BIG Dilemma

Bigdog1987

10-Year Member
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Jan 25, 2010
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:confused:
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OK. So I know this might not be the place for this, but I know there are plenty of people on here with expierence in this situation.

I went for an interview for my Army ROTC scholarship, and was told that because I am competitive, I could be given a scholarship in Nov/Dec, with 30 days to accept/decline it. Assuming this happens, I have a situation on my hands.

First assumption I am making (PLEASE correct me if I am wrong)
It is likely I wont hear about an appointment from USMA until well after that Nov/Dec timeframe, even if I waited until the 30th day to respond.

Second assumption I am making (PLEASE correct me if I am wrong)
It is very likely that I would have not yet been actually admitted to the schools on the choice list that cadet command says I can attend until after the 30 day point. I have been told that being awarded a scholarship would really help my chances, but don't know about college time frames.

FACT I know
Several civilian full rides I am applying for* will not notify me until April at the earliest on my status with them.

FACT I know
If I wait until after the 30 day point, the scholarship is no longer tied to me.

USMA is my top choice, but I don't want to screw myself over without a backup plan later on by denying the ROTC deal. At the end of the day, I just want to be an officer for Christ sake:thumb:!

My questions now are:
Could I accept the scholarship in Nov/Dec and then if I get USMA or one of the civilian scholarships in April let it go, maybe with a letter of intent option? Do ROTC letters of intent even exist? My guess is no, but I might as well be a lost sheep in this situation. That's why I am asking you guys:thumb:

Have any of you had this situation?

I really do thank all of you for your help in advance, it could mean the world at Christmas to several of us 2015ers.

*I am applying to these because they cover more than ROTC would, and I would still take ROTC classes, and still go Army officer at the end of the day. I see these scholarships as a better way to do it though, because it would obviously cost me less money.
 
It's very simple really. If you receive your AROTC scholarship, you accept it. Should you later receive an appointment, you can then decline your AROTC scholarship without a hitch. There is no such thing as a letter of intent.
 
My questions now are:
Could I accept the scholarship in Nov/Dec and then if I get USMA or one of the civilian scholarships in April let it go, maybe with a letter of intent option? Do ROTC letters of intent even exist? My guess is no, but I might as well be a lost sheep in this situation. That's why I am asking you guys:thumb:
It's very simple really. If you receive your AROTC scholarship, you accept it. Should you later receive an appointment, you can then decline your AROTC scholarship without a hitch. There is no such thing as a letter of intent.
Have any of you had this situation?

I really do thank all of you for your help in advance, it could mean the world at Christmas to several of us 2015ers.

*I am applying to these because they cover more than ROTC would, and I would still take ROTC classes, and still go Army officer at the end of the day. I see these scholarships as a better way to do it though, because it would obviously cost me less money.
I think what most people do is that they accept the ROTC scholarship (for tuition, books and stipend) and use any college scholarships for room & board. The benefit of this approach is that not only do you get everything paid for, but you also are already in the AROTC program and you'll receive a monthly stipend. I'm definitely not familiar with many civilian scholarships that start off paying you $300 a month while you are a freshman and continue to increase each year.

Keep in mind that an Army ROTC scholarship is the only ROTC scholarship that can be used for room and board instead of tuition. There are dollar restrictions on how much R&B costs will be covered but it might be an alternative if you get a civilian scholarship that the college won't let you use for R&B in addition to your ROTC scholarship. Of course this will all be moot anyway after your receive your USMA appointment. :thumb: Good luck!
 
It's very simple really. If you receive your AROTC scholarship, you accept it. Should you later receive an appointment, you can then decline your AROTC scholarship without a hitch. There is no such thing as a letter of intent.

So saying 'Yes I will take a AROTC scholarship to school X' is really not a commitment? Is a service academy appointment the only thing that I could 'drop' the scholarship for after I accept it?

The scholarship I am looking at actually pays all of tuition, room and board, books and supplies, and gives a stipend for travel expenses. If I took the ROTC deal, where would all of it's other money go?
 
So saying 'Yes I will take a AROTC scholarship to school X' is really not a commitment?
It's not a legal commitment. Whether you consider it a moral commitment is up to you.
Is a service academy appointment the only thing that I could 'drop' the scholarship for after I accept it?
No. You can choose not to use your ROTC scholarship for any reason including that you just changed your mind. Keep in mind that these are valuable opportunities and others would be thrilled to receive an AROTC scholarship, so don't "hang on" to it any longer than necessary to decide what course of action you are going to pursue.
The scholarship I am looking at actually pays all of tuition, room and board, books and supplies, and gives a stipend for travel expenses. If I took the ROTC deal, where would all of it's other money go?
What happened to the desire to be a professional Army Officer? Check with your college. This thread is getting a little too mercenary for my tastes.
 
It's not a legal commitment. Whether you consider it a moral commitment is up to you.

No. You can choose not to use your ROTC scholarship for any reason including that you just changed your mind. Keep in mind that these are valuable opportunities and other would be thrilled to receive an AROTC scholarship, so don't "hang on" to it any longer than necessary to decide what course of action you are going to pursue.

Check with your college. This thread is getting little too mercenary for my tastes.

If I told cadet command I would take a scholarship to school X, I am going to take it.

The advantage of the civilian scholarship is that I will have more time to focus on school. I would definitely do OCS afterwards.
 
It is not a big deal to the Army to accept an appointment to West Point after you have accepted your ROTC scholarship.
In the Army an appointment to USMA trumps everything.

The scholarship I am looking at actually pays all of tuition, room and board, books and supplies, and gives a stipend for travel expenses. If I took the ROTC deal, where would all of it's other money go?
YOU do not get it.

If you don't want to go to West Point then don't apply. If you want to go to WP then accept your scholarship while you wait for your appointment; if you receive an appointment and accept it, then you will turn back your scholarship and they will give it to someone else. This isn't a big deal and has no "ethical" or "moral" undertones.
 
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