NROTC Results

[Pima]

They are still going to give scholarships to these schools, but the amount of them will be reduced greatly. Instead of giving 5 this yr., they may give only 2.

Scholarships are also marketing tools for the branches.

That child will tell kids in his HS he is going free to Harvard on the Navy's dime, and the only thing he will owe is 4 yrs of AD. Their parents will tell their friends with college age kids. Those friends will tell their friends when discussing cost of college these days and scholarships. Statistically that 1 person will inform 10 people. Those 10 will tell 10 more, so on and so forth.

Kids in college that are on scholarships, loans, grants and still having parents paying monthly will now find out not only is he free, but they pay for his books and give him spending money every month, and may decide to join ROTC as a walk on freshman yr and compete for the 3 yr.

When DS entered college many of his freshman friends teased him about being in AFROTC, and 3 yrs later with the economy still in the tanks, and now they were about to hit the "real world" with little to no job prospects, their opinions changed. They were coming to him as jrs in college and asking is it too late?

He was a walking advertisement for AFROTC 2x a week on campus. For AFROTC C400s are even more of a walking advertisement because cadets that are selected rated get to wear what people call PJs or bags, the flight suit. So you will see people in an array of different uniforms. (Service, ABU and bags)

Schools give tours, many kids do it their spring of their jr. yr. It plants a seed in their mind that may never have been there before. Many kids think ROTC in college is like the JROTC unit in hs, just a class, they don't know that there is a difference. This starts them thinking, which starts them investigating. All because when they took the tour at these Ivy's they saw people in uniforms walking around campus, and they said I didn't know they had ROTC.

40K a yr is cheap advertisement in the big scheme. That scholarship has a very high ROI.

OBTW it also works for the university, because whatever they feel about the military, they are in a business, and know that all of our SA's rank nationally at their level for caliber of students. If Harvard doesn't give it, but UP, Princeton, Stanford does, and that kid wants to go military, they may lose out to those schools. They also know that the bill will be paid, so no funds are coming out of their endowments compared to another student that may need assistance. 75% of kids at Ivies receive some form of FA. It is a win-win for them.

 

[theagentofchaos]

OBTW it also works for the university, because whatever they feel about the military, they are in a business, and know that all of our SA's rank nationally at their level for caliber of students. If Harvard doesn't give it, but UP, Princeton, Stanford does, and that kid wants to go military, they may lose out to those schools. They also know that the bill will be paid, so no funds are coming out of their endowments compared to another student that may need assistance. 75% of kids at Ivies receive some form of FA. It is a win-win for them.

I'm really hoping so, Pima. Fingers crossed for admission at this point; I can only hope that having the scholarship mentioned helps.
Also, some info I received today (there is a giant check sitting in the corner of my bedroom... the presentation was truly surreal ) regarding this round of scholarships. We were told that 20 ISRs were awarded in this round, which seems to confirm something posted a bit earlier in this thread. So to everyone still waiting: don't fret! To my knowledge, a number of ISRs on this board last year were awarded in Nov/Dec. This is only the beginning!

 

[P-Flying17]

Well technically the policy was in place last year, but not enforced. It will be enforced this year.

 

[Pima]

theagent,

Many posters will tell you some college admissions "talk" to ROTC units and some do not.

That is another reason to the visit, they usually are forthcoming about if they are on the admissions board.

This can assist the child with a scholarship because they can do the push/pull method. ROTC, be it A/AF/N can say this kid has already been awarded a scholarship to this school, his stats are a match they just need you to send the BFE.

Not every college does this. I know for our DS even though AFROTC is a large det. it is nothing in size compared to AROTC. AROTC is known to have a voice at the college. At UNCCH yrs ago, AFROTC had a voice, not sure if that is still the case. UVA could not care less about the scholarships, there is NO VOICE for any of them. I selected UNC, and UVA because for NROTC they must submit IS colleges, and both of these are known as Public Ivies. No other reason, but to illustrate how every college is different when it comes to admissions.

I cannot remember who the poster was last yr., but they got an NROTC scholarship to an IVY, and were shocked, they felt it was a reach school for their child. The child is now at that school with an NROTC scholarship.

 

[Pima]

P-flying,

Out of curiosity why will it be enforced this yr?

Is it because they are assuming the number of applicants will increase greatly, or is it because the budget is decreasing, or is it both?

 

[P-Flying17]

Pima it will be enforced because it is a congressional law that 50% of kids who receive an ROTC scholarship be placed at a school in which they receive instate tuition. In the past the law has been interpreted differently than it is being interpreted now by the lawyers which allowed for any school and still meet the requirement but now they interpret it way differently so the program has to adjustto meet the new interpretation. Each branch does it differently like the air force gives tier scholarships. But the navy/marine still want to give a chance to go to any school you wish. That is why you should work to get your package in as soo. As the application opens up. I apologize for grammar and spelling errors. I am typing on my phone.

 

[basilrathbone]

Pima it will be enforced because it is a congressional law that 50% of kids who receive an ROTC scholarship be placed at a school in which they receive instate tuition. In the past the law has been interpreted differently than it is being interpreted now by the lawyers which allowed for any school and still meet the requirement but now they interpret it way differently so the program has to adjustto meet the new interpretation. Each branch does it differently like the air force gives tier scholarships. But the navy/marine still want to give a chance to go to any school you wish. That is why you should work to get your package in as soo. As the application opens up. I apologize for grammar and spelling errors. I am typing on my phone.

I understand and respect the need for the change in these challenging times but why hasn't the website been adjusted to show this if it's already the second year of the new policy? The home page of the application which gives instruction on how to manage school choice goes into great detail (quoted by Candidad, I believe) to explain the policy which is now defunct. Our local recruiters and the Units at the colleges we visited also seemed unaware of a change since they spelled out the same policy as is on the website. Will that change be spelled out in the package the student receives in the mail? Are there any other changes we should know about as it applies to school choice and transferring?

 

[DeskJockey]

There is nothing inconsistent between the published instructions on the NROTC website - which state that a student is allowed to use the scholarship at any school attached to a particular unit - and the 50% in-state requirement.

The majority of NROTC units are at large state universities, so the 50% quota can easily be met by awarding scholarships at these schools to students who are eligible for in-state tuition. Under the instructions these students can choose to use their scholarship at any school that is served by the unit, but that really isn't an issue. There are very few private crosstown schools at the public universities, and they are not all that attractive. Few students are going to choose Midlands Technical College over the University of South Carolina.

The other units are hosted by very expensive private schools. If a student gets a scholarship to the MIT unit, for example, it doesn't matter costwise if the student prefers to attend Harvard or Tufts, and it is irrelevant to the 50%in-state quota requirement.

The only likely impact of this policy is that it is may be more difficult to get a scholarship assignment to an out-of-state public school if the student is not somehow eligible for in-state tuition.

 

[basilrathbone]

There is nothing inconsistent between the published instructions on the NROTC website - which state that a student is allowed to use the scholarship at any school attached to a particular unit - and the 50% in-state requirement.

I agree with you on that point. However, P-Flying stated that students are no longer allowed to use the scholarship at any school attached to a particular unit which is inconsistent with the website instructions stating that the scholarship can be used at any school in the Unit. Many of the NROTC Units are a mix of private and public, P-Flying gave the example of the San Diego Unit as one of those. In the past, if one got assigned to that Unit they were advised to apply to all schools in the Unit to make sure that they would be able to use the scholarship in the event they didn't get into their top choice school within the Unit. If that is no longer the case than a student would need to know that so that they weren't spending money on applications, sending SAT, ACT scores, as well as any Community College transcripts etc. to the other schools in the Unit. That could run a few hundred dollars. They could instead focus on making sure to apply to public schools who traditionally have space in their Units as a back up.

I appreciate P-Flying giving us a heads-up on the change, I'm just wondering why it's not reflected on the application.

 

[dunninla]

OK... here is the practical reality as I perceive it -- an awardee has the opportunity to dialogue with NETC to tweak their list of 5 real-time... if the awardee put University of San Diego (Private, $39,000 tuition) as the #1 choice, and is directed by NETC to use the scholarship at cross-town San Diego State University (Public, $7,500 tuition), a conversation/appeal via email or phone is available to see if the award may be applied to USD.

Another scenario: Applicant put USD as the choice but does not gain admittance to USD, but is directed by NETC to put an application for Admittance in at San Diego St... which then accepts awardee and the scholarship is applied there.

In my observation, it is a bit of a fluid situation after awards are made. NETC does get involved to help in the matching of scholarship to school, real time.

 

[P-Flying17]

I agree with you on that point. However, P-Flying stated that students are no longer allowed to use the scholarship at any school attached to a particular unit which is inconsistent with the website instructions stating that the scholarship can be used at any school in the Unit. Many of the NROTC Units are a mix of private and public, P-Flying gave the example of the San Diego Unit as one of those. In the past, if one got assigned to that Unit they were advised to apply to all schools in the Unit to make sure that they would be able to use the scholarship in the event they didn't get into their top choice school within the Unit. If that is no longer the case than a student would need to know that so that they weren't spending money on applications, sending SAT, ACT scores, as well as any Community College transcripts etc. to the other schools in the Unit. That could run a few hundred dollars. They could instead focus on making sure to apply to public schools who traditionally have space in their Units as a back up.

I appreciate P-Flying giving us a heads-up on the change, I'm just wondering why it's not reflected on the application.

That is just the way it is. You are assigned to a specific school. The application should reflect this now.

You can always apply to more schools and if you don't get into the one assigned believe me, if you want the scholarship you will be worked with utilize it a school, just may not be one you originally thought.

 

[d.mcknight]

You can always apply to more schools and if you don't get into the one assigned believe me, if you want the scholarship you will be worked with utilize it a school, just may not be one you originally thought.

Definitely true. I was worked with a great deal to make sure I could use my scholarship. And don't take it as a negative thing if that happens. I never would have imagined I would be in Maine, at a school I'd never even heard of, coming all the way from Southern California, but that's what happened. Now I'm here, doing well, and really enjoying both the school and the unit.

 

[basilrathbone]

That is just the way it is. You are assigned to a specific school. The application should reflect this now.

You can always apply to more schools and if you don't get into the one assigned believe me, if you want the scholarship you will be worked with utilize it a school, just may not be one you originally thought.

So will there be waiting lists per school now rather than just per Unit? I know it seems like I’m splitting hairs but here’s how that matters to a parent; The student receives a NROTC scholarship to USD on the first board in October. The home page of the NROTC website says this still:

"Scholarships will be awarded to an NROTC unit in conjunction with the academic major and tier the applicant specified on his/her application. So the applicant does not need to go to the exact school listed on the application if there are other schools which share the same NROTC unit. But the student must be mindful that there may be cross-town commuting costs and class timing issues which will need to be resolved. The enrolled school must support the academic major or equivalent for which the scholarship was awarded. Also, the student must have applied for admission to and been accepted at any school for which he/she wishes to utilize the scholarship.
An example may help clarify this:
Applicant has selected the Navy Option at the beginning of her application. She selects the George Washington University NROTC unit and cross-town affiliate Howard University as her first choice on the scholarship application. She selects her other four choices. She selects Astrophysics (a Tier 2 major) as her intended degree program. If she is selected for a scholarship at the George Washington University NROTC Unit, she may utilize it at Howard University, George Washington University, Georgetown University, or University of Maryland at College Park (cross-town affiliates to the NROTC unit). She must have applied for admission and been accepted at the school in order to enroll. She must declare Astrophysics as her degree program or she may choose another Tier 1 or Tier 2 major. By applying to all four of the schools mentioned, she has really increased her chance of being able to utilize a scholarship."

So using this information the student applies as well to UCSD, SDSU, PLNU, & CSUSM. The additional cost on the parent’s credit card is over $500 once all of the transcripts and scores are sent in. That is a very wise investment if the info from the website is still valid. But each school is now separate for scholarship purposes and the student is no longer guaranteed a spot in that Unit, so when they find out in March that they did not get accepted to USD they also find out that CSUSM, PLNU, & SDSU all filled up their own scholarship spots by December so they are no longer options. Therefore, had they known of the change when they applied in June or received the scholarship in October, it would have been a much better investment of the $500 to have applied in the Fall to several NROTC schools who have Units that traditionally stay unfilled until late in the process. Yes, I realize that NETC will now help the student find out which schools have open enrollment and open Units and who work with scholarship students. Understanding, of course, that the parent still has to pay to have scores & transcripts sent as well as application fees. This is our third student in three years to get a NROTC scholarship and we’ve done the late Spring/early Summer school switching scramble and lived through it just fine with the help of NETC, albeit with a few gray hairs along the way. It’s not that I hate excitement or I’m angry at the process, I’m just in favor of making good choices that have the best chance of success with the appropriate amount of risk.

I’m not saying the system has to be changed, I’m just letting you know why understanding the system and having the most up to date information posted on the website matters to parents.