AROTC January Board Acceptance

mariner116 said:
For those that are getting an offer from the January Board (DODMERB message), how many of you were:
a. Reviewed for the first time in the January board, or
b. Had been reveiwed at a prior board (October of December).
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this board was my first review. I had a pretty bad case of senioritis.
 
I had all of my information done and complete, and as far as I know was reviewed by the first board. I was awarded the scholarship during this past (January) board. Still awaiting to see what schools I was offered.
 
Just found this board tonight while searching for info on the DODMERB physical. My daughter's status changed just today so she was naturally pretty excited about that. :thumb:

This is the 2nd board her packet was reviewed. She didn't have the strongest standardized test scores but everything else was above average I'd guess, or so we were told by one PMS. Contrary to what I've read here though, we updated her application as recently as 10-12 days ago and were told by the PMS that her score went up.

I'm no expert on this process by any means but I'd be happy to share our experiences if you have any questions. Good luck to everybody still waiting.
 
mariner116 said:
For those that are getting an offer from the January Board (DODMERB message), how many of you were:
a. Reviewed for the first time in the January board, or
b. Had been reveiwed at a prior board (October of December).
Click to expand...

I got an offer a few days ago, and my application was reviewed for the first time in january (i think i had it all sent in by december 20th or so)
 
I just joined, but I have been reading all of your messages for a few weeks now. I am a mother of a Senior that has put in for a AROTC Scholarship. He applied and had all his information submitted and had his interview all done by the first of Sept. '09. I have been watching his status and I also called his Major at his first choice College that he had his interview with to make sure everything was good and he called Cadet Command and they told him they have everything. But we have not heard a thing so far. We just e-mailed his Major and he said to be patient that there were 3 more that he can be picked in. He also told us my son should be high on the ladder. The interview he scored high, has done baseball all 4 years of High School and lettered 2, been a volunteer Firefighter for the past 2 years, GPA - 3.4, and the only one he thought would put him just a little low from the top of the ladder to be picked was his ACT - 20. He takes college dual credits and does very good in school but just can't seem to get a better score on his ACT.
My question to any of you is what were your scores and what State did you put down for your College? Are they going by Colleges to fill each one at a time or how do they do there picking besides your score and to know which Colleges have their max? Did my son make a mistake by just putting down 3 college choices? I couldn't get him to put down more cause he says these are the only ones he wants to attend.
Sorry for such a long message. I am just so nervous for him and I guess I am getting very impatient with this. Any information would really help out.
 
in reply to phemp--

my act score was a 32
i filled out all 7 options for college choices (the pms at my top choice school told me it was a good idea to put in as many choices as possible)
i'm not sure how they pick which colleges you get scholarships for--i think your packet goes to each college individually after the board decides you can get one

edit---
even though my act score was high, i had a pretty low gpa (2.9) and not too many sports or e.c's. i think your son has a decent chance, though i can't say for sure
 
My number one choice is Embry-Riddle...although I filled up all the college choices it let me. I got the scholarship during this past January board. I played 4 years of football, lettered 3 years, and was named All-Conference twice and All-State offensive tackle this past year. I played baseball 3 years, I have a black belt in taekwondo and I am a vounteer instructor, volunteer football coach, and have competed in power lifting for 4 years. I got a 27 on my ACT, 3.45 GPA, and have numerous AP and honors classes.
 
Thank you for responding to some of my questions. So do you think that by him only putting down 3 colleges might not have been good? Do you think we should e-mail more college choices to help him? What States are you all trying to go to college in or have been accepted for what colleges for the ROTC scholarship?
Congradulations to being picked on the Jan. board.
I am praying and keeping my fingers crossed that everybody on here gets picked for a scholarship.
 
My daughters ACT was a 24 but her GPA was a 4.1, nearly all her classes were honors or AP. She played field hockey all 4 years, was on a FH travel team and also an Olympic futures player. She was a volunteer coach at her jr high and also organized a FH tournament that raised $3200 for the breast cancer 3 day walk. Her leadership scores were pretty good I'm told. The recommendation letters written by her teacher and counselor were unbeliveably good. :thumb:

We picked (7) schools, almost all up north where there is snow....Michigan, Montana, Portland, NAU. Apparently it takes a few days to get your list of schools so we're not sure of our options at this point.
 
My ACT scores 25 Composite(3.9 GPA Weighted & Unweighted) and I got a scholarship, so it shows that they look at more than just perfect academics.

I only put 5 choices on my school list and in return my AROTC letter had two choices on it. I've heard that others that put all 7, get 4 offers though. Not sure.
 
I didn't think about putting down my son's weighted GPA which is 4.127 as of the beginning of his Senior year and un-weighted is 3.4. He is wanting to go to a College in Missouri and that's all he put down. I just didn't know if maybe they start with a College and fill the openings then go to the next or they just pick you with your score they score you with and then see if there is an opening in any of the Colleges you wrote down.
 
Phemp,

Though they look at many factors besides SAT/ACT, I believe act 20 may be a major problem. Converted into SAT, it's in the vicinity of 950 (CR+M). I think the selection board is pretty number and formula driven, and this is dangerously close to the MINIMUM they require (SAT 920, ACT 19). Even in good years when there was plentiful of scholarship money, selected national scholarship cadets' scores are well above the minimum.

This year, they are drastically reducing the number of scholarships awarded. One PMS told me that in previous year, he had 28 scholarship candidates. This year, he is getting only 10, so it's almost 2/3 reduction. My sentiment is, this year, in order to get the 4 year national scholarship, you have to be competitive candidate, and better than the average students who are admitted to the colleges that the battalion is located at. Note that they give scholarship candidates who they think will make good officers AND who they think will get into the school that supports the ROTC program.

Which colleges is your son applying to? If your son's stats are below that of the average students normally accepted by those colleges/universities, then this could spell trouble. Do the simple research on the school's SAT range, and see where your son stands.

Is it too late to try SAT, if he has a problem with the ACT format??? Another safety measure to update the school choice to include schools where your son's stats are competitive.
 
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I agree with educateme. the pms from my school of choice told me they only handed out 14 scholarships this year, only 2 for the January board, and nearly 400 people applied. It depends on the size of the school and the ROTC program how many scholarships they are allowed to give. If they only hve a few they are generally reserved for students who excel in all areas, including grades and test scores. I knew a man who was once on the AROTC review board and he told me there are 3 categories they look at when judging a students packet: grades, athletics, and school and community involvement. The first few boards are usually for applicants who are well above the minimum in all 3 areas while the others who don't do so well in one area are usually pushed over to the next board. Even if you don't have great test scores you might still have a pretty good chance.

I only put two schools on my choice list but they are both fairly large schools. I was awarded 4-years to both but I have fairly high stats. Good luck to your son Phemp!
 
Phemp...

My son had a 21 on his ACT (not that great and we assumed he wouldn't get a scholarship because of it). However, he maxed his interview, did the the Army physical fitness test (which he did well in), has a 3.4-3.83 (depending on weighted or not), dual enrollment community college credits, cross country captain, etc. His essay wasn't long, but to the point. He loves traveling, looking to major in International Relations, and wants to use that love in the Army. He also put down 7 schools.
 
I also believe that academics plays an important role in selection for ROTC scholarships. I think not just for the first two boards but for all of them. After all, the ROTC students are students first. ACT/SAT scores don't always represent the total student, that is why colleges/ROTC/SA boards look at the whole candidate assessment. However, these scores are what give the first impression of the student/fair or unfair.

Our situation is a little different than most. Our student received appts to WP and Naval Academy and received 4 yr ROTC scholarships, the first time boarded. However, the #1 choice, did not offer a scholarship, even with a 31 ACT, 4.20 GPA, all AP courses, and three sport varsity letters. Our student is a school high school Heisman, numerous volunteer awards, etc. Received Presidential nom to WP and Principal to Naval Academy.

However, for the #1 school, our student's application did not quite make the cut. This school was only allocated 7 scholarships for more than 250 applicants. All scholarships were offered to students who had between a 32-34 ACT ( the "in" range for this particular school). All scholarships were offered first and second round. Our student got into this university early action, but without a four year scholarship. Was immediately offered 4 yr scholarships to other schools nationally ranked( in the top 20 schools) within a few numbers of the school not offered.

So, the bottom line is that none of us can know exactly what either Cadet Command or Admissions/PMS of particular universities/colleges are looking for. The very best we as parents can do is help our students give the very best representation of themselves and then back off a little and let the process work. And have at least one back up plan in order. Things didn't work out exactly as planned for us and our student, however we know in the end, our student has excellent choices still, and plans to get an top quality education, serve our country and have a lots of great experiences while doing so. What more could we ask for?
 
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Well said. I hope this week brings good news to the rest of you and again thanks for all the information and experiences shared here.
 
Cangrat's to all that heard or had there status change, still waiting and only hope and pray :thumb::thumb:that CC is not finished posting...Have a call into two PMS Officers to verify if all has been posted from the Jan board, will pass alone any info I get.
 
phemp - alot is going to depend on the school that your son selects. Scholarship Cadets need to maintain a 2.5 gpa to keep their scholarship. The board needs to feel confident that a candidate will be able to do so.
His GPA will work strongly in his favor.
 
Just_A_Mom said:
phemp - alot is going to depend on the school that your son selects. Scholarship Cadets need to maintain a 2.5 gpa to keep their scholarship. The board needs to feel confident that a candidate will be able to do so.
His GPA will work strongly in his favor.
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I agree. My son applied (and was accepted) to schools that he felt fit his qualifications. With a lower ACT score, I can't help but feel that school choice really plays a part. Or not....we may never know the "mystery" behind the ROTC boards.
 
This is from a PMS. The results of the board were posted late last week, packet will automatically roll over to the 4th board that convenes in early March. The 5th and final board convenes in early April. The scholarship boards at Cadet Command are turning out to be extremely competitive this year and offering limited numbers of scholarships. Many high quality applicants still under consideration for upcoming boards. Hang in there...the process is lengthy and I hope that the final two boards provide some good news for you.:smile::smile::smile: Will talk to all mid March, wish us luck!!!!!
 
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