Just sent in NROTC App

MattP

5-Year Member
Joined
Nov 11, 2010
Messages
11
I feel like everything is heating up now. Im a rising senior and now I am really an applicant for the NROTC scholarship! Just wondering on your thoughts on my chances. I feel like I have alot going for me.

Academics
  • Class Rank: 32/278
  • GPA: 3.6/4.4
  • Core classes are all honors/AP classes
  • 1200 SAT. 590 Reading and 610 Math

Extra Curricular
  • Officer in my NJROTC Unit
  • Graduate of NJROTC Leadership Academy
  • Venturing Vice President
  • 40+ Hours community service at my communities local foodbank
  • Captain of my school's Odyssey of the Mind Regional Champion team
  • Beta Club Member
  • National Honor Society Member
  • Youth Group Member
  • Schools Adventure Club Member
  • Summer job at Burger King after Sophmore year
  • Current job at local Supermarket; ive been there almost a year.
  • Attending Naval Academy Summer Seminar in two days!

Sports
This is where I feel I fall short, but on the application I did write in the extra information that with my situation, my job is more important than school sports.

  • JV Soccer and Track- 2 years
  • Club League Inline Hockey
  • School's ski team

Random info
One of my recommendations who is also my interviewing officer (however I havent had the interview yet) is my NJROTC Senior Naval Science Instructor, a retired Navy Captain who is a graduate of the Naval Academy Class of 1969. I feel like this will really help me. However, I am a tier 3 major, International Relations. Captain does not feel this will affect me that much considering three years ago my school sent a kid to Virginia Tech on an NROTC scholarship and hes a Polisci major. My Captain is also my Blue and Gold Officer haha. My number one school is the University of Rochester. I love that school, I hope I get in and get the scholarship. It is out of state for me so idk how much that will effect anything.

Everything on here is on the application. I even put how I ran for student government this year haha. If you have any thoughts on my chances, that would be greatly appreciated! :)
 
Your gpa and rank are strong, but your SAT is what I would consider low.

NROTC is known to be highly competitive, probably the most competitive. The avg AFROTC SAT score is @1260, hence I would assume that theirs is even higher. You always want to be above the avg when you are trying for a scholarship to feel confident.
 
Agree that who recommends you is not a big deal.

However, DISAGREE with his anecdotal observation that a 3 years ago a person with Tier III was awarded, so it must be OK. It is NOT OK. The priorities of the Navy have changed significantly in three years. Many fewer scholarships were granted this past year than in years prior... at least 25% fewer. Everyone expects fewer still this year. It is much, much harder to be awarded as a Tier III major than a Tier I or Tier II. The tiers exist for a reason... they're not just fancy code words. The Navy is interested in future Engineers who are well rounded athletically and Leaders. The last time I checked 85% of scholarships had to be Tier I (Engineering) or Tier II (Math, Science). That only leaves 15% for Tier III (everything not Engineering, Science, Math).

The further you are from an Engineeer (over 700 Math SAT), the more difficult it is for the Board to select you over other candidates, especially if you are not URM (Hispanic, Black, Asian, American Indian).

The reality of today is very different from the reality of three years ago. Because of our 4 year long Great Recession, Jr. Officers are not voluntarily leaving the Navy, since civilian jobs are tougher to find than they were before. This leaves fewer spots for Jr. Officers coming out of ROTC.

Now, on to you.

You have a great GPA, Class Rank, and SAT relative to the general population, but not in comparison to NROTC or Naval Academy students. Your GPA is OK but not great. Your SATs are OK but not great. Your class rank is OK but not great. You're just OK in the normal group of Awarded NROTC Scholarship applicants. Therefore, you must have something exceptional to balance the (relative) academic weakness in comparison to awardees this past year. The three components of evaluation are Leadership, Athletic Fitness, and Scholastic Achievment. Since the Scholastic part is only OK, you need both the other legs of this tripod to be exceptionally strong.

Are they? Will they look at your application and see Student Body President? Captain of the Football team? See where I'm going with that? I realize you have to work, and Leadership is not only shown by sports captaincy. Is it possible in your job that anyone reports to you? Where is your *demonstrated* leadership in some area that is important?

Your best hope is that you have very strong accomplishments in your Jr. ROTC unit. It also helps you will be going to the Summer Program. One other thing... budgets are tough this year. If you don't have an IN-STATE university near the top of your list of 5 schools, you should contact NETC and have your list edited to include a Flagship Public in your State. The slots at the SMCs and Private Universities like USD, BU, Tulane, George Washington, etc. fill up very fast, in the first couple of Boards, and are given to only the very strongest of applicants.

Having said all that, you have an OK chance... maybe 25%. If I were you I would also be applying to Army ROTC.

Best of luck to you. I mean that. It's very though to get a Scholarship award these past two years, and I'm hoping you're one of them.
 
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Thanks for everyones thoughts. Here are my rebuttle's of some of the comments made:

I know it does not matter who interviews me, I was just saying that the fact that Captian is a retired officer who is an academy grad, the fact that he sees something in me enought to write me a recommendation, says something and anyone reading that recommendation should see that.

Why would I apply for AROTC if I want to be a Naval Officer? I am applying for the scholarship not so much as a way to pay for school as it is a way for me to get my dream job, becoming a Naval Officer. For you to say "If I were you I would also be applying to Army ROTC" maybe shows that you think I am only looking for a way to pay for school?

Im going to college to major in International Relations because that is what interests me. Im not going to waste four years of my life majoring in something I dont like.

Very true with the fact that my academics are great compared to most, average when it comes to applicants for NROTC and the Academy. I did my best in school, my grades reflect how smart I am. Im certainly not the brightest guy around, but I do not think that necissarily means I will not be a good officer.

My 3rd choice school is in state.
 
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"why would I apply AROTC when I want to be a Naval Officer"

No, I was not assuming you're just looking for a way to pay for school. Very good question. I assume you are motivated to serve your country in the armed forces. To be in harms way. To be in the group that stands between tyranny and democracy, between dictatorship and freedom. Given that, is there something about white uniforms that attracts you? do you like floating cities for any particular reason? If you like planes, then also apply AFROTC. If you like working on gear, all three services will be fine. It might surprise you to learn that MOST applicants to Annapolis also apply to the USAFA or West Point, and many to all three, plus ROTC. They just want to serve their country, and leave it up to the Boards to inform them where they best fit. Why be picky about Army vs. Navy vs. Air Force vs. Coast Guard when such lofty goals as "serving your country" are to be met?

No offense to you at all, but how much can a 17 year old be expected to know where they will be of greatest use to their country? Apply to several, and trust that the Officers who compose the Boards know how to help young men fit into the appropriate community.

My nephew could not decide between USAFA and USNA, and NROTC at Berkeley. Ultimately he chose Annapolis, graduated this May with a Flight School billet, but is nowdelaying that for two years to study at MIT while simultaneously working in an MIT affiliated DOD research lab. If his eyes hold up, he'll be off to flight school in two years. So if you've got a highly decorated midshipman who graduated at the very, very top of his class at Annapolis who could not decide at 17 between USAFA and USNA, and four years later had a tough choice between Flight School and Aeronautical Research, you have to figure most kids out there, and that would include you, have no reason to be choosy.
 
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If he wants to do NROTC, let him do NROTC.

Go ahead and major in poly sci, or International Relations. Do what interests you, not what will get you a scholarship. A scholarship is not, or should not, IMHO, be the prize that you are after.The goal is a commission as an officer. A scholarship would be nice, yes, but realize that no one here can predict your chances. Good luck.:thumb:
 
Go ahead and major in poly sci, or International Relations. Do what interests you, not what will get you a scholarship. A scholarship is not, or should not, IMHO, be the prize that you are after.The goal is a commission as an officer.

As the goal is to commission as a Navy officer, if he were told that majoring in
basket-weaving would eliminate him from being commissioned -
would he major in basket-weaving? The degree is to get the job you want,
if those two don't jive, something has to change.

There are about 1000 Navy ROTC officer slots open per year.
when technical, medical, URM, language etc are subtracted,
around a 100 slots are left for Navy ROTC officers with non-specialized degrees.
There is about 75 NROTC units... Better be #1 non-tech cadet in your unit.
link

BTW: International Relations? Navy Officer career fields Link
 
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BTW: International Relations? Navy Officer career fields Link

I cant seem to load the link. What is it of/about and how does International Relations figure in with it?

Also, if you don't want to go to an in-state college, don't. You should go to U-Rochester if that's the best fit. I probably won't go to my in-state (UNH) because its simply too big and nothing really distinguishes it from other schools.
 
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gojack,

I place AFROTC competitiveness at the level, or little bit below NROTC.

Our DS is an AFROTC scholarship candidate majoring in Govt and he got a UPT slot. AFROTC is up front honest re:their system. A non-tech major has a 5% of receiving Type 1. Type 1 is 5% of every Type...in other words 5% of 5% go to non-tech.

DS beat the odds with his scholarship and UPT. It happens. No, he was not the number 1 ranking cadet in his det.

That being stated, I have to say our DS who will be commissioned in 12, would tell you he believes he would never have received an AFROTC scholarship today from the stats he has seen over the past few yrs.

DS had a 1390 SAT out of 1600, The ACT was 33 or 34 can't remember. I do remember they used his ACT as the scoring factor.
4.07 (out of 4.5) gpa scale
Every AP available
Jump Start SR yr (attended CC 1/2 day, hs other 1/2)... selected to do this since he had taken all APs already and the school had no higher classes to offer
Top 10% rank
NHS since 10th grade
NYLF
Who's Who HS
NMSF
Life Guard
Black Belt TKD
National TKD Medalist
2 time state TKD champ

Those were his and he is saying IHPO he would not have received a scholarship. It is important to understand that is how competitive it has become over the past few yrs.
 
Tonk002:

I inferred from OP's first post that being a Naval Officer was #1 on the priority list. Given that primacy, if that means going to a State School over a Private School, then so be it... being a Naval Officer is more important (to some) than the size or location of the school.

As to changing majors, I agree with you on that. It is a recipe for disaster for a Humanities person to try to major in a Science just so that he/she increases the chances of getting an NROTC scholarship. That's why I suggest Army ROTC. Army is less focused on Engineering. Also, inasmuch as OP in another thread talked about Marine Option NROTC scholarship, I assumed the Army ROTC would be a good Plan B... feet on the ground seems to attract OP.
 
No worries, just wondering about NROTC:thumb: I guess as someone who is going after the AROTC scholarship, I didn't realize that the NROTC scholarships were so science/math focused.
 
^ yep, 85% is the quota for Engineeering + Math/Science, aka STEM. Only 15% of awarded scholarships are for other majors in NROTC, known as Tier III.
 
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