Nrotc chances

polishpioneer1

5-Year Member
Joined
Sep 28, 2011
Messages
3
Hi, I am a high school senior currently applying for the Nrotc Marine option Scholarship. I am wonder what my chances of recieving this scholarship is.
Info,
2.6 gpa
285 plus pft
22-25 act
80 asvab
Sports= Hockey, Rugby
Full time summer job sense 7th grade L&K concrete
Enlisting in USMC Reserve this tuesday
AP US history class
Zero crimal charges

Thank you so much for your time.
 
Hi, I am a high school senior currently applying for the Nrotc Marine option Scholarship. I am wonder what my chances of recieving this scholarship is.
Info,
2.6 gpa
285 plus pft
22-25 act
80 asvab
Sports= Hockey, Rugby
Full time summer job sense 7th grade L&K concrete
Enlisting in USMC Reserve this tuesday
AP US history class
Zero crimal charges

Thank you so much for your time.

My advice would be to look through some of the older posts where applicants asked this same question.

Remember you have Zero chance if you don't apply, that being said I would think with the stats you have posted your chances will be low. I would take the time to look at Colleges that have NROTC Marine Option and talk to them about your options. You can still participate in ROTC as a non scholarship College Programmer.

One thing to think about, if you are enlisting to try and better your chances at a scholarship be careful. With your chances being pretty low you need to find out how that would work if you are in ROTC without a scholarship, will you be deployable, if so that could effect college and ROTC. I do not beleive the NROTC Marine Corps Option has a similar program such as the Army SMP Program, I could be wrong, just double check all your options.

From you ACT score I take it that you have not taken the test yet. What year of high school are you currently in.
 
Hi, I am a high school senior currently applying for the Nrotc Marine option Scholarship. I am wonder what my chances of recieving this scholarship is.
Info,
2.6 gpa
285 plus pft
22-25 act
80 asvab
Sports= Hockey, Rugby
Full time summer job sense 7th grade L&K concrete
Enlisting in USMC Reserve this tuesday
AP US history class
Zero crimal charges

Thank you so much for your time.

The sports, job, and PFT scores are good things and helpful. The academics leave something to be desired. Have you taken the SAT? Perhaps a high score there might be of some help in showing aptitude. Also, I'd suggest retaking the ACT.

Any leadership roles you can mention on your application? That would help a lot.

I have no idea how enlisting in the reserves would help or hurt.

If you don't apply your chances of receiving a scholarship are 0! Get the application in and apply to all the schools you list on the application. You can have your application updated later if your scores improve. Have a "safe" school listed on your application and keep in mind that its up to you to be accepted by the school. It's a separate process.

Be sure to have a plan B if you don't get a scholarship.

Good Luck! :thumb:
 
Thanks for the quick reply, Im currently a senior on my ACT retake they will not send my my final till later this week they only gave me that score frame. If I dont not get the scholarship which is a pretty good chance, I will continue with the Marine Corps reserve and attend collage second semester after SOI. Thanks again
 
Thanks for the quick reply, Im currently a senior on my ACT retake they will not send my my final till later this week they only gave me that score frame. If I dont not get the scholarship which is a pretty good chance, I will continue with the Marine Corps reserve and attend collage second semester after SOI. Thanks again

Sounds like a plan.

Remember you should talk with someone in ROTC and talk to your recruiter to see how being in the reserves effects ROTC if you are not on a scholarship. If your goal is to be a Marine Officer you will need to check these things out. You will need to find out how the process works if you are enrolled in ROTC and in the reserves, will you be able to get out of your reserve contract to commission as an officer and how does all that work. It can be a bit confusing so get as much information as you can before you commit to the reserves.
 
I would add that if your interested in becoming an officer in the Marine Corps and need some Financial Aid to get through college you should also look at the the Marine Corps Platoon Leader Course. You can find information on the Marine Corps web site. No idea though how being in the reserves would affect this.
 
I would add that if your interested in becoming an officer in the Marine Corps and need some Financial Aid to get through college you should also look at the the Marine Corps Platoon Leader Course. You can find information on the Marine Corps web site. No idea though how being in the reserves would affect this.

Great program although it is getting much tougher to get a slot, they are cutting that back too. Certainly worth a look.
 
The reserve idea was put on the table by an XO who is a Nrotc interviewer, He said it shows commitment which is a large portion of getting the scholarship because they need someone who will complete four years of collage. Im under the impression I probley will not get the scholarship, If that is the case I will ship out late june hopefully graduate boot in 13 weeks then 6 weeks of SOI and then report to my reserve unit in my home town, After returning home I plan on going to community collage for a semester then after the following summer enter the Nrotc program with no scholarship. Do you feel this plan will work? Do you have anyother ideas. Thanks so much for the Info.
 
The reserve idea was put on the table by an XO who is a Nrotc interviewer, He said it shows commitment which is a large portion of getting the scholarship because they need someone who will complete four years of collage. Im under the impression I probley will not get the scholarship, If that is the case I will ship out late june hopefully graduate boot in 13 weeks then 6 weeks of SOI and then report to my reserve unit in my home town, After returning home I plan on going to community collage for a semester then after the following summer enter the Nrotc program with no scholarship. Do you feel this plan will work? Do you have anyother ideas. Thanks so much for the Info.

It sounds reasonable to me, but keep in mind I'm a parent and not an expert. I'd strongly suggest discussing it with the XO. I'm sure he'd be helpful. The main concern I would have is working out training conflicts between the reserves and activities with the ROTC unit, perhaps especially over the summer when you may be doing rotc training. I would think it woul dbe less of a problem during the school year (but not zero).
 
I. SERVICE OBLIGATIONS INCURRED

A. By Title 10, United States Code Section 2107, I hereby acknowledge that to be eligible for appointment as a midshipman and for participation in the financial assistance program (NROTC Navy-Marine Corps Scholarship Program/NROTC Two-Year Scholarship Program) I must enlist in the U.S. Naval Reserve for the following:

1. If entering the NROTC program from civilian life, I will enlist in the U.S. Naval Reserve for eight years.
2. If entering from active duty, I will be released from active duty and agree to extend my enlistment to a total of eight years of obligated service.
3. If entering from inactive status in a reserve component, I will be released and I will enlist in the U.S. Naval Reserve for eight years.

I'm not sure what inactive status means in #3 but perhaps conflicts mentioned above are not an issue?
 
DS applied for Marine option. He recently had first interview and PFT.
He said interview was just OK. He prepared well, but interviewer suggested his answers sounded "canned" at first, he then loosened up a bit.
This forum leads me to believe his PFT was poor....Maxed crunches, 20 minute run, but only 13 chin ups. Grades are 4.0 in heavy AP curriculum, ranked 3/320, SAT 1360 (M+R), ACT 31 (34M, 31R). Math/Engl teacher recs were very good, other teacher/coach rec was over the top great. No recs submitted from current USMC officers. Varsity athlete, club president.
I can't find past stats from Marine option awardees. What do you guys think....
Is there ISR for Marine opt? Does he have a shot at a regular scholarship? Will it look bad if he submits a Navy ROTC app now?
Thanks for your input.
 
DS applied for Marine option. He recently had first interview and PFT.
He said interview was just OK. He prepared well, but interviewer suggested his answers sounded "canned" at first, he then loosened up a bit.
This forum leads me to believe his PFT was poor....Maxed crunches, 20 minute run, but only 13 chin ups. Grades are 4.0 in heavy AP curriculum, ranked 3/320, SAT 1360 (M+R), ACT 31 (34M, 31R). Math/Engl teacher recs were very good, other teacher/coach rec was over the top great. No recs submitted from current USMC officers. Varsity athlete, club president.
I can't find past stats from Marine option awardees. What do you guys think....
Is there ISR for Marine opt? Does he have a shot at a regular scholarship? Will it look bad if he submits a Navy ROTC app now?
Thanks for your input.

They look at the overall person. PFT is important but its not the be-all end-all. They can fix that. His academics and especially class rank look excellent to me and he has the sports. He also seems to have some leadership and I imagine he has more than you mention. Personally I think he looks like a good candidate, but then I'm just a parent.

If, by your last question you mean should he switch from marine option to navy, it's a bit hard for me to say. If he doesn't care which branch he serves in, just that he serves, and he is planning on a Tier I major, then it might be smart to switch but if he really wants to be a marine then he should stick with it. BTW, he can retake the PFT and have his scores updated. So if he works out for a month, especially working on the pullups, where the points are, then perhaps that's the right way to improve his chances in what appears his one weak area.

BTW my DS didn't get past 14 pullups as I recall. Of course he didn't get a scholarship either but I don't think it was the PFT. He's now a freshman college programmer and spent the summer working hard to get in better shape including doing a lot of work at a climbing wall to work on his upper body and back. His first college PFT was a 294. Maxed pullups (and he said he had more in him), maxed crunches and did an 18:36 3 mile run (something like that). So clearly one can iumprove their physical fitness in a very short time. DS is just loving his battalion.

Good Luck to your son! :thumb:
 
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He definitely wants to be a Marine officer above all else. I thought I read somewhere on this forum that one could submit parrallel applications, one for Navy and other for Marine option. Is it easier to get a Navy scholarship and then look to switch to a Marine slot once in school? The bottom line is that he will do his best to eventually become a Marine officer. A scholarship will allow him to attend a school he would otherwise not be able to consider.
 
He definitely wants to be a Marine officer above all else. I thought I read somewhere on this forum that one could submit parrallel applications, one for Navy and other for Marine option. Is it easier to get a Navy scholarship and then look to switch to a Marine slot once in school? The bottom line is that he will do his best to eventually become a Marine officer. A scholarship will allow him to attend a school he would otherwise not be able to consider.

I believe the straight NROTC Scholarship is more competitive then the Marine Corps Option. One consideration would be what your son intends to major in. The Navy works on a Tier system giving 85% of the scholarships to Tier 1 and 2 applicants in approved STEM majors. The Marine Corps Option does not have those restrictions on majors. I am not sure you can apply for both the NROTC and NROTC Marine Option at the sametime, someone will correct me if I am mistaken.

His best bet may be to continue with the Marine Corps Option, work on those pull ups and retake the test to submit the new score. As was mentioned above, they look at the overall candidate, pull ups they can easily work on, the other areas of the application which your son is strong are fixed, that will go a long way. He looks to be a great candidate and competitive.
 
Anyone know if ISR applies to Marine option, or just Navy?

I actually have no idea. On the other hand I wouldn't worry about it. As someone on another thread said, "You don't find the ISR, the ISR finds you". Since we're about to enter October I suspect there is a strong chance it would have found your son already if it were available... then again I'm just a parent. :rolleyes:
 
DS applied for Marine option. He recently had first interview and PFT.
He said interview was just OK. He prepared well, but interviewer suggested his answers sounded "canned" at first, he then loosened up a bit.
This forum leads me to believe his PFT was poor....Maxed crunches, 20 minute run, but only 13 chin ups. Grades are 4.0 in heavy AP curriculum, ranked 3/320, SAT 1360 (M+R), ACT 31 (34M, 31R). Math/Engl teacher recs were very good, other teacher/coach rec was over the top great. No recs submitted from current USMC officers. Varsity athlete, club president.
I can't find past stats from Marine option awardees. What do you guys think....
Is there ISR for Marine opt? Does he have a shot at a regular scholarship? Will it look bad if he submits a Navy ROTC app now?
Thanks for your input.

By way of input, let me relate my DS's experience. My DS went through this process a year ago for MO NRoTC scholarship. He had a first class pFT (243), a weighted 4.0 (with lots of AP -- an AP Scholar with distinction), SAT of 1400 (M+R -- a 800 in reading), Eagle Scout (but no varsity athletics). He thought his interview went well. He never got the scholarship. They have been cutting way back on scholarship is the rumor so the application needs to be very strong. We were told at the time that those without a first class PFT had no chance, at least in his Marine district. The higher PFT the better. Here is a link for calculating the pft : http://usmc.pftcalculator.com/
Good luck!
 
My son did receive a Marine Option NROTC scholarship last year. He is attending CU-Boulder as a History major. The application process was incredibly stressful for all of us. He had his application in by October 1st. At the time, his PFT was pretty low...I believe it was a 2nd class score. He continued to work on his PFT with the local recruiting station and by the end of January was maxed out on all scores. The scores were updated in his file before the final board. He interviewed in October. The interview went incredibly well. He had amazing recommendations. His gpa was a 4.0 with several AP classes. His ACT was 26 and his SAT was 1280 - not stellar scores, but ok. He was in the Delayed Entry Program. He had leadership rolls in school clubs and a black belt in taekwondo, but no varsity sports.

We really did not expect him to get the scholarship, after seeing posts on here. His stats are great for most people, but the caliber of young people I've read about on this forum is amazing. We are so thankful that he received the scholarship and his dream is coming true. He is thriving within the battalion and loves everything about it. He was the honor graduate at ROTC Orientation, and we just found out this morning that he was awarded the Midshipman of the Month award for August/September.

I feel my son was as deserving as anyone to receive the scholarship, but I really don't understand why so many awesome kids with better stats did not get one.

Best of luck to everyone. Don't give up just because you think your stats aren't good enough. We are proof positive that stats aren't everything.
 
Envied. Great story. Congrats to your DS. CU boulder is a great place My DS opted for VMI on a partial Institude Honors scholarship and seems to be doing well. Still expensive but a very good fit for him. Moral of the story is to keep your options open and things may well work out.
 
He definitely wants to be a Marine officer above all else. I thought I read somewhere on this forum that one could submit parrallel applications, one for Navy and other for Marine option. Is it easier to get a Navy scholarship and then look to switch to a Marine slot once in school? The bottom line is that he will do his best to eventually become a Marine officer. A scholarship will allow him to attend a school he would otherwise not be able to consider.

cvilltn - Among all the other comments that have been passed along I want to add 2 we haven't discussed:
1. Be sure to have a plan B
2. You might be surprised at what can be accomplished as far as attending a school your DS wouldn't otherwise be able to consider.

Besides applying to NROTC schools, 2 of which were in-state, my DS applied to a safety school in-state that did not have ROTC. Although it was out-of-state his first choice of school was the University of South Carolina in Columbia because he loved the campus and he thought highly of the NROTC battalion.

We did not get an NROTC scholarship, and he was wait-listed at the in-state schools that had NROTC. But he did get accepted at South Carolina and we were fortunate enough to get an academic scholarship, only available to out-of-state students, that brought costs down to near in-state tuition. So he is now participating in NROTC as a college programmer at his first choice school and the costs are still reasonable. He's thriving there and keeps saying that NROTC is really preparing him for success.

Also, at South Carolina, the NROTC alumni offer a scholarship to all out-of-state candidates who successfully complete orientation that brings tuition down to near in-state costs (same as our other scholarship). Of course my DS got this too, but unfortunately you cannot double-dip so we can only use one of them.

Point is, there are many ways to skin this cat and given your son's academics etc. I'd being willing to bet he could get some form of scholarship that would make it possible to attend one of the schools he is considering, even if its not a ROTC scholarship. Also, from other threads on this forum, I discovered Texas offers in-state tuition rates to all out-of-state ROTC students. I believe other states do this as well although I'm not aware of which ones.

I hope all your son's dreams come true! :thumb:
 
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