ROTC path questions

mrjamil

5-Year Member
Joined
Sep 8, 2012
Messages
14
Hello all, first post here.

Basically I started enlisting but a few days after I signed my contract they tell me that something wasn't in my paperwork that the recruiter was suppose to put in. They terminated the contract and job I chose and had to go back and do x,y, & z.

During this wait time, I have been looking into rotc and HBCU's and not considering going back to re-sign the contract again and trying to find a new job they are offering that I actually WANT. Now im stuck in the late phase of school. My SAT test date is Oct. 6 score viewable the 26th. A lot of apps are due Nov. 1st for spring . If you can please I have a few questions that could use some answering.

1) if I apply for the spring 2013 term and get accepted will my freshman year be complicated? Is there a way I can take summer classes to be a sophomore by the fall?

2) When do I find out if I got the scholarship to even attend if accepted into a HBCU?

3) if I don't get the scholarship what should be my next move?

4) Is there a better way to go rotc?

I really want to lead and fight for my country. :)
 
Which ROTC are you considering, Army, Navy, Air Force, or all 3?

For Army, your not too late to submit an application for the AROTC Scholarship, I assume you are a senior in High School. You won't be seen by the first board but if you get going with the application you can still be reviewed by the 2nd and 3rd boards.

Not really sure what you mean by the comment, "Will my Freshman year be complicated" You will have Military Science classes, a Lab and PT, it won't be complicated, just a little busier, but not enough to be a problem.

There are 3 boards, Oct, Jan, Mar. you usually find out if you are awarded a scholarship within about 3 to 4 weeks after the board meets.

If you don't receive a scholarship you can still sign up for ROTC at the college you attend. Most cadets are not on scholarship.

There are 3 ways for a fresh out of high school student to participate in Army ROTC. You can be on scholarship, you can be a non scholarship cadet, there is also a program called SMP where you join the Reserves or National Guard and go to college while participating in ROTC. You can search this board, there is a lot of information regarding the SMP Program.
 
I'm considering the Army due to my previous law violation DQ'ing me from other branches.

By the comment I meant will I be a sophomore by the fall still if I start in spring and do summer classes? And I'm out of high school. I would've got this all started on time if the recruiters knew how to do their job properly here.

With the SMP can you go active duty right after getting completing rotc? And how hard is it to get into this?
 
mrjamil
I'm confused (I usually am) more info will be helpful...

-You are a high school graduate?
-If so, what year and how are your grades?
-What were your activities/leadership in HS?
-How serious is your prior criminal record?
-You mentioned HBCU (Historically Black College's and Universities) in what ethnic group are you?
-You are male?
-Have you looked at what financial aid you are eligible for?
-What is you home state?
 
The Army, especially Army ROTC will not be any less forgiving in regard to previous law violations.

If you are no longer in high school and are taking college courses, in other words, if you graduated high school in the spring of 2012 or earlier you are no longer eligible for the standard HSSP (High School Scholarship Program).
 
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-You are a high school graduate? Yes
-If so, what year and how are your grades? 2012 and i had a 2.8 gpa :(
-What were your activities/leadership in HS? I had church and community involvement more than high school activities. I only play football.
-How serious is your prior criminal record? Just a larceny case. Like i previously stated i already contracted with the army for active duty with it but there was an error in their data entry for something else.
-You mentioned HBCU (Historically Black College's and Universities) in what ethnic group are you? African American
-You are male? Yes
-Have you looked at what financial aid you are eligible for? I am eligible for financial aid i believe. my brother attends SDSU and receives it and we are both dependents.
-What is you home state? California
 
The Army, especially Army ROTC will not be any less forgiving in regard to previous law violations.

If you are no longer in high school and are taking college courses, in other words, if you graduated high school in the spring of 2012 or earlier you are no longer eligible for the standard HSSP (High School Scholarship Program).

the army is actually WAYYY less forgiving. also how am i not eligible if the age requirements range from 17-26
 
also how am i not eligible if the age requirements range from 17-26

The standard 3 or 4 AROTC scholarship is only awarded to graduating HS Seniors.
You are eligible to attend AROTC, as a walk-on, after you are admitted to college (on your dime), but not on the standard scholarship, there may be a minority scholarship program that I am not aware of.

Here is a run down on AROTC LINK

larceny; age? felony?

HBCU = Tuskegee University and Grambling have on campus AROTC Units

Warrant Officer school might be something to consider, my Uncle was a WO, he swore it was the best of all.

BTW - Welcome, and bravo for wanting to serve
 
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really? (The rest of this post was deleted for language by Stealth_81)
 
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The standard 3 or 4 AROTC scholarship is only awarded to graduating HS Seniors, while they are still in HS.
You are eligible to attend AROTC, as a walk-on, after you are admitted to college (on your dime), but not on the standard scholarship, there may be a minority scholarship program that I am not aware of.

Here is a run down on AROTC LINK

larceny; age? felony?

Warrant Officer school might be something to consider, my Uncle was a WO, he swore it was the best of all.

BTW - Welcome, and bravo for wanting to serve

SO even if i just graduated this year i cant get it?
so i was a juvenile case that was a misdemeanor.
 
the packet stated: "You must be a high school graduate or possess
an equivalent certificate before September of the
year you will enter college. The 4-Year Scholarship
is designed for entering freshmen, but if you are
taking or have taken college courses you may still be
eligible if you have four academic years remaining
for a bachelors degree upon your enrollment in the
fall."
 
SO even if i just graduated this year i cant get it?
so i was a juvenile case that was a misdemeanor.

If you graduated this spring, you missed the deadline because college has started and cadets are in class already.
A juvenile misdemeanor record is usually sealed or expunged when you are 18 yrs old, is this not true in California?

(If you are quick you can edit your post)
 
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This is confusing now lol. Why does the info pdf file for the scholarships say that then?
California gives you the option to get it sealed but to even be approved for a hearing takes a little time.
 
In most cases, criminal convictions/pleas can be expunged from records, especially regarding juveniles. This is NOT true for the military. You must still disclose the information on any application/contract. Failure to do so will result being discharged for illegally representing yourself. This is because character is such a important trait for military officers. Depending upon the severity of the offense, waivers can be possible for entry into advanced rotc classes. I'm not aware if you can obtain a scholarship with a waiver. It appears there are more applicants than scholarships, so it's a pretty competitive process.
 
Based on the information you've given so far, I don't think there is any chance you will be offered a scholarship before you come to college, enroll in Army ROTC classes along with your regular classes, and show you are the type of student that we would want to commission. If I were you, I wouldn't waste any more energy on a scholarship application. You should be discussing your situation with the Enrollment Officer at the schools you want to attend. To be an Army Officer you need a 4 year degree, so that should be the first thing you should be worrying about. Once you are on campus you will be competing for a very limited resource (scholarships), and you will be competing with students with better GPA and no Civil issues. If you were coming to my school, I would want to have you in the Battalion for at least a semester to see just how serious you are, and to see if you can be successful in school. ROTC is not enlisting, so you need to start thinking about the College piece of your puzzle.
 
Clarkson's advice is good though it may not be what you want to hear. What you should do now is to control what you can control. In addition to submitting college application packages by the deadlines, you should prepare for the SAT next month. If you haven't done it yet, get a prep book with practice tests. Treat the tests as real exams and observe the time limits. When you are done, review your answers, including the ones you got wrong as well as those you guessed right. Don't do it just once: repeat the process as if you were in training.

Individual schools may have scholarship money for students starting in the spring but there may not be a lot of it. You need to search it out. There are a lot of on-line resources.

If as a result of your spring and summer course credits you are a sophomore when you join ROTC next fall, you may have to take the MS1 and MS2 classes simultaneously. Also, I'm not sure about this but i would imagine that even though you will not join ROTC until the fall your grades for this spring and the summer will count toward the GPA calculation that will be part of your overall Order of Merit List score. This means you have to hit the ground running, academically.

One more thing: whether or not you believe you were poorly advised by military recruiters in the past, it's not a good idea to bring this up again.
 
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Based on the information you've given so far, I don't think there is any chance you will be offered a scholarship before you come to college, enroll in Army ROTC classes along with your regular classes, and show you are the type of student that we would want to commission. If I were you, I wouldn't waste any more energy on a scholarship application. You should be discussing your situation with the Enrollment Officer at the schools you want to attend. To be an Army Officer you need a 4 year degree, so that should be the first thing you should be worrying about. Once you are on campus you will be competing for a very limited resource (scholarships), and you will be competing with students with better GPA and no Civil issues. If you were coming to my school, I would want to have you in the Battalion for at least a semester to see just how serious you are, and to see if you can be successful in school. ROTC is not enlisting, so you need to start thinking about the College piece of your puzzle.

Thank you for this reply! I greatly appreciate it. What school are you at by the way?
 
Thank you as well EDelahanty. Anyway I can get one of you two to pm me for further questions along my way?
 
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