Chances for an AFROTC Scholarship?

Aragundi

5-Year Member
Joined
Dec 30, 2012
Messages
19
Hi guys! I know you've probably seen many of these but I just want to know your opinion on my chances of receiving a scholarship? I've seen the stats for last year and my stats are around the average for a Type 7 but you never know. Anyways here we go:

Class Rank: 16 out of 626
Unweighted GPA: 3.73
Weighted GPA: 5.13
No regular core classes taken, only Honors, AP, and AICE (Cambridge)
ACT Composite: 28 (25 English, 28 Math, 33 Reading, 26 Science)
SAT: 1790 (620 Reading, 610 Math, 560 Writing)

PFA:
44 Pushups
50 Situps
12:32 1.5mi run
Approximate 36" Abdominal Circumference

Been in Varsity sports all of high school (Soccer 9th, Swimming 10th, 11th, 12th going undefeated and earning district championship 11th and 12th, and Water Polo 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th)

Leadership + Clubs:
Chinese Club
Active Member (9th and 10th Grade)
President (10th Grade)
-Anime Club
Active Member (9th and 10th Grade)
Treasurer (10th Grade)
-SECME Club
Active Member (10th and 11th Grade)
Treasurer (10th and 11th Grade)
-Key Club
Active Member (10th and 11th Grade)
Board of Directors (11th Grade)
-Social Studies Honor Society
Active Member (10th Grade)
Treasurer (10th Grade)
-National Honor Society
Active Member (11th Grade)
-Mu Alpha Theta
Active Member (11th Grade)
Treasurer (11th Grade)


Awards: Top 5 Key Clubs in the State of Florida (11th Grade)
SECME 2011 National Student Competition Finals (10th Grade)
Outstanding Algebra II Honors Award 2009-2010 (9th Grade)
Outstanding Academy of Law Studies Award 2009-2010 (9th Grade)
Fourth Place/8 Westminster Academy Relay Meet
Swimming District Champions 2011 (11th Grade)
Perfect Attendance in 2009-2010 School Year

Honors: Posse Foundation Semi-Finalist
Member of the National Honor Roll (10th and 11th Grade)
Member of the Superior Honor Roll (9th and 10th Grade)
Member of the Principal Honor Roll (9th Grade)

Community Service: Humane Society of Greater Miami- Responsible for the well being of the animals as well as aiding the shift veterinarian
Oleta River State Park- Responsible for the removal of invasive species and reestablishing the native species' population
Tutoring Volunteer- Tutored high school and middle school students in math and history
UNICEF-Assisted in the fundraising for the ELIMINATE Project sponsored by UNICEF and Kiwanis

I'd like to thank you guys in advance for reading all this and giving me your opinion, I greatly appreciate it :smile:

P.S. I haven't done my interview yet, they're about to call me to schedule it so I missed the 1st board and I'll probably miss the 2nd if it isn't done soon
 
Hi guys! I know you've probably seen many of these but I just want to know your opinion on my chances of receiving a scholarship? I've seen the stats for last year and my stats are around the average for a Type 7 but you never know. Anyways here we go:

Class Rank: 16 out of 626
Unweighted GPA: 3.73
Weighted GPA: 5.13
No regular core classes taken, only Honors, AP, and AICE (Cambridge)
ACT Composite: 28 (25 English, 28 Math, 33 Reading, 26 Science)
SAT: 1790 (620 Reading, 610 Math, 560 Writing)

PFA:
44 Pushups
50 Situps
12:32 1.5mi run
Approximate 36" Abdominal Circumference

Been in Varsity sports all of high school (Soccer 9th, Swimming 10th, 11th, 12th going undefeated and earning district championship 11th and 12th, and Water Polo 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th)

Leadership + Clubs:
Chinese Club
Active Member (9th and 10th Grade)
President (10th Grade)
-Anime Club
Active Member (9th and 10th Grade)
Treasurer (10th Grade)
-SECME Club
Active Member (10th and 11th Grade)
Treasurer (10th and 11th Grade)
-Key Club
Active Member (10th and 11th Grade)
Board of Directors (11th Grade)
-Social Studies Honor Society
Active Member (10th Grade)
Treasurer (10th Grade)
-National Honor Society
Active Member (11th Grade)
-Mu Alpha Theta
Active Member (11th Grade)
Treasurer (11th Grade)


Awards: Top 5 Key Clubs in the State of Florida (11th Grade)
SECME 2011 National Student Competition Finals (10th Grade)
Outstanding Algebra II Honors Award 2009-2010 (9th Grade)
Outstanding Academy of Law Studies Award 2009-2010 (9th Grade)
Fourth Place/8 Westminster Academy Relay Meet
Swimming District Champions 2011 (11th Grade)
Perfect Attendance in 2009-2010 School Year

Honors: Posse Foundation Semi-Finalist
Member of the National Honor Roll (10th and 11th Grade)
Member of the Superior Honor Roll (9th and 10th Grade)
Member of the Principal Honor Roll (9th Grade)

Community Service: Humane Society of Greater Miami- Responsible for the well being of the animals as well as aiding the shift veterinarian
Oleta River State Park- Responsible for the removal of invasive species and reestablishing the native species' population
Tutoring Volunteer- Tutored high school and middle school students in math and history
UNICEF-Assisted in the fundraising for the ELIMINATE Project sponsored by UNICEF and Kiwanis

I'd like to thank you guys in advance for reading all this and giving me your opinion, I greatly appreciate it :smile:

P.S. I haven't done my interview yet, they're about to call me to schedule it so I missed the 1st board and I'll probably miss the 2nd if it isn't done soon

Your academic stats look very good, keep it up. You also appear to be very well involved in extracurriculars. That is also very good, just be able to talk to those in your interview and explain how you've developed leadership skills.

The major weakness I see in your post is PT. The stats you posted put you at a score of just over 82. That is a passing score, and someone who is already on active duty can get away with that. But an AFROTC cadet looking to commission should have that score well over 90. PT is one of the easiest things to improve on. It just takes time and effort.

Good luck!
 
So will the PT greatly affect my chances at receiving the scholarship let's say if the interview goes good? How do my chances look because from what I've read not more than 1,000 students will receive a scholarship this year and I'm worried I'll be one of the ones left out. I'll still be doing AFROTC with or without the scholarship but the scholarship would help me financially. Should I let the interviewer know I'll be doing the AFROTC with or without the scholarship? Would that hurt my chances at getting it? Thanks again!
 
Should I let the interviewer know I'll be doing the AFROTC with or without the scholarship?
When I went for my interview, she asked me if I would do AFROTC w/o the scholarship; I told her yes. Your interviewer may ask you; but if not - make sure you make that point! Drive home the fact that this isn't about the money!

You may be able to make it for the 2nd board. The board reviews candidates about Feb. 15; albeit I do not know when the board 2 deadline is...

You'll do fine. Everything else looks solid. When I spoke with the admissions officer at the Det at Penn State, he told me a time less than 12:30 is good for the PFA.

Good Luck!
 
A couple of things.

1. GPA
~~~ AFROTCHQ will re-jig your wt cgpa because it appears that your school is doing it on a 5.5 or 6.0 scale. I believe they use a 4.5, and it appears on an unweighted you probably will see that move too since a 3.7+ unweighted, but a 5.1 even on a 6.0 is off kiltered...appears more Bs than As for APs.

2. SAT/ACT
~~~ The ACT is only the M and V, so your score would be 27, which in the case of your SAT it would be the same. Had your ACT been a 28 for those two they would have used the ACT since it would have equaled a 1240--1270 SAT.

3. PFA
~~~ I agree with Nick that score will hurt, but if the breakdown is identical to the WCS for the AFA, it will be be a % of 20% of the WCS, the cgpa/SAT is 60% of the score. The point is next yr that PFT will be part of your score regardless of being on a scholarship, so it is to your advantage to work out now.

4. Major
~~~ Unless I missed it, I didn't see it, I think you have a better chance as a tech major than as a non-tech. Better still if it is a critical field major, such as nursing, EE, nuclear, etc.

5. If the numbers stay the same as previous yrs., it will be @900 scholarships awarded, and 675 will be Type 7. 75% of those will be tech.

Overall the thing they want the most is the best WHOLE candidate, they don't want the book smart kid with no ECS, and they want the cadet that has managed to have strong grades, and succeed in ECS like you.

The kid with a 2400 SAT, 4.5 wcgpa out of 4.5, and 12 AP classes, but no ECs may end up with no scholarship compared to a candidate like you because they are all academics, and AFROTC knows that ROTC is a time commitment that can impact academics.

In the end nobody here sits on the board, and on top of that there is one giant piece of the puzzle missing...the amount of applicants. In yrs passed typically 18% of boarded candidates get a scholarship, but if this yr they have less applicants than your chances increase and vise a verse.

The interviewer will probably ask if you will join AFROTC without a scholarship. More than likely if they have questions, it would be the PFA since you are in sports.
 
I'm majoring in marketing but on the questionaire I put that I would major in meteorology since I knew most scholarships are technical, I had a question though. Would my career in the air force be in my major or can I do something else unrelated to that major such as command and control? Also thanks you for the advice, I plan on having a set work out routine starting in a few days actually! And if you'd have to say if i had a chance to get a type 7 scholarship what would you say my chances are? Thanks!
 
RUT RO REORGE! Showing my age...Jetson's dog Astro!

Aragundi, if you put tech, and get a tech scholarship for Meterology you would need AFROTCHQ approval to convert it to a non-tech major, in your case marketing.

In this day and age it is highly unlikely they will approve that change, especially if I recall correctly Meteorology is considered a manning issue currently. IOTW, they need them and offered the scholarship with the expectation you would major in meteorology!

Have to ask why did you put that major down if you intended to go marketing? Did you do it thinking this was your best chance for a scholarship and once you had it you could switch it with ease or did you decide after submitting you wanted marketing.

Transferring a major from tech to another tech, or non-tech to tech or another non-tech isn't a biggie. Transferring from tech to non-tech is. Sorry, if that causes fear, it is not my intention, but be prepared if they give you a scholarship as a meteorology major, you will need to talk to them about changing it ASAP. They have the right to revoke the scholarship because you are not going tech since they awarded it on the basis you were going tech. I am not saying you were trying to game the system even though you stated in your post you placed that in the questionnaire since you knew most went tech. I am just saying AFROTCHQ is cognizant some will try to change from tech to non-tech, and because of that it is rare that they allow it to occur, especially as a HS sr. just awarded a scholarship, 200's with an SFT slot maybe, but still that is IFFY!
As far as your career in the AF goes, part of that depends on your major. EEs are a critically manned field right now, thus they will be EEs in the AF. If I am correct that meteorology is also critically manned, than you will go weather.

I would never give you or anyone else a chance because the fact is the pool size is an unknown variable in the equation. Maybe this yr they will only have 3K applicants, but than again they could have 10K. I don't see more than what has been common in the past regarding awards, hence it brings it back to how many apply. I would just suggest to hope for the best and prepare for the worst. Have plan B, C and D in place.
 
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Ah I see! And of course! If awarded the scholarship in the tech major I was not planning on switching it! I just listed both marketing and meteorology as possible majors! And so the size of the applicant pool plays a big part in my selection? That actually worries me because i know my stats are average so I would really have to aice my interview, really nervous for that I'm worried I might say something dumb or not make a good impression..and if I do have to go into the career field of meteorology do you have any idea when I would be able to switch it to another one? Happy new years btw and thanks a lot for all the input!
 
The size of the pool matters because the amount of money available was budgeted already. Budgets run from Oct 1st to Sept 30th, thus for your yr group it is already decided how much will be spent. That only leaves the pool size to determine how competitive it will be for the candidates.

As far as the interview, be yourself. They understand that you are 17/18 yo and maybe nervous. You will walk out wondering what you were nervous about because it wasn't anything to be nervous about.

As far as how long you would have to be in weather, it depends. For all you know 4 yrs from now when you commission it may not be a critical manning field...as I said before I am not sure it is right now, but I recall hearing/reading it was, so don't jump the gun. If it is a critical manning field basically you would need approval from your commander, and AFPC to switch fields. I would expect you would have to do 1 assignment, so at least 4 yrs. ADAF

Caveat: You need to add in how long it takes to go AD, and if they have a training school prior to your 1st assignment. I.E. You may not go to that school for 6-9 months after commissioning, and that school could be 6 months long. That would be a total of 5 yrs after commissioning. It could be longer if they have a stop loss on that career field.

The point is nobody can tell you right now what the AF's manpower needs will be in 5 yrs. All anyone can tell you is that if you select a major be ready to work in that field.

You also may be worrying about this for nothing, some recipients will receive a scholarship with the ability to choose either tech or non-tech. I was just saying beware that your choice of major can impact your future regarding not only type of scholarship, but also career field.

OBTW, I forgot to say in the earlier post that I hoped you did not use the superscore method for ACT/SAT because AFROTC does not use that, they use best sitting.
 
As far as the interview, be yourself. They understand that you are 17/18 yo and maybe nervous. You will walk out wondering what you were nervous about because it wasn't anything to be nervous about.
In regards to the interview - I know you may find this hard to do - but it really isn't. If nothing else - just remember to be polite and courteous; dress for success as I would say.

For me it was nerve-wrecking, just to even think about the interview. But in all honestly, it went well - I actually wasn't even nervous at all during the interview, as I was have the time of my life (bit exaggerated, but I had fun nonetheless). Which brings up another key point, remember to have fun! You will probably think we are crazy when we say this - but try to have fun!

In case you fear that your interviewer will be a stiff (like a drill sergeant or something) - not very likely. Generally, I think interviewers range somewhere between O-3 to O-5 (at least that's what I've seen). When I went for my Army & AF interviews w/ the LTC and LtCol (respectively), the atmosphere was very relaxed. Keep in mind these interviewers are not here to shove information down your throat or to nit-pick you for flaws; they are here to make sure YOU are making the right decision; and for their respective branch to make the right decision [by giving you the scholarship].

Remember - the interview is what truly differentiates YOU - the prospective cadet from everyone else; because everyone looks the same on a piece of paper.

If you have any questions about the interview - feel free to ask me, as I've done both Army & AF already.

Best of luck to you!
 
Yea I read the interview thread by Thompson lol it actually helped a bunch! So you're saying my interviewer might be by the LTCOL of the school himself? Yikes. And no I didn't superscore it! I've read up that they don't so yes that was from one sitting! Also I've been wondering about the uniforms! Can't help it lol which uniforms do we get when starting AFROTC? Just for the PT? And do we receive the uniform even if we aren't on scholarship? Thanks for all the info :smile:
 
Yea I read the interview thread by Thompson lol it actually helped a bunch! So you're saying my interviewer might be by the LTCOL of the school himself? Yikes. And no I didn't superscore it! I've read up that they don't so yes that was from one sitting! Also I've been wondering about the uniforms! Can't help it lol which uniforms do we get when starting AFROTC? Just for the PT? And do we receive the uniform even if we aren't on scholarship? Thanks for all the info :smile:

First, a Lt. Col. pulls his or her pants on one leg at a time. So does the President. You should never be intimidated by anyone's station in life. They are there only temporarily and were where you currently are, once upon a time.

I don't know which uniforms are issued but I do know you get them even when not on scholarship.
 
LMAO! Really? Who knew at the time? No one here could tell. :biggrin:
Hahaha - I have no idea! Definitely NOT me ;)


Yea I read the interview thread by Thompson lol it actually helped a bunch! So you're saying my interviewer might be by the LTCOL of the school himself? Yikes. And no I didn't superscore it! I've read up that they don't so yes that was from one sitting! Also I've been wondering about the uniforms! Can't help it lol which uniforms do we get when starting AFROTC? Just for the PT? And do we receive the uniform even if we aren't on scholarship? Thanks for all the info :smile:
I cannot answer as to whether you will be interviewing w/ an LtCol. I'm pretty sure that the interviews are conducted w/ the admissions officer of the Det --> usually a Maj or a Capt; don't hold me to my word though ... Pima might have more solid information on this.

However, I do know that for Army at least, interviews are conducted by the PMS - Professor of Military Science, which generally is the CO of the Bn, who generally holds the rank of LTC.

Don't worry about the rank - technically, as a civilian - rank means nothing (comparatively speaking if you are in the Military). Basically, go into the interview - unimpeded by the interviewer's rank; just address them as either Yes (rank), or Yes Ma'am/Sir.

Uniforms: You get the very lovely tiger-strip ABUs (I will say, I prefer the digital look of the ACU over tiger stripes ...); PT uniform (I will say the AF has a wonderful PT uniform -- in comparison to the Army); and I would assume you would get a pair of ASDU.

Yes, you get them with/without the scholarship. Det has to have all cadets looking sharp when JCS comes for inspection ;)
 
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They give you all of the uniforms even if you aren't on scholarship, afterall you will need to learn how to wear it properly! This is done during the 1st week of school, the only difference is if you are not contracted you will return them at the end of the yr. Some dets also have different uniforms for different yr groups. I.E. DS as a 400 wore a flight suit since he was selected for UPT. As a C200 they wore their ABUs because they were getting ready to go to SFT. Basically, it was only his 100 yr that he wore only blues.

The only thing they don't give you are sneakers and your mess dress. Most cadets do not buy their mess dress until they are 300's. It is very expensive, about $400 .
 
I honestly can't wait to be in uniform :D Seems so nice lol on another note I received my email to schedule my interview, however it said this :

"Dress appropriately - no need for a suit and tie/dress; neat casual clothing is acceptable."

Should I still go dressed in my suit and tie as planned? Because that's what I'm leaning toward :confused:
 
I honestly can't wait to be in uniform :D Seems so nice lol on another note I received my email to schedule my interview, however it said this :

"Dress appropriately - no need for a suit and tie/dress; neat casual clothing is acceptable."

Should I still go dressed in my suit and tie as planned? Because that's what I'm leaning toward :confused:

Wear whatever makes you feel comfortable, but slacks and a collared shirt is sufficient.
 
I agree with kinnem. You are not going to get extra points for a suit. If you decide to wear a suit make sure you are comfortable wearing it, nothing is more distracting than someone fidgeting with a tie or their jacket because they are not accustomed to wearing a suit.
 
Oh ok thanks :) So I'll just go in slacks and a longsleeve with tie :smile: Thanks guys!
 
I don't usually like bring a post back from the dead but I thought it'd be nice to let you guys know I just went through my interview yesterday! It went great, I had it with the admissions Captain at the detachment, very nice guy. I said all my "Yes Captain" 's and "No Captain" 's and hopefully impressed him. Also, I had one final question. If not given the scholarship would I still receive the monthly stipends for participating in the AFROTC?
 
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