March 8th, 2011 AROTC Board

DS received a TWE today from USNA. Funny how he never applied. Talked to them previously and they said that NROTC applications get sent on to them sometimes, even if you check the box that says you are not interested. I thought they had closed his file. Patentesq maybe he should have followed up a little more and this DODMERB question would have been taken care of. Hind sight is 20/20.
 
There's still hope

bjkuds said:
DS received a TWE today from USNA. Funny how he never applied. Talked to them previously and they said that NROTC applications get sent on to them sometimes, even if you check the box that says you are not interested. I thought they had closed his file. Patentesq maybe he should have followed up a little more and this DODMERB question would have been taken care of. Hind sight is 20/20.
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Better to one you never applied than one you really wanted. Probably not good for the heart though.
 
paradoxer said:
Better to one you never applied than one you really wanted. Probably not good for the heart though.
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They said it was incomplete, which was very true. Although it really is meaningless I trashed it before he saw it. Recent NROTC scholarship rejection is enough for a while. He is assuming he won't get one from AROTC now which is probably a defense mechanism. He has been the big fish in a little pond his whole HS career, and has not faced "your not good enough" before over anything. This is a whole new realm, and he isn't sure how he will stack up now. I think his confidence has taken a pretty good hit. He is all :frown:. He needs to kick it to the curb and go forward. The opinion of a review board can not be allowed to be a defining factor in his self perception. Scholarship or not he ROCKS. Too bad Mommies opinion doesn't hold the weight it used to. I'm sure he will get over it...It's one of life's lessons that he has to learn to overcome. Rejection is inevitable unless you never take a long shot. I am done ranting...I feel better now.
 
RANT all you want; sometimes ranting to us allows you to be a better parent.

People forget as parents we are also on this rollercoaster ride too.

IMPO I think we want off more than they do :wink:
 
enived2 said:
Amen.
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Thank you Pima, bjc enived.. When he first found out about NROTC he said all the right things.."I'm going to commission either way" .."It's not going to stop me".."Its not up to them to determine my future", until I brought up the AROTC board date the other day. He acted like he didn't want to hear it. It's like someone stole my son. On top of it,,,its that time of school year when its the last of things..Last Play..Last Basket Ball game,,Last Chorus event, etc. I think he is realizing that his entire life is about to change, although he wouldn't want it any differently, it is weighing on him and I think he is scared a little too.
 
I have to say that it is incredibly hard to watch my DS struggle through all of the issues in this process. This is a new experience for me, and I am thankful for all the support I have received on SAF. I have learned some very valuable pointers from everyone here, even from the students who have posted questions who forced me to think about their issues and try to offer advice. I have passed these on to my DS, and he has benefited greatly from my SAF friends. Thank you.

Deep down, I think I know what decision he will ultimately make, but the decision has to be his in the end. And he has to learn this decisionmaking process by doing it, and not have decisions made for him (as tempting as that might be). If USMA is his ultimate path, he will attend knowing that this was the very best place for him. He didn't just jump at the first opportunity that arose. He will need this to carry him through a very challenging four years at one of the toughest schools in the nation.

I have to say that I am proud of him for looking very hard at ROTC. He will surely get dinged many times over at the schools to which he has applied, and it hurts me as a parent to watch doors being closed before him. But I think the best advice I gave him when he started out in this process: "[DS], try to open as many doors as possible, knowing that many won't open for you. But other doors will open, and it is your job to explore each opportunity fully. Once you have selected a door you want to pass through, jump through that door and never, never look back."

Getting "dinged" makes you humble.
 
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patentesq said:
I have to say that it is incredibly hard to watch my DS struggle through all of the issues in this process. This is a new experience for me, and I am thankful for all the support I have received on SAF."
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Agreed!

patentesq said:
Once you have selected a door you want to pass through, jump through that door and never, never look back.."
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That is really great advice:thumb:
 
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bjkuds said:
Although it really is meaningless I trashed it before he saw it. Recent NROTC scholarship rejection is enough for a while. He is assuming he won't get one from AROTC now which is probably a defense mechanism. He has been the big fish in a little pond his whole HS career, and has not faced "your not good enough" before over anything. This is a whole new realm, and he isn't sure how he will stack up now. I think his confidence has taken a pretty good hit. He is all :frown:. He needs to kick it to the curb and go forward. The opinion of a review board can not be allowed to be a defining factor in his self perception. Scholarship or not he ROCKS. Too bad Mommies opinion doesn't hold the weight it used to. I'm sure he will get over it...It's one of life's lessons that he has to learn to overcome. Rejection is inevitable unless you never take a long shot. I am done ranting...I feel better now.
Click to expand...

Pima said:
RANT all you want; sometimes ranting to us allows you to be a better parent.

People forget as parents we are also on this rollercoaster ride too.

IMPO I think we want off more than they do :wink:
Click to expand...

bjkuds said:
Thank you Pima, bjc enived.. When he first found out about NROTC he said all the right things.."I'm going to commission either way" .."It's not going to stop me".."Its not up to them to determine my future", until I brought up the AROTC board date the other day. He acted like he didn't want to hear it. It's like someone stole my son. On top of it,,,its that time of school year when its the last of things..Last Play..Last Basket Ball game,,Last Chorus event, etc. I think he is realizing that his entire life is about to change, although he wouldn't want it any differently, it is weighing on him and I think he is scared a little too.
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Thank you ladies for sharing such honest emotion about this process and what it can do to our beloved children.

Yes, I would have thrown that piece of paper away, after buring it and cussing quite a bit. :wink:

My DS has been rocked by the rejection from the first two boards also, he's not used to being denied what he works for -- and this is the one thing he wants most. At 17 he's more together than I was at 20 and he and his sisters astonish me almost daily with their push to be the best at whatever it is they want to accomplish(yeah, one just wants to spin a flag, but she's damn good and works hard -- wish english or math inspired her:rolleyes:)

Their lives are about to change and they should be frightened, just a little, I doubt any of us have raised fools so let them push thru all of this and get to the next step, the dorm room or whatever it may be. And all of you here have been amazing, supportive and in a lot of cases, more real than my physical friends can be.

Sleep well, have a great morning and somehow we'll get thru another day of waiting tomorrow:smile:
 
One of the classic "ding" stories is the experience of Ulysses S. Grant. At one point in his career, he applied for a faculty position at West Point but was denied. Not to be deterred by this set-back, Grant opted for "Plan B" to become the Commanding General of the Union Army in the Civil War and ultimately President of the United States!

The faculty at West Point now joke that it is easier to become President of the United States than to be a faculty member at USMA.
 
IMHO I think being "dinged" from at least one school is good thing. It teaches humility and the importance striving for the best opportunity. For most of our over achieving amazingly successful kids "the ding letter" is their first significant rejection. Our kids are used to being the best in their sheltered HS world. Rejection from a top university/SA/ROTC etc is a wake up call of sorts, an introduction to the "small fish in a big sea" concept.
 
grtkidmom said:
IMHO I think being "dinged" from at least one school is good thing. It teaches humility and the importance striving for the best opportunity. For most of our over achieving amazingly successful kids "the ding letter" is their first significant rejection. Our kids are used to being the best in their sheltered HS world. Rejection from a top university/SA/ROTC etc is a wake up call of sorts, an introduction to the "small fish in a big sea" concept.
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Totally agree. Check out the outstanding article entitled "Before They Were Titans, Moguls and Newsmakers, These People Were...Rejected" http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100...91390595962.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_RIGHTTopCarousel
 
great article....and perfect for this time of year. I emailed it to DS in college and a friend who is a principal for a local high school.

Thanks
 
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