ROTC and SCHOLARSHIPS!

[FOR GOD AND COUNTRY]

Well I live in Florida, the reason I want to go to VT is becasus i feel its a great school and beautiful there. on the scholarship application I put Engineering, but didn't recieve it for VT admissions. I think if I'm going to get any scholarship, it'll be to Florida State.

 

[kinnem]

My son was just declined for the NROTC 4 year scholarship. I have read various threads and am wondering if I have come to the right conclusion: that he should not join NROTC freshman year, that he should take Naval Science second semester and reapply for the NROTC scholarship. I have read his chances of getting a scholarship this way are greater than getting a sideload as a college programmer. Have I got this right?

Not sure if it improves chances or not, but I do recall seeing such statements on the forum. IMO it depends on the goal. If the goal is a scholarship then your suggestion might make sense. If the goal is to commission then I would suggest entering as a college programmer. It has certainly been the best thing that ever happened to my son. He is far more disciplined and hard working at his studies than he ever was in HS. No doubt to me its due to NROTC. There are a lot of benefits to it besides the scholarship.

 

[dunninla]

Well I live in Florida, the reason I want to go to VT is becasus i feel its a great school and beautiful there. on the scholarship application I put Engineering, but didn't recieve it for VT admissions. I think if I'm going to get any scholarship, it'll be to Florida State.

OK, then you've got a tough decision to make. Do you leave your scholarship application as Engineering, and put Florida St. as your #1 choice, or do you change your Application to something non-Engineering and leave VT as your #1 choice? I think your actual odds of receivinbg a Scholarship to an Out of State Tuition school as a non-Engineering major are much, much lower than if you switch your #1 to Florida St. and leave the major as Engineering.

Since I don't think you can afford VT, per your post, without a scholarship, you might want to start finding what you can love about Florida St. If I were in your shoes, I'd either try to find some rich uncle who will help with VT tuition, or change Florida St. to #1 on my AROTC application (you can email and call Cadet Command to do this... I think you have only a few days left to make changes.).

 

[kinnem]

Hmmm. Florida State. ACC conference +. Actually near civilization +. Can get home on the occasional weekend +.

I personally agree with dunninla. However, in the spirit of full disclosure, perhaps you can find other sources of financial aid than the ROTC scholarship which you may need to do anyway. It's all about being realistic while trying to find an answer that can satisfy both your mind and your heart... Or maybe your wallet and your heart. Truth be told you'll find things to love about any school you attend and you will still get a quality education at any if the fine schools on your list.

Good luck. It would be great to know how things worked out at some point. If the goal ia to commission I have no doubt that someone accepted to these 5 schools will find a way.

 

[wolfpack1993]

I know that you can change your Army-approved major to fit your university major, but I'm not sure how kindly the Army would look upon you switching out of a STEM major with them.

Did you complete your interview at VT? That boosts your chances greatly. I did mine there, and they are huge on making sure that potential cadets are cut out for the program.

 

[vamom]

For God and Country,
Just so you have as much info as you can get:
Our son is currently a freshman in the VT Corp of Cadets and AFROTC. He was accepted into the VT ENG dept upon application. His good friend from high school was admitted to VT but was declined by the ENG dept and was offered "University Studies". However, about 5 weeks later, just before they graduated high school, his friend was notified that he was ADMITTED to ENG. The decision was reversed due to declines. There is evidently an uofficial "waitlist" and if you qualify for the ENG program but don't make the cut due to "no vacancy" (there is a SET number of spots each year) and other accepted students decline, then you can possibly move into an admitted ENG spot. Not something to count on, but it is possible. Your SAT scores are quite low for ENG so you may want to contact the Dean of Admissions ENG to assess whether you think you are "qualified no vacany" or simply did not make the cut at all. They may actually tell you this directly. I'm not sure.

On another note, our son is AFROTC and was awarded an in-college Type 2 this month. These are very scarce for ALL ROTC's but it is possible. However, due to scarcity of these scholarships, you should not count in receiving one as your only option to pay for your last three years.

Lastly, you may also want to contact Major Mariger, head of VTCC Recruiting. She has great info on the Corp (which is mandatory if you are going to participate in ROTC) and there is an OOS Scholarship (Emerging Leader) that might help you out. She may possible be able to point you in the right direction to explore other financial options.

I hope these "random tidbits" help. I wish you the best of luck!