Thanks for the info. It confirms some of the other posts I have read. My DS scored a 29 on the ACT, 3.3U/3.5W GPA , Team Captain wrestling (State placer), Sea Cadet leadership, perfect score on his interview, excellent APFT, and was still passed over on the second board. What else does he need to do to earn a scholarship? Our local university ROTC unit has already promised a 4 year scholarship to include room and board if he wins the national scholarship or not. The problem is the school is close to the bottom of his preferred destinations. Perhaps he needs to suck it up and be thankful for what he has.
Wow. Thank you for the valuable information Jcleppe. The picture is becoming much clearer. I wish we had found this thread at the beginning of the process. My son has done exactly as you have described in your post. He listed and applied to some of the most competitive AROTC programs: Georgetown Univ, George Washington, Ohio State, Virginia Tech, Norwich, and so on. It seems we have an uphill battle for the third board. Bummer.