AROTC Scholarship Concern/Question

drakem

Member
Joined
Dec 1, 2016
Messages
33
Hi all,

I had a pressing concern about AROTC scholarships. I'm planning to join AROTC this coming spring in their sophomore class. What are my chances of winning a 2yr or 3yr scholarship?

My credentials:
3.78 GPA
2 STEM majors, with research experience in both fields of chemistry and genetics
1450 SAT score
Has taken 20+ credit hours every semester
Many extracurriculars (was on pre-med track before this, so I needed to have a lot)
Great leadership skills; associated with 2 Military organizations as a civilian right now
Extremely motivated cadet; willing to step out of comfort zone

The only thing holding me BACK is civil involvements, which I've already gotten waivers for. I was in a tough spot one time, and I took full responsibiltiy for what I did

What would be the best steps to increase my chances at this point?

Thanks to anyone who replies!
 
Stats look competitive, nobody here can give you the information you are seeking. Go talk to cadre and lay it ALL out for them as they will be the ones to recommend you for a campus based scholarship.
 
+1 @sheriff3
What would be the best steps to increase my chances at this point?

  • Talk to the cadre as @sheriff3 states above.
  • Enroll in AROTC as non-contract as soon as you can.
  • Nail the APFT
  • Add fitness and athletics (intramural or club sports)
  • Continue to get great grades.
  • Participate in AROTC EC's (You cannot go to CULP or other summer training until you contract)
  • Get your medical records in order in anticipation of DoDMERB
  • Follow your Cadre's guidance.
 
Thanks to you both!

I talked to my ROO, and he said that I look in good shape for a scholarship a semester AFTER this one (so fall of next year). I asked him if my civil involvement would deter me from being 1) awarded any scholarship or 2) being awarded a 2 or 3 yr scholarship, and he didnt seem to think so as long as they were waived -- which they were (thank God). He seemed to think that I just had the burden of proving that my quality as a cadet and student outweigh the civil involvement. I just wanted to see if anyone else were in the same situation and had some further insight.

If I'm awarded only a 1yr scholarship, can i apply for another scholarship?
 
@drakem according to the PMS officer that interviewed me for the scholarship application, many AROTC battalions offer a lot of campus-based scholarships for their cadets. So even if you are awarded a 1-year scholarship, you can always aim for the other campus scholarships if your battalion offers them. At the school I interviewed at, they offered 1/2 year (1 semester) scholarships, 1yr, 1.5yr, 2yr, 2.5yr, 3yr, and 3.5yr AROTC scholarships for their cadets based on their performance in AROTC courses and overall academics. Talk to your ROO about any campus-based scholarships. Hope this helps and good luck!
 
Thank you for the encouraging words! I go to a fairly big school, and the battalion has many cadets, so I was skeptical of my chances - but hey, here goes!

By the way, how big of a factor is APFT vs academics? I think I can give a good showing on dedication to academics, ROTC, and overall academic excellence, but I'm not too sure about the APFT. I got some work to do, and my goal is to max it/kill it, but I'm definitely looking forward to the challenge. APFT seems to be harder than AFPFT right? I did fairly well on the air force one back when I thought of doing air force.
 
Thank you for the encouraging words! I go to a fairly big school, and the battalion has many cadets, so I was skeptical of my chances - but hey, here goes!

By the way, how big of a factor is APFT vs academics? I think I can give a good showing on dedication to academics, ROTC, and overall academic excellence, but I'm not too sure about the APFT. I got some work to do, and my goal is to max it/kill it, but I'm definitely looking forward to the challenge. APFT seems to be harder than AFPFT right? I did fairly well on the air force one back when I thought of doing air force.

Academics is more important than the APFT in terms of weight, but the APFT can be a deal breaker. Start now and work on the push ups, crunches and the two mile run...in sequence. A 280 vs a 270 is not going to move the needle much, but a non-passing score will render you ineligible for contract or scholarship.
 
@drakem exactly what AROTC-dad said is what my ROO said. I scored well on the APFT using a training regiment I found on Military.com. They mainly are short training regiments that take a little more than a week each but the results are actually very surprising and satisfying. Search on Military.com or google for the "push pushup workout" "push situp workout" and the "push run workout." They really help to improve your scores!
 
Thank you a lot!

That definitely helps me with a workout regimen. My original plan was to go to the gym for twice a day, 2 hours each time, and do at least 200 pushups and 200 crunches on the same day, and go running twice a day on the alternate days. I think my plan wouldve done more harm than good, so thanks for that!
 
Listen to what the ROO told you. "I look in good shape for a scholarship a semester AFTER this one (so fall of next year)." Maintain your GPA and do well in the Unit and you will have a great shot at a scholarship.
 
Always be up front about whatever civil involvement you had waived or not waived. There was a junior in my daughters batallion that something came to light from high school and he is now gone. He failed his security clearance and he owes a lot of money.
 
Civil involvement. Hmmm. Never heard of this before. And I'm a 21 year P.O. Is that a P.C. way of saying you got charged criminally with something?
 
Civil involvement, to the military, means yes, criminal charges, including minor traffic violations or trouble with schools, etc.

Always be up front about whatever civil involvement you had waived or not waived. There was a junior in my daughters batallion that something came to light from high school and he is now gone. He failed his security clearance and he owes a lot of money.
Agreed. Definitely. If you dont mind sharing, did he get in trouble with the police or was it just the school?
 
@drakem, I think that people here are wondering if you could be more specific on the details of YOUR "civic involvement"
 
Oh, my apologies.

I was charged with 2 MIPs, 1 juvenile possession of marijuana. I dont know it also needed a waiver, but I got suspended for 1 semester my freshman year for academic dishonesty. Even though the MIPs were pretty recent, I got them all waived.
 
Come on man. You want to be an officer in the US military? Recommend some self evaluation.

As a PO, you may feel well qualified to be judgmental. However, if the OP has already obtained a waiver, then his PMS and ROO has determined that he may have outgrown this. He still has hurdles to overcome to earn a contract or a scholarship, and for that I wish him well.

And some substantial introspection by the OP is certainly worthwhile here too.
 
4 times is a charm. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me FOUR TIMES, shame on me. Hey, the illustrious lure of free college tuition is a serious motivator to pull the wool over the eyes of the powers-that-be.
 
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