The October AROTC Board just awarded my DS a scholarship. He is very grateful and honored to have been selected. This is a significant step toward his dream of becoming a career officer. However he could not hide his disappointment when he learned that the scholarship offer is only for his 6th and last choice of schools. Given that this is his state school and the most affordable on the list, I suspect economics played into the Board’s decision. However, after having talked to several ROO’s, I am perplexed by how the October Board determined which schools can honor the scholarship. I know that the process is driven by each applicant’s OML standing (which is based on the whole person score). So applicants at the top of this list get first crack at their schools of choice. And from what I’m seeing on this forum, many are getting multiple schools. Per several ROO’s, each school is allocated so many slots by the first Board; this allocation is a percentage of their total slots (so as not to completely fill up the schools in the first round). As applicants are awarded these slots, some of the schools reach their allotment and “close.” I suspect my DS’s first five schools therefore closed by the time the Board reached his file (though some of the schools may have already “passed” on him before the Board even convened). In any case, here is my question: what recourse, if any, do we have in “trading up” to a school higher on his list? Or is the Board’s decision final and non-negotiable? I ask because it strikes me that those scholarship recipients who received multiple offers will have to turn all but one school down (thus freeing up their slots for future boards). Furthermore, I have to think some percentage will ultimately give up their scholarships for one of the Academies. If in fact there will be open slots at these schools on down the road, I would hope that Cadet Command would give those in the first round some opportunity to fill them (or at least compete for them). If not, then I have to wonder about the equity of this whole process (maybe it would have been better to start high in the second round). So … any insights or suggestions as to how to proceed would be appreciated. Obviously he will accept the scholarship. As I said, it’s an honor and privilege to receive such a coveted scholarship and we are all most grateful. I’m simply trying to understand what options we might have.
I'm going to step back and ask you about the advice I gave previously about having a clear decision tree that your son can explain to a ROO/PMS.
Right now, if the financial issue bears heavily into the schooling decision, his possibilities are WP (depending upon that outcome) and the State U. With that in mind, he should graciously accept the scholarship and make peace with going there as well as celebrate his good fortune of having the scholarship.
That being said, not getting his hopes up, he should be aware that there may be an opportunity for him to trade in his current scholarship (he must accept it to do this) for an opening at another unit in April (subject to scholarships being returned at a unit). As you mentioned, people do turn in scholarships for a SA appointment or because they were not accepted to X University. I believe in this process (perhaps Clarkson can confirm), the unit has say in which of people on the trade-in list (giving up scholarships at other schools) get first priority on the ones turned in for that unit.
If this is the practice as stated and he has a school that is a clear cut above in his view (this probably has evolved over the past few months), he should be talking to the ROO at that school to communicate the new decision tree that he faces (example - If WP appointment, accept otherwise trade for scholarship to dream school if available, otherwise happily attend State U). Understand that ROO may not know the status of the accepted scholarship recipients until very late in the game (March or April). If he does a good job of selling himself (might even show up on campus?) to a ROO, he might just get that scholarship that frees up in April. I'm guessing here that he did not have the time (since I gave the original advice) to sell himself to his top choice school(s), as the top 5 didn't necessarily feel the love and #6 had nothing to lose.
Of course, his top 5 may very well be the most competitive units out there (# of applicants vs. # of scholarships) and he may have lots of competition for even the trade-in scholarships. For example, at many of the SMCs, they have various opportunities for prospective cadets to stay/visit and make an impression. These schools are insanely competitive for scholarships and any returned scholarship (chose a SA) will have plenty of applicants with a history of demonstrated "love" for the institution. My point here is that there are schools where this strategy may work and others not so well.
In the end (4 years out), he will hopefully be a 2nd Lieutenant, and the Army doesn't care where he enjoyed the previous 4 years. And really, his interests should be in making the most of whatever opportunities present themselves, as he won't necessarily always get his first choice of branch assignments in the Army. This will be a growing up experience for him.
When you say "tweak" his college choices, can he change them once he has already put these down on his application?