Marist,
I think most were responding to this part of the post:
I mean, if you applied to the service academies and are found competitive/admissible, would that automatically give you a 4-year scholarship?
For AFROTC that would be a NO, and a resounding NO at that, because to be deemed competitive for the AFA you need a 24 ACT V or 490 CR SAT. AFROTC scholarship recipients typically hit the 1250 marker (median), and on top of that the AFA superscores, whereas AFROTC takes best sitting.
I think the OP had a fallacy that ROTC scholarships are the runner up prize.
I cannot speak for any other branch, and since the OP has not alluded to which ROTC branch, I am assuming AF is on the table.
AFROTCHQ, and their boards do not know if any candidate is applying to the AFA. AFROTCHQ does not talk to AFA regarding candidates, nor does the AFA talk to AFROTC re: candidates and scholarships.
dlee96,
One other thing you will learn from this site is that prep school for SA's are not runner-up options either.
Prep exist because the candidate typically is ideal, except somewhere in their PAR they need help. I don't know of a prepster that is there because their CFA scores were low, I know a ton that their SAT/ACT gave them this opportunity. A 1300 SAT is not the ideal candidate for prep.
Also understand that the system is different between the SA and ROTC.
AFROTC cuts off at the end of your jr yr n HS, AFA allows SR yr. 200 hrs volunteering with Habitat for Humanity from July to Sept will be an EC for AFA, not for AFROTC.
ROTC is national. They don't care if you are from Terre Haute or San Diego regarding your WCS. They are looking at stats and facts...academics, PFA, majors and college choices.
SAs are geo-centric first. If you are from Terre Haute you will not be placed at first against a San Diego candidate. Maybe later on, when it comes to the National List.
Finally be prepared to accept that many candidates are like you. Applying to every SA and for every ROTC scholarship, however, not every ROTC candidate will apply to every SA.