Class of 2017 questions!

Hi, I am an upcoming senior who has started the whole NROTC application process. I was wondering, if you have a mediocre GPA (3.6-3.7) and a high SAT score does it even out? I want to be a Tier 1 major even if I do not go ROTC, but does it really increase your chances a lot? My last question is, does school choice have an affect on your chances, or do they look at the applicant, and then place them at their school choice?

rebekahw said:

Hi, I am an upcoming senior who has started the whole NROTC application process. I was wondering, if you have a mediocre GPA (3.6-3.7) and a high SAT score does it even out? I want to be a Tier 1 major even if I do not go ROTC, but does it really increase your chances a lot? My last question is, does school choice have an affect on your chances, or do they look at the applicant, and then place them at their school choice?

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Well, nothing can be done about the GPA now. Get the highest SAT score you can, at least 700 in each section. NROTC does not look at Writing, like USNA, but remember you will have to gain admission to the university in addition to receiving the scholarship.

Tier I major might help you, as the Navy as a quota for technical majors; it was something like 85% of scholarships are Tier I and II.

The NROTC program will make a decision to award the scholarship, and then assign a school based on space available.

School choice is going to be an issue because they are allotted X amount of scholarships for each unit, and some colleges are more competitive than others, thus a larger pool of applicants. Notre Dame, PSU, VT, ERAU, Villanova, quickly come to mind...no insult to other colleges, just my opinion.

That being said don't try to game the system and apply to colleges you think will give you a better shot of getting a scholarship with the intention that later on you will try to have it transferred to another school.

A/NROTC are a mine field if you do not navigate it correctly. Every yr there are candidates that get the scholarship, but rejected by the university, or get into the university, but not a scholarship.

You need to place everything into the equation, including how will you pay for the dream school if you do not get a scholarship.

It comes down to creating a list of reaches and safeties, plus being happy with any of the outcomes.

So school choice does not really have a bearing? I've heard both, but from what it sounds like it depends on when you get the schlorship and if the unit is full. Is It true that ERAU is extremely competitive? That happens to be my first choice. The school in itself seems easy to be accepted to, but looks like a smaller unit.

School choice does have a bearing.

I.E. ERAU maybe a match for you, but NROCT may see it as a reach because it is a high demand NROTC unit.

You could get in ERAU, and not get an NROTC scholarship.

Notre Dame could be a reach for you for admittance, but NROTC could award you a scholarship to Notre Dame.

In the end of the day you may be out of luck!

PS.

I don't know about NROTC, but I will tell you AFROTC ERAU is competitive because after the AFA, the highest amount of rated slots go to ERAU, Do not confuse this with percentages.

rebekahw said:

So school choice does not really have a bearing? I've heard both, but from what it sounds like it depends on when you get the schlorship and if the unit is full. Is It true that ERAU is extremely competitive? That happens to be my first choice. The school in itself seems easy to be accepted to, but looks like a smaller unit.

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They will decide if you will receive a scholarship at all, and then go down your list of five schools for open slots. The decision to award a scholarship is independent of your school choice (so an NROTC scholarship to Harvard does not mean sure acceptance for Harvard). If all five of your schools are full (unlikely to happen, really, unless you applied very late) they will assign your scholarship to a university with open slots. You can change the list up until they make the decision.

If you do not get into your assigned university, you may request for a transfer to another NROTC university. If the transfer is unsuccessful, they'll find a university (seriously, ANY university) with open slots and assign you there. Whether you want to go to a school you have never heard of in order to use your scholarship and get a commission will be your choice.

There's also a possibility of passing up the scholarship if you aren't satisfied with the school assignment and joining the college program at the school of your choice, but college program scholarships are really tightening up, and I'm not sure if they would look kindly on an applicant who had turned down a scholarship a year or two ago.

How far advance do you need to have your application in to get to a certain board? For example, if you want to be seen at the October board, do you just need the complete thing sent in before October, or way far in advance?

Way far in advance. There are applicants that submit in August and do not meet the October board. It is a queue system. Boards meet for a finite amount and sometimes they will not get through every application. They will write to you and state at this time you were not boarded so you will know if you did meet the board. They may also send you a letter stating at this time you were boarded, but will be re-boarded at the next session.

Do not take fear that there is a problem if you are re-boarded, sometimes it is because you are on the cusp and they want to see a larger pool of candidates before they make their decision.

If I recall correctly from the past, traditionally the 1st board results are the absolute positive will get a scholarship to X unit. The rest typically get re-boarded. In other words the majority of applicants will receive the re-boarding notification.

This also plays into the queue issue because their files were put to the side, and at the next board they go back to the top of the pile, so if you submit in October for the October board you may not even meet the November board depending how many were left over from the re-boarding pile, and how many were in front of you for the October board that they never reviewed.

Beware there is also an exact cut off date which will be in advance of the board. For example, let's say the board meets Monday Oct. 15. If you submit it Friday, Oct. 12th, you will not meet the October board, because their cut off date may have been Monday, Oct. 1st.

A lot goes on behind the scenes preparing the files for the boards, thus they need the leeway time to accomplish it at HQ.

Thanks Pima , if they think you have no chance at a scholarship will they give you a rejection at the first few boards?