I am in the same position as you are. I love the Liberal Arts. I went to Georgetown SFS in Qatar this winter and loved it. Princeton is fantastic. A few of my professors from school went there, as did a handful of seniors when I was a Freshman.
I have taken the SAT (800 Critical Reading, 690 Math, 800 Writing) and the PSAT (225), and am set to earn National Merit Scholarship.
smac: I'm glad to hear that he's having a positive experience. Is he biomed? A friend of mine is starting at JHU in the fall, and intends to major in East Asian studies, but I know it best for the biomedical engineering program. What a place to be; fantastic opportunities, I'd imagine.
Was Hopkins his first choice on the scholarship app? I've heard the school did away with room/board stipends some time ago. Is financial aid workable?
theagentofchaos:
I read through you initial post again and there is one question you had that I don't think has been addressed. You asked how your field of study would translate into your army career. There are a couple things you should consider regarding the Army ROTC.
Your major and field of study has no bearing on the branch within the Army you serve in. The process for branch selection is a complicated one unless you graduate in the top 10% of all cadets across the country in your class year. If you are in the top 10% you are guarenteed your choice of branches. If you fall below the 10% you will have a "Wish List", based on how high you are on the national OML list the Army will select the branch for you. The higher you are the better chance of receiving the branch you want. The list involves many factors, the most important being your GPA. The GPA count 40% toward the list.
My point is that unless you are in the top 10% you run the risk of being branched into a field that will have nothing to do with what your plans are.
These are the issues you need to discuss with the PMS so you have a clear understanding of how everything works. You definatly want to enter into this with eyes wide open.
With the stats you posted and Pursuing an International Studies degree you should have no problem making the top 10%. Oh, and start working on that PT test now.
theagentofchaos,
One more thing. The most important piece of advice that I can offer is this: Do NOT go down either the SA or ROTC routes unless you genuinely want to serve your country in the military and understand the benefits of serving and that you can lose your life in all this. You don't necessarily have to want to serve for your entire life (the military will provide that opportunity later) or know right now which branch of service you want to serve in. But you truly need to want to serve. If you don't have that essential quality, it will reflect down the road and things won't work out as you expected and this journey will be a disappointment.
Take some time to ask yourself whether you are willing to give up your life for our country before going down this road.
patentesq
.
Would you say that the benefit of an undergraduate degree at a prestigious university (speaking in the long-term; from what I have read, it seems that the military could care less as to whether the B.A. is from a state university or an Ivy) outweighs the difficulty presented by earning that top GPA at a tougher school?
Would you say that the benefit of an undergraduate degree at a prestigious university (speaking in the long-term; from what I have read, it seems that the military could care less as to whether the B.A. is from a state university or an Ivy) outweighs the difficulty presented by earning that top GPA at a tougher school?
I would wholeheartedly agree on the PT advice, by the way. I'm a thrower, so my endurance could certainly use some attention
What events do you do as a thrower, my younger son is in the opposite position, he runs distance so his focus has been gaining more strength. Just start running over the summer once track is over, I know how much throw coaches hate to see their throwers run too much and lose muscle mass so star hitting the road once the season ends. Shoot for the 13:00 min. 2 mile.
Good luck
I just realized that I neglected to mention that I'm female; I throw shot put and discus for the women's varsity squad. On that note, what are the standards of fitness for female applicants? I think they differ from those of the PFT, and, to be honest, I've yet to check exactly what time I must attain (push-ups and curl-ups I'm less concerned about).
The AFPT standards for female cadets are different then that of male cadets.
2 mile Run
To pass the 2 mile run the time needed is 18:54 ( 60 points )
To get the full 100 points the time is 15:36
Push ups
19 to pass with 60 points
42 to max with 100 points
Sit ups
53 to pass with 60 points
78 to max with 100 points
Good luck with this season of track. Do you think you will participate in track at college.
Thank you for posting this- definitely clears things up. I'm going to submit my marks to a number of universities (all of which are Division 3; I'm a competitive recruit at the Ivies, though I'm probably not going to get it on throws alone. Since I hail from the Southwest, I've never been exposed to crew, but I'm about six feet tall and a lifelong athlete. I'm hoping they'll consider letting me try out). I don't see ROTC and college athletics meshing in terms of time commitment- don't want to leave two half-done when I can easily commit to one and work to excel in it- but I'm going to cast every line I can and see what looks best at the end of the day. My goal to become a Foreign Area Officer remains, but I'll consider alternate paths to that destination.
I don't see ROTC and college athletics meshing in terms of time commitment- don't want to leave two half-done when I can easily commit to one and work to excel in it.
Just to let you know, it CAN be done. Graduated with a friend who got his commission a month after winning the ACC title for the decathlon. The key is TIME MANAGEMENT.
checkout FAOweb (fao.nps.edu) to connect with other FAOs who can answer your questions about FAOs.Good evening! I just stumbled across this forum tonight, and I am so glad that I did...
There is a wealth of information archived here, and I will be the first to admit that I have hardly scratched the surface. However, if you have a moment, I would very much appreciate some insight on the ROTC scholarship application process (and the program on the whole).
Until very recently, ROTC was not on my radar. To give you some quick background on my prospects: I am on good terms with the head of our JROTC group on campus, though I myself have never been a member of it. Through him, I have been very much encouraged in the college admissions process. As I am currently in my junior year, I have taken the SAT (800 Critical Reading, 690 Math, 800 Writing) and the PSAT (225), and am set to earn National Merit Scholarship. I have been a lettered varsity athlete since my freshman year, and have ranked in the top 8 of my 5A district for my event in track and field both years. I was one of ten students in America to spend the summer of 2010 on a government-funded foreign exchange, and gained some proficiency in Japanese in that time. I have been the editor-in-chief of a nationally recognized online newspaper for two years, and have gone to state for literary criticism. I have served as class representative and class president. My writing has appeared in our largest metropolitan newspaper (I am one of a group of selected student freelancers; paid for every byline) and has been exhibited in a local museum. When I had laid this out for our JROTC instructor, he exhorted me to apply for a scholarship.
I first considered ROTC when speaking with the father of a teammate, who had served as a foreign area officer and had his entire education (at Johns Hopkins- one of my target schools) funded by the military. His description of the work FAOs are engaged it was an epiphany to me. I really believe this is what I want to do. Regardless, I am certain that military experience would be indispensable to me were I to follow my initial dreams of a career in the Foreign Service. I hope to continue my study of Japanese and begin Korean in college. My intended major, if possible, would be international studies or (in the case of Georgetown) foreign service.
With that said, I have a few questions:
+ First: How necessary are these majors? From what I can discern, FAOs are within the Army only, though the Navy and Air Force have equivalent positions on a smaller scale. I would assume that my chances are best through the army, since the subject I intend to study will impact whether or not I am awarded a scholarship. Are North Asian languages in demand?
+ What is the general timeline of application? I have seen that AFROTC begins in May (I do intend to apply in May, as I have heard that earlier is better in almost any case), but at what point are students notified if they have been accepted? Do NROTC and AROTC application cycles also begin on May 1?
+ Do all branches require the student to rank colleges by preference? If so; would it be better to place a less-desired but financially secure option atop one where whatever cost left over might not be covered?
+ In light of Harvard's readmission of NROTC- and the likelihood of other Ivies following suit- would it be foolish to place a Harvard or Stanford at the first slot? I have already submitted my SATs to both, and intend to apply in the regular decision round regardless, but I do not know what strategy to take when ranking the colleges in the scholarship application.
+ How relevant is post-graduate assignment to subject matter studied? I am concerned that, having spent four years laboring in a foreign language, I will be unable to apply my skills for some time (I've read that FAO is a mid-career designation; some eight years of service into an Army career). Will my specific knowledge base relate to the work I do after commission?
+ While my parents are quite confident that I would be accepted at Georgetown or Hopkins, I am very uncertain. In a scenario where I have listed one of the two as my 'first choice' and am not admitted, is the scholarship invalidated? Or does it move to the second slot, pending an empty space in that campus' ROTC unit?
+ Any other advice you could impart would be very much appreciated.
Have you considered Amherst?
It is a cross-town for UMass Amherst and NESCAC schools give a great admissions boost to competitive D3 athletes. If you do some research on this you will find these small schools have a high percentage of recruited athletes. For this reason, your "chances" at a NESCAC as a recruited athlete are much better than at other highly selective institutions.
Many consider an Amherst education the equivalent of either Harvard or Yale in the liberal arts. Can't speak for the reputation of their IR - something you should research for yourself. And as a track and field athlete, the recruiting is relatively cut and dried - by sending the coach your stats (both athletic and academic) you should be able to get feedback to see if you would likely get "help" in admissions (they reserve slots for their recruited athletes).
If you are a sought after recruit however, you will need to apply Early Decision (binding). Most of their athletes come in this way. This can complicate things, as you will have to make this decision by 11/15 (this year's ED deadline) which may or may not be before the AROTC scholarship first board next year.
However, if FA is a concern, Amherst, like the top Ivies meets 100% of financial need with FA. (IIRC on a per-pupil basis their endowment is actually larger than Harvard's) Recently, it has been a no-loan school (all grants), but I think it may have shifted this year back to limited loans. Something you would want to investigate further. There are FA calculators that will help you understand how much FA you would qualify for.
Overall, your academic credentials make you competitive for all of the schools you listed. If you want to participate in D3 athletics, your level of athletic talent may help your admissions at schools that look at this as part of the admissions packet. That is why I suggested Amherst.
Best of luck.
What other experiences are crucial as you attend college? Do you want to be in a soriority? Do you feel like you would need to attend most plays, athletic events, key note speaker events? Many students waste hours during their college days and actually do better when they have prescribed activities so they manage their time better. Juggling three roles is possible if you don't need to also party, go home on weekends, work, or manage a family for example.
checkout FAOweb (fao.nps.edu) to connect with other FAOs who can answer your questions about FAOs.