1300 SAT, is ~650CR/650MA.
When she was invited for the weekend experience she was told she would be offered a full scholarship if she was excepted into the university, which was a public in state school. Some of her other choices are out of state or Private. Will that have any bearing on a scholarship offer? Does the offer come from the local command or at a national level?
Thanks
jay
Jay, 1300 SAT (650/650) is a strong score. Your DD should be in good shape!
For the past several years, AROTC scholarships were handed out by the PMS on campus, but are now done centrally by AROTC Cadet Command. Four, three and two-year scholarships may still be available on campus this fall, but don't count on them when planning financials for college because so much depends on the budget outlook for FY2012 (likely to be presented to Congress in August 2011). The way I look at it, your DD should have the following attitude: "I want to earn a commission, and if the Army is willing to throw money my way, that's great!" In other words, your DD should view the scholarship NOT as a way to pay for college or to provide an incentive to serve 4 years on active duty -- it is merely an unexpected gift. The reason for this is that success in AROTC depends on the cadet's attitude toward the Army as a potential career, and statistically, people who view ROTC as a money source don't do well (typically aren't prepared to make sacrifices to earn a commission).
JUST KEEP THE FOREGOING JUST BETWEEN YOU AND ME, BECAUSE THE ARMY APPARENTLY THINKS IT NEEDS TO SPEND A LOT OF MONEY TO RECRUIT OUR KIDS!!
As for my DS, he listed only very pricey schools on his AROTC application and this didn't seem to hurt him. But these were ivy-league level schools, and the Army is interested this year in "elite" schools for some reason (probably erroneously thinking they make "better" officers). However, for pricey private schools (non-SMC) or OOS state schools, this may be a factor. Unfortunately, the selection process is a bit weird and not very transparent. I would simply list the schools where your DD wants to attend and let fate take it from there.
I am likely to get flamed for the following statement, but I need to make it anyway. So here goes.
Over the past several months, I have been surprised that some of the PMSs and ROTC cadre like to view themselves as the "gatekeepers" at their respective colleges/universities. This is likely because some are having a tough time adjusting to the Army's new way of doing things and don't like it when our kiddos apply directly to AROTC Cadet Command for a national scholarsip and directly to the university admissions without having visited the resident ROTC battalion first. Most, though, are true professionals and have completely embraced that Army's new national scholarship process.
Unfortunately, there seem to be many ROTC cadre out there who do not understand that it is a complete waste of time to spend a weekend at a school (particularly a "crap shoot" school like an ivy league) only to get rejected at that school. I suspect at some of the lower-tier schools, where there is a 90% admission rate, this may not be as much of an issue.
You also need to know that there are some AROTC units out there who reside at "host" schools and really don't like it to have cadets at the satellite schools (of course, they don't advertise this). This may be because they've had performance issues in the past with the cadets at the satellite schools and have pre-judged your DD and prematurely placed her in the same "group" of expected underperformers. If the school where your DD wants to attend is a non-host school, don't be surprised if you get a cool reception at the "host" school (they may think, "These cadets at [satellite school] are a pain in the rear!"). The AROTC units at the "host" schools also have a close affinity for the "host" school and may subjectively feel that they should have a "loyalty" to the "host" school and should be doing whatever they can to encourage more scholarships at the host school. Most AROTC host schools do
NOT have this territorial attitude, though.
These are some things your DD should consider when selecting the right college and AROTC unit combination that will help her to accomplish great things. Believe me, you will know when the combination just "feels right." In your case, however, time is not on your side because your DD has little over a month to make a decision. My recommendation, therefore, is to make contact with
each of the AROTC units now where your DD has gained admission and to steer clear of those who give you a "disinterested" attitude. The best combination is to have an enthusiastic admissions offer from the college admissions office and a welcoming embrace from the AROTC unit responsible for that school.
Bottom line: Your DD should go to the school where there is positive energy about ROTC and your cadet.