In regards to the interview:
I can be reasonably certain that our school is the student's first choice if a student has traveled far to be interviewed at our school even though there are closer schools to their home that are on their list.
If I believe that we are a student's first choice then I keep in regular contact with the student, the student's parents, the student's high school guidance team, and the JROTC staff if that student is a cadet. I advise them when deadlines are approaching and notify them when transcripts and letters of recommendation are received. I arrange meetings with professors in their field of study and players and coaches of teams that they are interested in. I then advocate on their behalf with the Admissions department. If they are just below the normal qualifications for our school, I can usually pull them up over the line. Especially if they applied early decision.
If I believe that we are the student's fourth of fifth choice then I let them fend for themselves. I spend about 90% of my effort on the 10% of the prospects that show the most interest in our school.
I totally understand and appreciate what you're saying, Marist College ROTC. Kudos to you and clarksonarmy for watching out for your applicants. However, at least for my DS, I'm not so sure my DS has formed a clear choice yet (although he does have a preliminary preference right now), because there are so many variables in play that are not yet resolved. I don't believe my DS is unique in this regard.
Let's suppose DS decides to go the AROTC route (as opposed to SA). He's listed School A, School B, and School C, and each are non-host schools. How does anyone -- let alone an 18 year old -- reach an informed decision about which school is better? Is it because mommy or daddy attended that school? To make that decision, I think he will have to at least spend an overnight and really spend a LOT of effort to investigate further. And does it make sense to go down that road when there is an extremely, extremely low probability of admission at each school? Or is it better to just take a "wait and see" approach?
The other thing for him to consider is the whole "Host v. Non-Host" issue. School D, School E, and School F all have AROTC units on campus (but Schools A-C are pushing very hard to have on-campus units in the fall). Right now, assuming it's the AROTC route that he selects, School D is the tentative preferred choice for him, but that was based on a 1-hour tour of that campus this past summer (he also visited Schools A-C and E-F).
And what if CC tells my DS in the coming days that he only has a scholarship to School F? If that happens, then School D had better be worth $200,000 more than School F (if he decides to turn down the scholarship at School F and try to walk on to the AROTC unit at School D). I don't think ANY school is worth $200,000 than another, but we'll have to see. For example, DS could receive a non-ROTC merit scholarship to School D, turn down the AROTC scholarship at School F, and then walk on to AROTC at School D and see if he really likes it before assuming a service obligation.
Fate will guide my DS through this process in the next couple of months, and one can really go crazy to try to make decisions with so much uncertainty involved. This is why my DS has taken the "wait and see" approach. In the coming days, I suspect CC will be making decisions
FOR our DS/DDs, when the Jan. 4., 2011 Board school choices are posted!!!!
Bottom line, my personal view is that anyone who places all of their cards into a single school is taking on a lot of unnecessary risk. That's essentially what I did back when I was in high school. I wonder whether my life would have been markedly different right now if I wasn't admitted to my first choice school way back when.
I'm just glad to hear that CC understands many kids are in the same boat as mine and that the "system" doesn't necessarily hold "indecision" against them. For sure, I definitely have a lot of respect for the PMS where my DS interviewed who gave him a max interview score despite the knowledge that DS was not interested in PMS's school. That PMS has continued to take an active interest in my DS, though, and has continued to correspond with my DS via email. My DS will likely be happy send him an update in a few days. Who knows, this PMS may ultimately be my DS's Brigade Commander in a foreign land some day.
). This is possible seeing how the previous boards did release over several days; the feel I got from the ROO at my 1st choice school was that there have been past instances where updates have come very late, and yes, even on Sundays. So while most unlikely, it is possible.