Hi all,
I don't want to rain on anyone's parade, but let me tell you briefly about our experience with NROTC Scholarship last year. DS had applied to USNA, with NROTC as his back up plan. Everything was done by September 1. When we had heard nothing from NROTC by December, DS contacted his NROTC guy and asked if he should be doing something. No, everything was in order; application was outstanding, academics are superior, test scores fantastic, interview was tops, no problems, it's all good, just be patient.
As April approached, we were on pins and needles. First the letter from NROTC stating they weren't offering a scholarship, followed a week later with a TWE from USNA. I can't even express how devastating this was. We immediately heard from the NROTC guy encouraging DS to reapply. I asked for the reasons he didn't get a scholarship this time around and was not given anything concrete. The bottom line, I have come to understand, is there simply wasn't the funding available....AND DS did not select schools that would put him in a diverse situation. It appears that it is extremely helpful to pick schools that put the candidate among the minority.
At any rate, as disappointing as all of this was, DS has reapplied to USNA and is enrolled in a nearby university. He joined the NROTC unit there and is doing extremely well. One of the Navy Admin there asked why he's not on a scholarship with his grades, eca's and athletics, so we do have confirmation that this was not just some pipe dream. During orientation week, 8 recruits dropped out...at least 1 of them was on scholarship. How frustrating/disappointing!
All of this to say: HAVE 2 OR 3 ALTERNATIVES PLANS IN PLACE AND APPLY FOR EVERY POSSIBLE SCHOLARSHIP OUT THERE!
Kat