4 Year Scholarship and College Credit

rrjensen

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I recently received my notice of a 4 year scholarship to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. I've accepted this (though have been waiting several days for my status to change on my portal. Little frustrating haha) and will attend UNL next fall. However, I'm curious about a provision in my scholarship letter.

It mentions if I enroll early in college I must be sure I have 4 years left in a baccalaureate program. I'm not going to enroll until the Fall, but I've accrued quite a few college credits, with potential for even more. I've dual enrolled in a few classes, taken an AP exam (and am considering more), taken a summer course through a local community college at a satellite campus in my town (this was designed for high schoolers) and am currently taking an online course through UNL's Advanced Scholars program. This is for high school students as well. I'm considering taking another summer course again. I'm not sure if all the credits and class time I'm racking up will become a problem.

The Scholarship and Enrollment Officer basically said he wasn't sure, but I could just not take as many classes and take it easy in college. I'm not really interested in that, as I want to learn about a variety of things. I know my tuition will later be paid for in college, but if I can manage learning now and getting credit to save myself time for other classes later I want to take that chance. I've contacted Cadet Command and UNL trying to find an answer and have not figured it out yet.

I was hoping someone here might be able to help.

Thanks a lot!
 
You have to realize a lot of those dual credit credits don't transfer. AP might help to knock out some general education requirements but for the most part you won't have many usable credits except for maybe the CC/AP courses as I already stated.
 
I recently received my notice of a 4 year scholarship to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. I've accepted this (though have been waiting several days for my status to change on my portal. Little frustrating haha) and will attend UNL next fall. However, I'm curious about a provision in my scholarship letter.

It mentions if I enroll early in college I must be sure I have 4 years left in a baccalaureate program. I'm not going to enroll until the Fall, but I've accrued quite a few college credits, with potential for even more. I've dual enrolled in a few classes, taken an AP exam (and am considering more), taken a summer course through a local community college at a satellite campus in my town (this was designed for high schoolers) and am currently taking an online course through UNL's Advanced Scholars program. This is for high school students as well. I'm considering taking another summer course again. I'm not sure if all the credits and class time I'm racking up will become a problem.

The Scholarship and Enrollment Officer basically said he wasn't sure, but I could just not take as many classes and take it easy in college. I'm not really interested in that, as I want to learn about a variety of things. I know my tuition will later be paid for in college, but if I can manage learning now and getting credit to save myself time for other classes later I want to take that chance. I've contacted Cadet Command and UNL trying to find an answer and have not figured it out yet.

I was hoping someone here might be able to help.

Thanks a lot!

I'm pretty sure you're enrollment officer is correct. You'll need to be enrolled as a full time student for 4 years. If my Math is correct you can go in with up to 24 credit hours and still achieve that. If you decide taking a lighter course load is not for you I'm sure you could audit additional classes you are interested in. So you wouldn't get grades or credit for those classes but you would learn the material. I suppose another alternative might be to NOT take some core courses required for graduation until your final semester. In any case I wouldn't worry too much about it know but discuss it further with your cadre and student adviser when you get to UNL. No doubt you will work out a mutually beneficial plan for all.

Edit: I suppose there is also the alternative of giving up the scholarship and just finishing early. I doubt you or your parents will like that idea.
 
My son entered his freshman year with 29 credit hours due to AP exams, all of which luckily counted as Gen Ed courses. His school requires 41 hours of Gen Ed courses, so he was left only needing to take 4 core classes, the rest of his classes have been in his major or ROTC courses.

He will graduate with I believe around 156 hours, (120 required for a degree) if I recall his 104r form correctly. His school gives credit for ROTC classes, around 36-40 of those are ROTC.

The one main benefit for him is he was able to change his major as a sophomore and still have plenty of time to take all the required classes with no additional time required to graduate, and no heavily overloaded semesters.

In AROTC at least, first time, entering freshman are authorized 8 semesters to complete a degree. It can be difficult to fill all 8 if you enter with a lot of credit, but use the time wisely and double major or take classes that interest you.
 
Use any remaining credits or time to do additional work - perhaps a double major or a minor in a related subject. Many students would be very grateful for that opportunity!

In the other option of "taking a lighter course load", think of that time as not extra time or wasted time. Instead, use some of that available free time to do volunteer work, be involved in a sport or a club that relates to your major, perhaps an on-site internship. There are plenty of worthwhile options to take advantage of free time!
 
I agree with the poster above. Look at the curriculum for your major and assess what alternative degree would mesh well with it and work on a double major. It is very doable with most majors. For example, my daughter is a civil engineering major. It didn't take her long to figure out which classes she needed to take to double major in civil/environmental engineering. And just remember, just because you've taken AP courses does NOT mean the university will accept the credits. At UVa, where my daughter attends school, for most subjects if it's not a 5, you can forget about it.
 
Many colleges are also wising up on how to keep you there for 4 yrs because so many kids have a ton of APs and CC (jump start) credits. At our kids colleges the way they do is via pre-reqs/reqs for a major is only offered 1x a yr. For example. The pre-req will only be offered in the spring, and the next level class only in the fall. Since the pre-req is required to be taken at that college, you are still going to be on track for 4 yrs., not 3 because the next course is only offered in the fall and you can't take it.

This is what happen for our DS with his major. Due to this reason, and the amount of credits he entered with he was able to double major, minor and core concentration.

Additionally, for him he was selected to their scholars program, which required him to take their seminars on top of his curriculum, on top of AFROTC. He chose the program because as a govt major he was guaranteed an internship on the Hill or at the UN. It was a requisite for the program. He interned 20 hrs a week his sophomore yr for a Sen. Burr. This too was on top of his curriculum, AFROTC, and being in Arnie Air Society (AF military fraternity). He carried a 3.6 cgpa, but he was lucky because of all the credits he had, and the internship was 3 credits, he only took 4 classes, lessening his academic load. Had he not all of those credits he would have to up the number of classes for that yr. to stay on track.

For our DD between her APs and jump start she had 33 credits, her college took only 19. For her as others have stated it allowed her to change majors without falling behind. Had she stayed in her original major the earliest she could have graduated was in 3 1/2 yrs.

Again, they may take the credits, but look at your curriculum for your major, than look at the schedules for classes. Ten will get you twenty, you will be there for at least 3 1/2 yrs.
 
aglahad+1
Jcc+1

You need to visit with Academic advisor in your major.

You said you have taken one AP exam. No university will accept AP credit without taking the AP exam. They differ on minimum score requried for credit. For further validation--it may be too late--take the applicable SAT Subject exam.

DS carried in three semesters of college Calc. He still got his a** kicked in Semester 4, taken Freshman year.

He got 5 on AP Chem exam and 780 on SAT II. Went into Organic, no problem.

He could have have passed over Physics I, but decided not to because he wasn't confident in his skills. He knew the math and principles, but wanted to make sure his base was sound in lab skills, etc.

If you are planning a degree in Engineering, you will need the wriggle room, especially if are doing honors and intended to finish an honors thesis. Even with what DS carried in, he will still probably need some summer school to finish Chem E at Big 10 U, if he is to do right by AROTC and his major.

Again, speaking of Engineering, as far as the Calc and Pure Sciences are concerned, you better really know them. The professors won't care how hard you worked or how serious you were in high school or CC (both obviously apply to you).

If you are considering Mechanical, Environmental, or Transportation Engineering at UN-L, PM me. I can hook you up.

Best of luck.
 
not a problem

You will have to take a minimum of 12 credit hours PLUS ROTC each semester, no matter what, but as long as the credits are earned before you graduated high school they don't count against you for ROTC. Never fall below 12 plus ROTC, I just had a friend lose his scholarship because he dropped a class and ended up with 11 credits plus ROTC.

Most engineering majors I know are needing 5 years (10 semesters) to complete their degrees because of prerequisites and if you have to retake a tough class like Dif E Q or Statics you are a whole semester behind. You also have to come in as a freshman ready to take Cal 1. If you have to take Pre-Cal or College Algebra you are a semester or more behind. So having a lot of credits can save you in that instance and help you get finished in 4 years. There is also the option of double major and the minors.
 
Keep in mind at schools where ROTC courses carry full credit, the 12 hours can include your ROTC courses. As an example, my son has 6 courses this semester - 3 in his major for a total of 9 hours. ROTC MSII class = 2 hours, ROTC lab = 1 hour and PT = 1 hour, for a total of 13 hours. Every school is different as to how they award credit for ROTC. Just be certain you're clear on how your school does it and you'll be fine.
 
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Keep in mind at schools where ROTC courses carry full credit, the 12 hours can include your ROTC courses. As an example, my son has 6 courses this semester - 3 in his major for a total of 9 hours. ROTC MSII class = 2 hours, ROTC lab = 1 hour and PT = 1 hour, for a total of 13 hours. Every school is different as to how they award credit for ROTC. Just be certain you're clear on how your school does it and you'll be fine.

As you mentioned, schools (and branches) vary. For NROTC, my DS is required to take a total of 15 credit hours each semester, which includes ROTC course. PT doesn't count for credit.
 
Thanks for all the help everyone! Since I took the dual enrollment classes through the University of Omaha, they are transferable to UNL. I've spoken to academic advisers in the past and have contacted one again to get some final advice on what tests to take. I'm pretty confident in my abilities to get the sufficient scores in the tests I'm taking.

I got an email from CC saying that I have to be sure I am a freshman when I start, and it sounds like from everyone else that having a head start won't be a bad thing. It is worth mentioning I plan to study to become a physical therapist, while double majoring in the dietetic certification program at UNL. I also want to take Chinese and Spanish classes, so I'm not worried about finding credits. Again, thanks for the help!
 
Just Curious

If I am reading the posts from a couple posters on here correcting, I have seen two examples (AROTC & NROTC) regaurding credit earned in order to retain ROTC scholarships. Using my DS (who is an AFROTC scholarship recipient) as an example, could he drop a class such as Cal II (4 credits) during the withdrawal time frame and keep his scholarship if he maintains the 12 credits required, but which 2 credits are for his AFS class and LLAB? Seems from what I read he could if he was AROTC but couldn't for NROTC. Anyone have any knowledge on AFROTC?
 
If I am reading the posts from a couple posters on here correcting, I have seen two examples (AROTC & NROTC) regaurding credit earned in order to retain ROTC scholarships. Using my DS (who is an AFROTC scholarship recipient) as an example, could he drop a class such as Cal II (4 credits) during the withdrawal time frame and keep his scholarship if he maintains the 12 credits required, but which 2 credits are for his AFS class and LLAB? Seems from what I read he could if he was AROTC but couldn't for NROTC. Anyone have any knowledge on AFROTC?

It doesn't matter that 2 of the credits is ROTC, as long as the total is the required 12 credits, you have fulfilled that part of the scholarship retention. requirements. I personally haven't tried it yet, but I know people only taking 12 or 13 credits, two of which are ROTC credits. So yours son should be good to go if he wants to drop it, keeping in mind though that dropping a math or science class might really screw up his Academic plan. There are alot of classes in the engineering majors that require Calc 2 or 3 as a prerequisite which could stop him from taking several of the classes he was planning to take the next semester. It really should only be done after a good bit of thought, but if your in over your head then by all means, drop it. There's no shame in knowing when to back away. I'd suggest replacing it with a required SS or Humanities elective though so that you don't get off schedule and have to rearrange your entire Form 48.
 
With the AP credits I have I will likely be able to go into college as an academic sophomore. Since the colleges I have been accepted to all have a 5 year to Masters program, would the AFROTC scholarship support me as I work towards a Masters degree during senior year?
 
If I recall correctly the answer would be NO for AFROTC. The scholarship can only be used for undergrad degree. Masters is part of ED (education delay)

As others have stated, including myself, please look at the college schedules. Talk to your department advisor. You can have enough credits per se, but if the college requires a pre-req that the AP or Jump start (CC) does not fulfill to their mandates, you will not graduate early.

Most posters here if stated those APs and CC courses validated the general ed. requirements of your degree, but not your major. Typically when you get to the higher level courses they are offered 1x a yr. It is done so to keep you in for four yrs., or at least 3 1/2 if you are coming from HS.

Colleges are a business. This is their business. I know with my kids both of their colleges mandated that their core curriculum for their major MUST be taken at the school. Like I said, when you get up to higher levels, than classes are typically offered less frequently than the freshman courses.

Plus, I will let other AFROTC posters chime in, but I know there is a foreign language mandate. I can't recall the details, but basically off the top of my head it is 12 credits. At DS's college it is hard to add in that foreign language.

FWIW, DS might have had to do this because he was non-tech. I am assuming you are going non-tech too, since most engineering degrees are 5 yrs.

Talk to the dets. They know the college curriculum and can assist you better.

FYI, I know one cadet at our DS's det that did get his Masters, but he was not scholarship. He did not enter as a freshman, or a sophomore, but as a jr. He went to SFT as a rising sr., and because he was on that 5 yr program with Masters it worked out for him. However, key here is he was not scholarship.

Good luck...talk to the dets.
 
Thanks Non Ducor, thats what I was thinking but just wanted some reassurance. DS has his Cal II mid term this evening, hopefully everything will work out and he will not need that option.
 
Thanks Pima!

I checked the website and AP will validate most of my gen eds and a few of the entry level courses for my major (Aerospace Engineering).

I will definitely be contacting the detachment for more information. Since getting a Masters would only be an additional year of education, it would definitely be the best route for me.
 
Thanks Pima!

I checked the website and AP will validate most of my gen eds and a few of the entry level courses for my major (Aerospace Engineering).

I will definitely be contacting the detachment for more information. Since getting a Masters would only be an additional year of education, it would definitely be the best route for me.

Go ahead and still check with your det, but I'd say the answer is no. I believe I've heard this question asked before and I'm about 85% sure that the scholarship only covers your undergraduate degree. You commission once you complete your degree. I don't think they allow you to complete two degrees even if you are ahead. You also may be looking into something that is not even an option regardless of whether or not this is allowed. I went in last fall as an academic sophmore. If I didn't have ROTC and language classes, I'd finish my typically 5 year degree in 4 years, possibly 3 if I front loaded. With the ROTC classes, I'm pushed to 4 years definitely, and with language classes, I'm pushed to 5. About half the upperclassmen in my det are 5 year tech people. If your going into any engineering field, don't count your extra credits as knocking 1 year off a 4 year degree, but as knocking 1 year off a 5 year degree. They say you can do it in 4 years, and you can...if you go by their schedule and take 5 classes for the 1st few semesters then 6 per semester from then on, all this on top of 2 ROTC classes. I'm taking 5 classes that go towards my degree with the 2 ROTC classes right now and it's really hard to give everything your attention, I couldn't imagine taking 6 core classes with all the time I have to spend on ROTC related things.
 
Go ahead and still check with your det, but I'd say the answer is no. I believe I've heard this question asked before and I'm about 85% sure that the scholarship only covers your undergraduate degree. You commission once you complete your degree. I don't think they allow you to complete two degrees even if you are ahead. You also may be looking into something that is not even an option regardless of whether or not this is allowed. I went in last fall as an academic sophmore. If I didn't have ROTC and language classes, I'd finish my typically 5 year degree in 4 years, possibly 3 if I front loaded. With the ROTC classes, I'm pushed to 4 years definitely, and with language classes, I'm pushed to 5. About half the upperclassmen in my det are 5 year tech people. If your going into any engineering field, don't count your extra credits as knocking 1 year off a 4 year degree, but as knocking 1 year off a 5 year degree. They say you can do it in 4 years, and you can...if you go by their schedule and take 5 classes for the 1st few semesters then 6 per semester from then on, all this on top of 2 ROTC classes. I'm taking 5 classes that go towards my degree with the 2 ROTC classes right now and it's really hard to give everything your attention, I couldn't imagine taking 6 core classes with all the time I have to spend on ROTC related things.
Thanks for the info! I guess I never accounted for the time ROTC classes take out of your schedule. I will still discuss this with the detachment as things may be different depending on the school.

I have a question regarding being competitive for a rated slot. Is it better to go to an extremely challenging school and have a decent GPA, or go to an easier school and have an outstanding GPA? The reason I ask is because both of the school I am considering have top notch AE programs and AFROTC detachments, but one is known for having an EXTREMELY challenging curriculum.
 
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