NROTC questions..

I'm a korean.. immigrant to be precise. I am eligible to obtain citizenship once I turn 18 in June 1st.. and I'm currently a junior.. When does the application process for ROTC scholarship start? I really want to join the military.. as (first to last choice) Marines, Navy, Air Force. Which ROTC scholarship is most widely distributed and easy to obtain?
I have the grades.. I rank top 7% of my graduating class. All Gifted/Honors/AP.. UW GPA of 3.7 ish. My grade average every year was no less than 94% every semester so far. Community Service Hours will exceed 500 by the end of my senior year or possibly this year. Clubs: NHS, Key Club, HALO(volunteer club).. I'm aiming to be Key Club leader for senior year (high possibility). Unfortunately, no sports.. I did martial arts for 2~3years. Orchestra 4 years. Church Leadership positions... Will these traits qualify for a ROTC scholarship? North Georgia College recruiter came and made it seem like i could easily get one.. (Army ROTC Scholarship)

I know the military wants engineers.. but i would like to be a pharmacist or dentist.. would they grant me the scholarship?

Sorry for bunch of questions and long writing! Thank you for reading, and i hope you guys could provide me great input! Thanks again!

jmk0601 said:

I'm a korean.. immigrant to be precise. I am eligible to obtain citizenship once I turn 18 in June 1st.. and I'm currently a junior.. When does the application process for ROTC scholarship start? I really want to join the military.. as (first to last choice) Marines, Navy, Air Force. Which ROTC scholarship is most widely distributed and easy to obtain?
I have the grades.. I rank top 7% of my graduating class. All Gifted/Honors/AP.. UW GPA of 3.7 ish. My grade average every year was no less than 94% every semester so far. Community Service Hours will exceed 500 by the end of my senior year or possibly this year. Clubs: NHS, Key Club, HALO(volunteer club).. I'm aiming to be Key Club leader for senior year (high possibility). Unfortunately, no sports.. I did martial arts for 2~3years. Orchestra 4 years. Church Leadership positions... Will these traits qualify for a ROTC scholarship? North Georgia College recruiter came and made it seem like i could easily get one.. (Army ROTC Scholarship)

I know the military wants engineers.. but i would like to be a pharmacist or dentist.. would they grant me the scholarship?

Sorry for bunch of questions and long writing! Thank you for reading, and i hope you guys could provide me great input! Thanks again!

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First off no one can really chance you. There are too many unknowns about you and about the ROTC scholarship dollars for your class, plus interviews, physical fitness scores, SAT scores, etc. etc.

That being said your grades and ECs look good. Of course you'll need to have your citizenship in order to be eligible. I believe you'll also be required to give up your Korean citizenship. I know a Korean kid who could easily have gotten a nursing scholarship but giving up Korean citizenship was a showstopper for his parents. You could start the application this spring but you would need to have your citizenship in had before you complete it.

The martial arts is a good thing but the military is more interested in participation in team sports, since the military acts as a team. You'll also have to pass a physical fitness test which varies by service so you need to be in very good shape. You also need more leadership positions so keep pursuing that Key Club president position. I'm a former high school Key Club member and that would impress me. Don't know what it will do for the scholarship board but one does the best one can.

Army is generally easiest to get if only because of the numbers involved. The Marines don't care what your major is but there are much fewer of these scholarships given out and its very competitive (not that the others aren't I suppose). Navy is definitely looking for 85% STEM majors so your chances there are also low, but not impossible. I can't speak to Air Force although they look for some percentage of STEM majors as well. In the past Army hasn't cared what your major was but I believe that's changing. (I have been known to be wrong from time to time).

You've got a shot, especially given your minority status. I assume you speak Korean and that can't hurt, although it's not a language skill the Navy (at least) is trying to recruit.

Given your high class rank you might also want to consider the military Academies, although they are primarily engineering schools and may not be a great match for what you want. Also, pursuing the graduate work required for your desired professions may be problematic, but not impossible either. I'll leave others, who are more expert than I, to comment on that aspect.

You definitely have a 0% chance if you don't apply and you certainly have nothing to lose. Anything you do to improve your chances of getting a ROTC scholarship would also improve your chances of getting accepted into any college IMHO.

Good Luck.

Thank you for your input and i can speak korean quite fluently.. and know how to type it.. (writing is possible). My parents approve and wants me to get my citizenship. I haven't really thought about acquiring US Citizenship this soon until i thought about joining the military. I'm really more of a hands-on person, so I think engineering wouldn't be too bad. I entered science fair and was asked to enter symposium for my Engineering invention... Thank you for your great input and are there any advices or inputs you could possibly provide me with that would increase my chances in getting into SA or NROTC? (high interested in Navy/ Marines)

Other than the general guidance given above I don't have anything more specific right now. You might GI to the USNA web site and take a look at the 2014 student profile to get a sense of what you would be competing against. Finally, start your application ass early as you can. It pays to complete them by August or early September if at all possible.

Thanks for being willing to serve this great country. If you have specific questions along the way feel free to ask them here.

i'm a junior, so turning them in early is august - early september? I'm a junior so.. i guess it's meaning beginning of my senior year... Do they provide me with nrotc scholarship.. and i could take it to whatever college i want.. or how does it work?

You will list 5 schools in order of preference, where NROTC units exist. Some number of them (one I think) must be in-state. If you are awarded a scholarship it will be to one of these schools. So the scholarship is tied to the school. For AFROTC you can use the scholarship at any school with a unit. So each Service is different. You must apply to, and be accepted to the school on your own. These are two separate processes.

The boards that award scholarships usually start meeting in September. Of course that could change this year. That's why I recommend getting it done by September of your senior year. If you apply to an Academy you'll need a nomination, usually from your Member of Congress or MOC. some of them make their nomination decisions as early as October of your senior year. Yet another reason to be done early.

I think if you were to review some if the threads on this forum, particularly any posts by Pima or clarksonarmy (?). You would find them helpful and informative.

I remember starting my application in May and finishing it on August 5.

I think the application opened as early as April this year. Apply as soon as possible. NROTC, like the service academies, considers applications as they come in. The earlier you submit, the less applications you'll initially have to compete with.

I would start on it before June. It's definitely better to get Service Academies and ROTC scholarships out of the way before fall of senior year, as you'll likely be busy enough with applying to other schools and other scholarships by then.

jmk0601 said:

i'm a junior, so turning them in early is august - early september?

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No, turning them in "early" means late in your junior year -- May or early June. Some of the most popular Battalions (Boston U, George Washington, U. of San Diego, etc.) can fill up their allocated scholarship quota out of just the 1st and 2nd Boards, which meet late Aug or early-mid Sept, basically with applications received by late June.

First of all guys, thank you for the great replies you have provided me with. The biggest things for me right now are that.. I haven't taken the SAT yet... i'm planning to on march.. because my ACT comp score was only 24.. which i am highly disappointed in myself despite my grades and all.... i am really bad at standardized testing, so i'm going to study hard for good SAT score.
And i guess more important than that is.. my citizenship status.. I cannot get my citizenship until i turn 18 and must possess greencard for 5 years. It will be my 5th complete year in may.. And 3 months before the 5 complete years, i could apply for citizenship... would anyone know if i have to turn 18 to apply or just have to be 18 by the time i take the test?

Plan on taking both the SAT and ACT multiple times. One usually does better the second time out. Studying can help with the SAT. See the College Boards web site for sample tests. You can also get them to send you a sample question each day. The trick is getting used to how they ask the questions and how you may be able to eliminate possible answers.

Regarding citizenship see this: http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/us...nnel=86bd6811264a3210VgnVCM100000b92ca60aRCRD

from that page:

Eligibility Requirements
If you are a green card holder of at least 5 years, you must meet the following requirements in order to apply for naturalization:

* Be 18 or older
* Be a green card holder for at least 5 years immediately preceding the date of filing the Form N-400, Application for Naturalization
* Have lived within the state, or USCIS district with jurisdiction over the applicant’s place of residence, for at least 3 months prior to the date of filing the application
* Have continuous residence in the United States as a green card holder for at least 5 years immediately preceding the date of the filing the application
* Be physically present in the United States for at least 30 months out of the 5 years immediately preceding the date of filing the application
Reside continuously within the United States from the date of application for naturalization up to the time of naturalization
* Be able to read, write, and speak English and have knowledge and an understanding of U.S. history and government (civics).
* Be a person of good moral character, attached to the principles of the Constitution of the United States, and well disposed to the good order and happiness of the United States during all relevant periods under the law

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Well i will know 100% about citizenship very soon because the Korean Embassy in Georgia apparently said I could probably apply before 18 and be able to take it by the time i turn 18.. 5 complete years of holding green card in may.. Birthday in June. Thank you for your link! For PRT and PFT.. what is a good score to get? I know that Marine's PFT is out of 300 points.. 3 mile run within 18 min, 20 pull ups, 100 crunches in 2 minutes would get me perfect score (i think). I could complete crunches and pull ups in no time.. but mile run is just blehh.. for me especially 3.. haha. Again, you have been great help in this fantastic forum Kinnem

You're correct on what's a perfect score for marine option. Just start running... Slow.. long distance... Start throwing in some interval sprints. I expect if you googled marine PFT prep you would find some training plans.

jmk0601, if you are interested in USNA, you can apply for NASS now. Don't worry about your ACT score. Report your current ACT and PSAT (if you have taken one). In NASS application, you can wrtie that you are fluent in Korean in Remarks or Additional Comments section. Don't be discouraged even if you don't get accepted to NASS. By applying for NASS, you can start your USNA application early. Good luck.

haha thank you teammom! I was very discouraged about my ACT score.. but i think it's an experience.. that has taught me that i should study and try harder!