer and by the end of the 2nd year you must get the scholarship or advanced standing or you must disenroll from the program.
Right. Do you know how many go through to Advanced Course without a scholarship? Is it more like 38, or more like 380?
 
The numbers came from NSTC note 1533 for academic year 2011-2012. If I knew how to attach it I would. Thats the $64000 question, how many advanced standings will the Navy grant. It depends on how many officers they project the Navy to need in 2014 that arn't filled by Annapolis, ROTC and OCS. In the past, almost all programmers were granted advanced standing but not any more.
 
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The numbers came from NSTC note 1533 for academic year 2011-2012. If I knew how to attach it I would. Thats the $64000 question, how many advanced standings will the Navy grant. It depends on how many officers they project the Navy to need in 2014 that arn't filled by Annapolis, ROTC and OCS. In the past, almost all programmers were granted advanced standing but not any more.


DS has been told that if he doesn't get a scholarship they will not be able to keep him. He is their top MID--has the blessing and backing of the CO who told him that there was nothing that could be improved on his application packet--A student, maxed PRT, Squad Leader, etc. Everyone in his unit is doing all they can to make this thing fly. It's discouraging to say the least. BUT, he was selected to be part of a special security detail with Defense Secretary Gates last Spring. Maybe that will tip the scales in his favor.

Kat
 
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