Ballpark Chances?

M

mhs11

5-Year Member
Joined
Mar 28, 2010
Messages
3
Originally I was set on going to either Westpoint or Merchant Marine Academy and while I still plan on applying for a nomination to both, I realize my chances are slim. I'm pretty unfamiliar with AROTC besides the research I've done the past couple of weeks on the internet. I just want to know if I'm average or near average for someone who receives a scholarship. I don't plan on applying for AFROTC or NROTC. I live in Georgia and am considering on attending either UGA, Georgia State, or Kennesaw.
I just finished my juinor year in May. I've taken AP and honors classes all three years and have a unweighted GPA of 3.2. Because of my low GPA I'm number 255 out of a class 449. My SAT super score is Math-660 Critical Reading-600 Writing 580, and best test M-660 CR-580 W-580. I'm on the varsity baseball team and a captain on our varsity football team. At my church I was selected to be a youth group leader. Also I'm my schools varsity math and debate team.
Honesty and any tips are much appreciated, thanks.
 
Well sounds like you have a pretty good resume. I'm just gonna tell you to put your head down and finish strong your senior year and give it EVERYTHING you've got. Don't count yourself out or have a defeatist attitude before you've even applied. Yea it is EXTREMELY competitive and ppl have told me since middle school that I would never make it to an SA. They only one that can really control that is YOU.

Start your applications asap and do the majority of all of your essays over the summer break. Believe me it is a great burden off of your shoulders once senior year starts. Also do your DoDMERB medical and CFA as early as you can so you can address any problems that might arise. Honestly sounds like you'll be competitive and do well in the process but just keep working hard regardless.
 
Every cadet thinking of applying to any SA would be smart to apply for an ROTC scholarship. On this site applying ROTC is what we call plan B. I really don't know of any cadet that applies to an SA that doesn't apply for the scholarship.

AS for your gpa they will re-score it to their method. They will look at the rigor of your course curriculum and the schools. You may have a low uw gpa, but they may say, it should be higher. For example, some schools do not weight Honors or may give a .5 for AP, whereas, other schools give a .5 for Honors and 1.0 for AP. They will look at the hs course curriculum to see if you took the hardest classes available. Again, if you took only 1 AP, when you could have taken multiple AP's at this point, it can hurt you.

There is more to the PAR (prior academic record) than just the actual gpa.

Your resume looks good, but if I could say the only true weakness I see is in your SAT. You really want to bump that up if you can. Then again, I only know it from the AF side, so your scores maybe solid for Army. For the AF, you are below the median in all 3 areas...just shy below, but still below. The last time I checked the median was 685 M, 663 V. You always want to be above the median. I would suggest to google USMA 2013 class stats (14's won't be out yet). There should be somewhere, that you can find the actual stats of the incoming class, even down to a point of how many were Eagle scouts. I know the USNA and the AFA have this in the bowels of their web site.
 
http://www.armyrotc.msstate.edu/benefits/forms/cc159-R.pdf

This link will provide you with the AROTC interview sheet and will give you an idea of what they are looking for.
It is a very good idea to max out in each category. 200pts max.

However, you are also scored on these areas:
250pts ACT/SAT
(take as often as possible to increase your scores-the scores listed on the form are minimums)
200pts-scholar/athlete/leader
(may want to get another leadership position if possible)
350pts-given by board officers
(have no idea how this is scored)

Definitely get everything in as soon as possible-for the first board. If you run into glitches like we did this year-many had troubles with lost paperwork etc etc-resend-we had good luck when scanning and emailing documents.

Contact the schools you are interested in and let them know you are interested-make sure they know your name. Find out which one is the best fit for you academically and personally.

Keep an eye on this board-people will help and give good advice.

You have a good start. If you do these things I see no reason why you would not end up with a scholarship.:smile:
 
I think Pima makes a good point about trying to boost your SAT score. In addition, you should take the ACT. Students who have gained a lot of knowledge taking honors and AP courses are rewarded on the ACT (which tests knowledge) in contrast with the SAT that tests apptitude.
 
It's important to remember that SA's are about the whole person, as well as ROTC. The US Merchant Marine Academy has Div. III football and baseball programs. Contact the head coaches. It helps a lot to have a coach pulling for you during the admissions decision. My GPA and SAT scores were similiar to yours, and I got a LOA. Don't count yourself out.
 
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