NROTC Officer Interview

grevar

CGA Admissions Partner
5-Year Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2013
Messages
536
My DS is on the final stage of his application for the Class of 2014. He has his Officer Interview tomorrow at his school. We are told the Division Officer is coming to his school to take care of his interview. This is his first real interview of this type and we have been doing what prepping we can. The NROTC Coordinator stressed how important it was for him to get everything in early so he would be one of the first to go to the Board when they meet in August. Anyhow, this is good prep for his MOC Nom interviews for the USNA and USMMA which I assume will be in the fall.

Wondering how much weight the Officer Interview carries on these?

Thanks,

BTW, his first choice school is VMI
 
Appear confident, speak calmly, and make sure they know your committed to serving your country, not just doing one job (pilot, SEAL, etc). From what I hear the interview carries a lot of weight, they want to see you in person and be sure that you're officer material!

Tell him best of luck!
 
OK, DS just finished his Officer Interview. He met with an O-3 at his school and the meeting lasted an hour. The LT was a USNA grad, so they had lots to talk about. DS was told very good things and came out of the interview feeling very confident. The LT told him that he was very confident that based on his qualifications and resume, he WOULD get the NROTC scholarship. Said specifically "he has never had a better candidate". He agreed though that the biggest prize would be an appointment to the USNA and said that he appeared very qualified for that as well and expected he would get an appointment.

This was my DS first real experience with this other than the "mock" interviews we ran him through and he said that none of the questions he prepared for were asked. They basically talked about the Navy, USNA, ROTC, college choices, etc. He said the LT put him at ease very early in the interview and at the end, DS had lots of questions. The LT gave him his card and told him he wanted to follow my son through the whole process of USNA, USCGA, USMMA applications, etc.

This was a great experience and was a great boost to my DS confidence and drive for this. Very proud of him. Hold on, the ride is just beginning it seems!

Thanks for the advice and thanks to all who post to these boards.
 
OK, DS just finished his Officer Interview. He met with an O-3 at his school and the meeting lasted an hour. The LT was a USNA grad, so they had lots to talk about. DS was told very good things and came out of the interview feeling very confident. The LT told him that he was very confident that based on his qualifications and resume, he WOULD get the NROTC scholarship. Said specifically "he has never had a better candidate". He agreed though that the biggest prize would be an appointment to the USNA and said that he appeared very qualified for that as well and expected he would get an appointment.
I am sure your son has great stats and probably has a good chance but that seems to be a pretty small limb that the LT walked out on. I would make sure your son continues to develop good plan B's. Good luck to him.
 
Yes, you are absolutely right. Much smaller limb than I would have ever walked out on. We are communicating that to our son, but letting him bask in the feeling that he did very well for now. I don't want him to lose sight on just how competitive this all is!
 
+1 to Packer.

Glad to hear it went well. I was also a little surprised to hear the LT's comments and could swear we have had other posters report the same line. I wonder if it is in a book somewhere?

After years of experience, I can assure you that good interviewing is a difficult skill to develop. I don't want to suggest anything about your son's experience but do want to suggest he continue preparing for future interviews. They may not all go as smoothly as this one. Preparation by the interviewee is vital for a successful interview. Anticipate and rehearse answers. Have some questions prepared for the interviewer. Be confident but be yourself.

I have had many candidates walk out of an interview thinking things went well when I had already decided they weren't the person we were looking for. We had a pleasant chat - long enough to be cordial but conscious of my time invested. If asked, I tell them my concerns but most candidates don't ask.

I am not trying to be negative here. I am sure in your son's case, it went exactly as stated. But for the benefit of other readers, I want to stress the need to prepare for each interview. By nature, with different interviewer skill levels one interview will surely be different from another.

Congrats again!
 
+1 to Packer.

Glad to hear it went well. I was also a little surprised to hear the LT's comments and could swear we have had other posters report the same line. I wonder if it is in a book somewhere?

After years of experience, I can assure you that good interviewing is a difficult skill to develop. I don't want to suggest anything about your son's experience but do want to suggest he continue preparing for future interviews. They may not all go as smoothly as this one. Preparation by the interviewee is vital for a successful interview. Anticipate and rehearse answers. Have some questions prepared for the interviewer. Be confident but be yourself.

I have had many candidates walk out of an interview thinking things went well when I had already decided they weren't the person we were looking for. We had a pleasant chat - long enough to be cordial but conscious of my time invested. If asked, I tell them my concerns but most candidates don't ask.

I am not trying to be negative here. I am sure in your son's case, it went exactly as stated. But for the benefit of other readers, I want to stress the need to prepare for each interview. By nature, with different interviewer skill levels one interview will surely be different from another.

Congrats again!

I totally agree with you. I spent a good part of my career conducting employment interviews and sitting on oral boards. By no means do I want him to come out of this thinking "It's in the bag". Far from it. As far as the NROTC application, it's done, there is nothing more he can or needs to do (other than the DODMERB). It's in their hands now, and what will be, will be. Honestly, I was hoping for at least a few of the questions we prepped for, but that didnt happen. They probably talked more about USNA than they did ROTC, but I suppose that's because he was a USNA grad.

Thank you for all the encouragement and advice. I couldn't agree with you all more.
 
Yes, you are absolutely right. Much smaller limb than I would have ever walked out on. We are communicating that to our son, but letting him bask in the feeling that he did very well for now. I don't want him to lose sight on just how competitive this all is!

+1 to Packer and Grunt. Sounds like your taking the right approach. I'm sure you've already reminded DS that is the small limb the LT walked out on breaks, it's not the LT's butt that hits the ground. That being said, Kudos to your DS for a successful interview.
 
Can you tell me at what point in the NROTC process is he sent to DODMERB? Is it after the Boards meet and he is selected, or prior to?
 
Can you tell me at what point in the NROTC process is he sent to DODMERB? Is it after the Boards meet and he is selected, or prior to?

Normally it's after one is selected for a scholarship, which is made contingent on a positive outcome from DoDMERB. Very occasionally some folks are sent for DoDMERB physicals prior to being selected for a scholarship. If this occurs you shouldn't read anything into it. I think it's occasionally done to keep the DoDMERB guys busy or something. This is true for all ROTC programs.
 
Many times if they are sent prior it maybe due to the fact that the candidate is also applying to the SAs. Thus, it is not ROTC that requested the exam, but the SA. This is also why not to read into it too much.

For the next question, yes, if an SA orders it, it will be used for ROTC too. If there is a DQ issue, it is not DoDMERB that decides, but the actual branch. IOTW, Army could waive, but AF and Navy not waive.

Due to budget constraints, most branches are holding off the exams until they consider the candidate competitive. Noms in hand, LOA, competitive.
 
Funny how things work out....

I was at one of our local coffee shops this morning telling my friend about my son's interview, comments made by the O3, etc. A guy was sitting with his back to us, turned around and apologized for eavesdropping, etc and said that he was a recently retired O4 and served the last several years as an Officer Recruiter in another town in our state. He also told me that he served on the ROTC Selection Board for a couple of years. He asked about my son's stats, his interview, etc and said that while he wouldn't have used the words that the O3 used, he said that he too thought that it was more likely than not that my DS would be selected for the ROTC Scholarship early on in the process. He was quick to say that the USNA would be "anyones guess" because their selection criteria has so many variables and changes from year to year.

Needless to say, I left asking "What are the odds of that?" That I would run into someone that served on the selection board, etc.

This O4 stated how important it was to get your ROTC application in early because often times those that are in before the August Board are far more likely to get selected than those that put in late when the selection pool is much greater and more competitive.

Very excited about the journey and honored and blessed that I can watch my son go through this process. Next stop, NASS, then USCGA AIM, then the Navy Lacrosse Camp. Big summer plans!

Thanks again to everyone who contributes to these forums. What a wealth of information here!
 
Funny how things work out....

I was at one of our local coffee shops this morning telling my friend about my son's interview, comments made by the O3, etc. A guy was sitting with his back to us, turned around and apologized for eavesdropping, etc and said that he was a recently retired O4 and served the last several years as an Officer Recruiter in another town in our state. He also told me that he served on the ROTC Selection Board for a couple of years. He asked about my son's stats, his interview, etc and said that while he wouldn't have used the words that the O3 used, he said that he too thought that it was more likely than not that my DS would be selected for the ROTC Scholarship early on in the process. He was quick to say that the USNA would be "anyones guess" because their selection criteria has so many variables and changes from year to year.

Needless to say, I left asking "What are the odds of that?" That I would run into someone that served on the selection board, etc.

This O4 stated how important it was to get your ROTC application in early because often times those that are in before the August Board are far more likely to get selected than those that put in late when the selection pool is much greater and more competitive.

Very excited about the journey and honored and blessed that I can watch my son go through this process. Next stop, NASS, then USCGA AIM, then the Navy Lacrosse Camp. Big summer plans!

Thanks again to everyone who contributes to these forums. What a wealth of information here!

Ironic. Busy summer plans that taken alone, in and of themselves, would be a great adventure. No doubt your son will have great fun. Wish I were there to hear the tall tales when he returns from each. Have a great summer. :thumb:
 
Back
Top