darthbudge
5-Year Member
- Joined
- Mar 12, 2014
- Messages
- 1
I have recently decided that I would like to pursue an ROTC scholarship however I don't exactly have a traditional background and since I am out of High School already most of the advice I have found does not apply to me. So I will start out with a little about myself and then move on to my main question.
About myself: I am a 21 year old male from Texas. I was home schooled my entire life. I did my high school curriculum through a company called Penn Foster and had a 3.9GPA. After high school I decided to to go to Texas State Technical College and so I never took the SAT or ACT because it was not required.
I earned an AAS degree in Computer Networking and Systems Administration with a 3.8GPA. I participated in some extracurricular activities there including being a member of Phi Theta Kappa and being the fundraiser chairman for my SkillsUSA chapter. During my final year at TSTC I had a change of heart and decided that the computer networking field was not something I wanted a career in but I was determined to finish my degree out anyway. Immediately upon graduating I transferred to a local community college to work on earning my Paramedic certification.
I spent the next two years at the community college and I earned my Paramedic certification and took most of my Texas core curriculum classes. I was not participating in any extracurricular activities at this time because I was also working full time at local ER and then on the ambulance. During this I obtained a 3.6GPA overall and a 4.0GPA in my actual Paramedicine classes.
Currently I am working as a full-time Paramedic for my county's 911 system. While I love my job and I love medicine, I have decided to pursue a career as an Officer in the military. It was always my dream as a kid to join the military however I was always the fat kid and it seemed like too much work to ever actually get in shape. Well over the last year I have lost 115lbs and made incredible progress in my physical fitness and I am not going to stop where I am at.
With all that said, here is my main question. What can I do to increase the chances of receiving an ROTC scholarship as a non-traditional applicant?
I understand GPA is one part of it and I feel like I am doing very well in that regard. The next is having a high SAT or ACT score. I am going to study for and take one of those (perhaps both) over the next year and I think that I can do above average on it.
Extracurricular activities and leadership opportunities are what I feel I am going to have trouble with. I never played any High School or College sports, I was never in the boy scouts, and just as a whole never participated in many of these activities. Is there any good options for me to improve in this area? Would my working as Paramedic and also as an adjunct EMS instructor at my community college count for anything?
Right now I can score a bare minimum passing APFT and I believe that within a year or so (about the time I would be trying to have my scholarship start) I could be close to having a 300 score.
In terms of branches my choices would be: 1. Army, 2. Navy and 3. Air Force but any of them would be fine. My first school choice would be Baylor University since it is in town for me and I could still work very PRN as a Paramedic for my same company while still in school. Other than that I am also open to applying at:
Texas A&M
Sam Houston State University
University of Texas at Arlington
Texas Tech
Texas State
University of Mary Hardin Baylor
University of New Mexico
What do you think I could do to help maximize my chances at a scholarship? Do I even have a shot? I am going to be working at this seriously and I would appreciate any advice possible to help improve my chances.
About myself: I am a 21 year old male from Texas. I was home schooled my entire life. I did my high school curriculum through a company called Penn Foster and had a 3.9GPA. After high school I decided to to go to Texas State Technical College and so I never took the SAT or ACT because it was not required.
I earned an AAS degree in Computer Networking and Systems Administration with a 3.8GPA. I participated in some extracurricular activities there including being a member of Phi Theta Kappa and being the fundraiser chairman for my SkillsUSA chapter. During my final year at TSTC I had a change of heart and decided that the computer networking field was not something I wanted a career in but I was determined to finish my degree out anyway. Immediately upon graduating I transferred to a local community college to work on earning my Paramedic certification.
I spent the next two years at the community college and I earned my Paramedic certification and took most of my Texas core curriculum classes. I was not participating in any extracurricular activities at this time because I was also working full time at local ER and then on the ambulance. During this I obtained a 3.6GPA overall and a 4.0GPA in my actual Paramedicine classes.
Currently I am working as a full-time Paramedic for my county's 911 system. While I love my job and I love medicine, I have decided to pursue a career as an Officer in the military. It was always my dream as a kid to join the military however I was always the fat kid and it seemed like too much work to ever actually get in shape. Well over the last year I have lost 115lbs and made incredible progress in my physical fitness and I am not going to stop where I am at.
With all that said, here is my main question. What can I do to increase the chances of receiving an ROTC scholarship as a non-traditional applicant?
I understand GPA is one part of it and I feel like I am doing very well in that regard. The next is having a high SAT or ACT score. I am going to study for and take one of those (perhaps both) over the next year and I think that I can do above average on it.
Extracurricular activities and leadership opportunities are what I feel I am going to have trouble with. I never played any High School or College sports, I was never in the boy scouts, and just as a whole never participated in many of these activities. Is there any good options for me to improve in this area? Would my working as Paramedic and also as an adjunct EMS instructor at my community college count for anything?
Right now I can score a bare minimum passing APFT and I believe that within a year or so (about the time I would be trying to have my scholarship start) I could be close to having a 300 score.
In terms of branches my choices would be: 1. Army, 2. Navy and 3. Air Force but any of them would be fine. My first school choice would be Baylor University since it is in town for me and I could still work very PRN as a Paramedic for my same company while still in school. Other than that I am also open to applying at:
Texas A&M
Sam Houston State University
University of Texas at Arlington
Texas Tech
Texas State
University of Mary Hardin Baylor
University of New Mexico
What do you think I could do to help maximize my chances at a scholarship? Do I even have a shot? I am going to be working at this seriously and I would appreciate any advice possible to help improve my chances.