She has been accepted into 2 universities' School of Nursing and was told by her AF interviewer that if she did not get the scholarship this round, she can attend the first semester out of our own pocket while enrolled in a nursing program, apply for the AFROTC nursing scholarship and then she would pretty much be a "shoe-in." I'm a little hesitant b/c these schools are very expensive private schools which we can only afford with the scholarship. Do you think it is wise to enroll them in a school "in hopes" that she will get the scholarship half-way thru her freshman year?
This scholarship is the third type which I described to you here:
http://www.serviceacademyforums.com/showthread.php?p=81634#post81634
http://www.afrotc.com/admissions/professional-programs/nursing/
Although designed to be a three year scholarship it has been used as a 3.5 year scholarship during the past couple of years. The draw back to this plan is that there is NO GUARANTEE that it will be offered for 3.5 years or EVEN 3 years. It all depends on the needs of the Air Force.
If it helps you at all, my daughter (who also wants to be an AF Nurse) was told the same thing as yours by MORE than one recruiter. My suggestion is that if you go this route (and we might) you should be prepared financially to pay for the first year of college (in case the 3.5 option is not available). And of course, don't forget the costs of Room & Board which is not covered by AFROTC.
Our other back-up plan was for her to attend our local state school or community college. While she is in these schools, can she apply for the college AFROTC scholarship for a school she plans to transfer to? We're not really sure how this process works.
Normally this idea would work pretty well, but it may not apply to all nursing programs. If you are currently applying for a HSSP (High School Scholarship Program) then your daughter should also have applied to direct entry nursing programs (in order to be eligible). These programs are difficult to transfer from school to school, and often times you will need to retake some classes that were either missed or scheduled for a different year of the program. Community Colleges are great starting points but often do not offer a direct entry program (you take a year of prerequisites). If you choose this plan I would:
1. make sure that whatever school your daughter wants to eventually transfer TO, will accept the credits from CC or your State College and confirm which year of the nursing program she would enter
2. Keep all of these colleges within the same AF detachment. I know this won't be easy (possible?) but you must keep in mind that in order to receive an In-College Scholarship Program (ICSP) award you need the detachment to recommend you (her). If she isn't in the detachment (at least hopefully in another) they can't evaluate her and appreciate what a great AF Nurse she'll eventually become.
From the AF site: "All application materials for in-college scholarships will be completed at the Air Force ROTC detachment serving your school."
At the very least, you should discuss this option thoroughly with the detachment PMS at the college that she is going to transfer TO.
Any input/suggestions you may have is greatly appreciated. I'm also very interested in hearing everyone else's back-up plan. Thanks!
I have rambled endlessly on my daughter's back up plan(s) and if you are interested (and bored) you can read it on this thread on page 7 - post #67.
Now I have a question: Do you have more than one daughter? Back in 2007 you had a daughter that was also interested in Air Force Nursing what happened to her?
http://www.serviceacademyforums.com/showthread.php?t=1331