AROTC Scholarship Concern/Question

[drakem]

Sorry, I did not mean to cause such a problem.

@AROTC-dad , I explained to the cadre/ROO that I was in a crappy situation in life, but I was able to overcome it and move on from it. I showed great remorse, and I took full responsibility. I know that I have some work to do in my battalion to show that my quality as a cadet and student outweigh my past, but I'm more than ready to tackle the challenge.

 

[5Day]

You said you have a waiver for your "civil involvements". Make sure you keep that document in a safe place. Make sure it covers all of your issues. At some point you are going to have to fill out an application for a scholarship or on some form you are going to have to say "Yes" to "have you ever been arrested, convicted, etc." Make sure you disclose everything, state the facts clearly and completely and save a copy in a safe place.

There was a post earlier in this thread by @Dckc88 "There was a junior in my daughters battalion 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." I would assume that it is because they failed to disclose something early, like on their application, that is causing the problem, and not something that they just found out about and never asked earlier at some earlier point in their ROTC career.

I have come to think of these ROTC scholarships as "loans" that are paid back by service in the military. These loans can be called in at any time and you could be required to pay the loan back with $$ and not with service as an officer. Or at times the ROTC program will stop the "scholarship" process either permanently or temporarily. So, be financially wise and realize that the scholarship could stop. Now, stopping a scholarship or asking for $$ back is not done arbitrarily. You need to do something to start the process, like poor grades, get caught drinking, do something really stupid, lie on an application or medical history form. It is rare, but it does happen.

 

[Dckc88]

Agreed. Definitely. If you dont mind sharing, did he get in trouble with the police or was it just the school?[/QUOTE]

I honestly don't know. He was my daughter's squad leader. She really liked him, about half way through the semester they were notified he was gone and they have a new squad leader. He is still a student there for now. She said he is not saying what happened, only that it was during high school and he has learned his lesson, and the reason for being dis-enrolled from ROTC was failing to pass his security clearance for whatever it was. As far as details, I don't know, and honestly, since I don't know him so I do not have permission, I would not want to share any details if I were to learn of any.

 

[Dckc88]

You said you have a waiver for your "civil involvements". Make sure you keep that document in a safe place. Make sure it covers all of your issues. At some point you are going to have to fill out an application for a scholarship or on some form you are going to have to say "Yes" to "have you ever been arrested, convicted, etc." Make sure you disclose everything, state the facts clearly and completely and save a copy in a safe place.

There was a post earlier in this thread by @Dckc88 "There was a junior in my daughters battalion 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." I would assume that it is because they failed to disclose something early, like on their application, that is causing the problem, and not something that they just found out about and never asked earlier at some earlier point in their ROTC career.

I have come to think of these ROTC scholarships as "loans" that are paid back by service in the military. These loans can be called in at any time and you could be required to pay the loan back with $$ and not with service as an officer. Or at times the ROTC program will stop the "scholarship" process either permanently or temporarily. So, be financially wise and realize that the scholarship could stop. Now, stopping a scholarship or asking for $$ back is not done arbitrarily. You need to do something to start the process, like poor grades, get caught drinking, do something really stupid, lie on an application or medical history form. It is rare, but it does happen.

5day, I am guessing the same thing. There are lots of opportunities where the question "have you ever..." gets asked, answering those questions honestly and documenting everything is very important.

 

[5Day]

5day, I am guessing the same thing. There are lots of opportunities where the question "have you ever..." gets asked, answering those questions honestly and documenting everything is very important.

It is a lot easier to say you were disenrolled because you failed to get your security clearance, that saying I failed to get my security clearance because I never disclosed that I was arrested for possession of marijuana.

 

[drakem]

Ah...I see.

Do you guys think I'll need to get a waiver for getting suspended from school for a semester? I was honest and clearly told the cadre and ROO what had happened, and when they sent all of that up to HQ for the decision, they just told me the waivers were approved. I'm guessing the waivers were just for the 3 criminal charges, since I assumed the military doesnt care about involvements with the school as heavily as they do with the law/police. I still reported it, just for the sake of honesty, and I thank God that I did

 

[5Day]

I would want some sort of documentation, just in case. In 2-3 years from now you maybe the only person that remembers the conversation. At a minimum, write down on a piece of paper a record of the conversation listing who, what, where and when. It's not that important now, because your first semester in ROTC will be on your dime and you are only committing your time and sweat. It will be important when you apply for and get the scholarship.

The cheating and your suspension should be documented, but I am not sure if it would need a waiver. When you fill out and explain the marijuana charges I would list the cheating and suspension in high school.

 

[MichUSNA2021hopefulparent]

My apologies for the earlier posts that were not very nice, @drakem.

 

[AJC]

It seems that being suspended an entire semester may be obvious to anyone reviewing your transcript.
The worst thing that can happen from being truthful is not receiving a scholarship,
The worst thing that can happen from being untruthful is not receiving a commission and having to pay back any funds provided.

 

[drakem]

I understand. Thank you all for the support.

Generally, would a few points in GPA make a difference in what scholarship I'd be awarded?
Say, if I had a 3.82 or 3.85 versus a 3.78? I'm trying to decide how to carefully plan my next classes to keep up the GPA, so it'd be good to know. The cadre seemed unsure, as they said that the interviewers look at how you are OVERALL. So...would extracurriculars, SAT, and PT scores outweigh the GPA? I wouldnt mind retaking the SAT if it meant that I had a higher shot at getting a good scholarship. Thanks all!

 

[AROTC-dad]

I understand. Thank you all for the support.

Generally, would a few points in GPA make a difference in what scholarship I'd be awarded?
Say, if I had a 3.82 or 3.85 versus a 3.78? I'm trying to decide how to carefully plan my next classes to keep up the GPA, so it'd be good to know. The cadre seemed unsure, as they said that the interviewers look at how you are OVERALL. So...would extracurriculars, SAT, and PT scores outweigh the GPA? I wouldnt mind retaking the SAT if it meant that I had a higher shot at getting a good scholarship. Thanks all!

I truly doubt if 13 to 15 basis points would make a significant difference to your cadre on a campus based scholarship. If your GPA falls below a 3.0, then THAT would be a deal breaker. The whole person score is exactly what is sounds like: a overall package of EC's, GPA, SAT/ACT scores, APFT, and most importantly character.

My DS worked his but off his freshman (non-contract) year with 22 semester units, and only carried a 3.1 GPA, but still got a 3 1/2 year scholarship. I credit his overall EC/sports participation and leadership qualities that made him a strong team member. He volunteered for as many opportunities as he could while keeping his grades decent.

Do your best to touch all the bases!

 

[drakem]

Again, thank you all for the responses. This time, I'm asking for a friend who's a senior but also wants to do AROTC this coming semester. He's worried about paying for the extra years of school needed for ROTC.

His stats are pretty similar to mine: OK at academics, pretty nice list of ECs, loves military ECs. Does his standing as a senior deter him from getting a scholarship?

 

[AROTC-dad]

Again, thank you all for the responses. This time, I'm asking for a friend who's a senior but also wants to do AROTC this coming semester. He's worried about paying for the extra years of school needed for ROTC.

His stats are pretty similar to mine: OK at academics, pretty nice list of ECs, loves military ECs. Does his standing as a senior deter him from getting a scholarship?

I believe you are a freshman in college. For the sake of clarity, is your friend a senior in college or HS?

 

[drakem]

I'm actually a sophomore, but thanks for asking!

To be clear, he's a senior in college, STEM major too. If he were a senior in high school, he could apply for HSSPs, but he's a senior in college so he was hoping to get an on-campus scholarship

 

[AROTC-dad]

There are one year campus based scholarships for AROTC, but if your friend is a senior already, he would not likely earn a scholarship without participating in AROTC for at least one semester to demonstrate his dedication etc. Nonetheless, it can hurt to have him speak to the ROO.

In my opinion, he would more likely be a candidate to graduate and apply to OCS afterwards. I'm hopeful that there are some others on the forum that will have better knowledge on this possibility.

Also if he is in a 5 year STEM program, he may still be eligible for a full one year scholarship. Ask the ROO.

 

[5Day]

Here is the link to Army OCS http://www.goarmy.com/ocs.html Have them talk to the ROO or an Army Officer Recruiting Officer.

 

[unkown1961]

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?

Talk to the school's financial aid office because a lot of times there are leftover scholarship dollars.

 

[drakem]

I truly doubt if 13 to 15 basis points would make a significant difference to your cadre on a campus based scholarship. If your GPA falls below a 3.0, then THAT would be a deal breaker. The whole person score is exactly what is sounds like: a overall package of EC's, GPA, SAT/ACT scores, APFT, and most importantly character.

My DS worked his but off his freshman (non-contract) year with 22 semester units, and only carried a 3.1 GPA, but still got a 3 1/2 year scholarship. I credit his overall EC/sports participation and leadership qualities that made him a strong team member. He volunteered for as many opportunities as he could while keeping his grades decent.

Do your best to touch all the bases!

Thanks! I will! If you dont mind my asking, I thought your son got a 4 year scholarship? Can these be upgraded somehow, and by how many years? These questions are better saved for cadre, but it is finals week and it can get hectic.

Talk to the school's financial aid office because a lot of times there are leftover scholarship dollars.

Will do!

 

[AROTC-dad]

Thanks! I will! If you dont mind my asking, I thought your son got a 4 year scholarship? Can these be upgraded somehow, and by how many years? These questions are better saved for cadre, but it is finals week and it can get hectic.

He did not apply to AROTC while in HS. He applied to USNA, and NROTC but not AROTC. He was nominated by his MOC but ultimately turned down by USNA. He was accepted by The Citadel, but was declined the NROTC Marine option scholarship.

Without that scholarship, it was too expensive to attend The Citadel so he decided to attend a State U out west close to home where he received a small academic scholarship plus reduced regional (WUE) tuition.

The only problem was that this college did not offer NROTC-MO. So he "walked on" as a non contract Army ROTC cadet and worked hard while carrying 22 units.

By November of his freshman year the PMS awarded him a campus based 3 year scholarship and a month later they extended it to include the upcoming spring semester (3 1/2 years). So yes, AROTC scholarships can be extended, subject budget conatraints.

The key is that these campus based scholarships are based on academic and military performance. Your friend doesn't have much time to demonstrate this as a Senior in college.

 

[drakem]

Again, thank all for the comments and advice.

I really want to do well on the first Army PFA, so.. I plan to workout harder than I ever have this coming month before January hits.

What do you guys think of this plan?
Over the month, I plan to go to the gym twice a day, eat heathily, and between those 2 gym sessions, use the military pushup-situp workout regimen that everyone apparently uses. I would then alternate these days with running around 5 miles, twice a day for a total of 10 miles.

Is this overkill, or is it just enough to push my body to the limit?

Thank you!