Army ROTC chances?

Strength and Honor

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Chances at scholarship? I'm a rising senior with a 3.9 GPA and a 29 composite ACT (33E, 33R, 28S, 22M). I'll be taking 2 AP classes next year.

I have a Varsity letter in tennis, I played 2 years of football and one year of basketball, and I go to kickboxing classes twice a week. I also participate in 5k and 8k runs my town puts on, and lift weights every day.

I have over 90 volunteer hours at my local hospital, officer in NHS chapter, active member of church youth group, and I also co-organized a school clean up day and spaghetti dinner for senior citizens.

I also plan to major in Economics in college, and will probably list Indiana University, U of South Florida, Florida Atlantic, and North Georgia.
 
Not to take this off track, but I know AFROTC has a min on the ACT to be deemed competitive, not composite, but sections.

Maybe Marist or Clarkson can answer this.

Is 22 M on the ACT, even though the composite is 29, an issue for boarding?

If so than Strength you need to def. re take that ACT. 29 is a strong ACT score, but that Math score is a killer.

I am kind of shocked you want to major in Econ because Math is going to be in your academic future. I.E. higher level classes will include tracking the stock market and analyzing that data compared to the growth against T bills and LIBOR. Add in determining with flooding the economy by printing money.

It is not advance math, like Calc, or differential equations, but Statistics is going to be a player....or at least for me when I got my Masters in Business and had to take higher levels of econ. That is what the classes were about. It wasn't about supply and demand, or Keynesian approach. It was about the nitty gritty.

Not trying to be rude. Just saying this because many kids determine a major without actually looking at the curriculum they will be required to take over the next 4 yrs. Engineering is a popular major, but IMPO the reason so many drop out of it is because they never did the research regarding classes that are mandated to earn the degree. They think because they got an A or a B in AP Physics, and Calc that they are a match for engineering majors. They didn't do due diligence and investigate what their future will be like for 4 more yrs academically.
 
Chances at scholarship? I'm a rising senior with a 3.9 GPA and a 29 composite ACT (33E, 33R, 28S, 22M). I'll be taking 2 AP classes next year.

I have a Varsity letter in tennis, I played 2 years of football and one year of basketball, and I go to kickboxing classes twice a week. I also participate in 5k and 8k runs my town puts on, and lift weights every day.

I have over 90 volunteer hours at my local hospital, officer in NHS chapter, active member of church youth group, and I also co-organized a school clean up day and spaghetti dinner for senior citizens.

I also plan to major in Economics in college, and will probably list Indiana University, U of South Florida, Florida Atlantic, and North Georgia.

You look like you have a strong resume, a lot has to do with school choices, yours seem reasonable. There will most likely be fewer scholarships awarded next year, many will be 3 year. The best you can do is have everything together for the first board. Prepare for your PFT.

Your 22 on the Math ACT will not be an issue. The Army superscores the tests, take the ACT again, if you can raise your math by even a couple points it will do a lot for your overall score.

My son had a dismal math ACT score, took the test twice, had no problem with mid and upper level Statistics classes once he started school, lowest grade a B. Work hard, seek help, and you'll get through it.
 
... I am kind of shocked you want to major in Econ because Math is going to be in your academic future. I.E. higher level classes will include tracking the stock market and analyzing that data compared to the growth against T bills and LIBOR. Add in determining with flooding the economy by printing money.

It is not advance math, like Calc, or differential equations, but Statistics is going to be a player....or at least for me when I got my Masters in Business and had to take higher levels of econ. That is what the classes were about. It wasn't about supply and demand, or Keynesian approach...

Actually, higher level macro economics classes (at least the ones I took) do use calculus. It's the only practical application of calculus I ever encountered. (Not to say it's the only practical application of calculus).
 
Actually, higher level macro economics classes (at least the ones I took) do use calculus. It's the only practical application of calculus I ever encountered. (Not to say it's the only practical application of calculus).

I believe econometrics is usually a requirement for majoring in economics. Math heavy class.
 
the 22 Math score IS a killer. Dead stop.

All five of the academies, and all three ROTC programs put more emphasis on the Math portion than the Reading portion... if I had to guess, 2/3 to 1/3. Long reason for this, but all services are becoming increasingly technical, and officers have to know enough math and basic science to know how to manage people and systems effectively. The Navy ROTC, for example, reserves 85% of its ROTC scholarships for Math, Engineering, or Science majors. At least 95% of Air Force ROTC 4 year full scholarships are awarded to Math/Science/Engineering majors.

Regarding your 22 Math -- for Navy ROTC, a 21 Math ACT score disqualifies an application... and 22 ain't that far from 21. Realistically, 25 would be a score that wouldn't make the scholarship committee wonder if you could handle the rigors of college and ROTC combined. It would still be a "hmmm, what's the deal with that 25?", but it wouldn't be a deal killer like 22.

So, if I were you, I would take the ACT at least two more times, and begin preparing for the Math portion NOW. I don't know if taking JUST the Math portion of the ACT disqualifies a test, but you don't need to boost any section other than Math, so maybe you could only do the math portion of your next ACT.

Also, I would take the SAT at least once, at the next sitting, just to see if your brain is better wired for SAT vs. ACT.

****COMPLETELY OFF TOPIC WARNING*****

I also plan to major in Economics in college.


P.S. Economics is not Accounting, nor is it Business. Not sure why you would want to major in a field where Math (including Calculus) and Graphing are important elements of success. In fact I've never been able to figure out what purpose economics serves as an undergraduate major other than the necessary preparation for pursuing a Ph.D. in economics (and even then Physics or Math are much more relevant undergrad majors), as a masters is also unemployable. I was an econ major at UCLA long, long ago, abut only b/c at that time UCLA did not offer any major that included the word "business".
 
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I honestly don't understand how I got that math score, I've gotten straight A's in every one of my high school math classes, maybe the boards will see that or ill have a chance to point it out in my interview?

Also, I REALLY wanted to get my application in by August, and the next ACT is in September I believe. I could be at risk of missing the first board if I wait that long. Can I retake even after my application is submitted, and will they see the increases?
 
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I honestly don't understand how I got that math score, I've gotten straight A's in every one of my high school math classes, maybe the boards will see that or ill have a chance to point it out in my interview?
why not just go get a higher score? As soon as you have to "explain" something, you're in deep trouble. And the more you have to explain, the deeper it gets.

The next ACT tests are offered on 8 September, and 27 October. I suggest you take both. Certainly the first sitting will render results in time to update your file before the second Board... maybe even in time for the 1st Board. I think the first ARMY ROTC Board has a file update deadline of the second Monday in October. If that is the case, your 8 Sept. ACT results will be back and ready to send to update your file before the first Board.
 
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Perhaps. But I agree with others that your best bet is to erase that score. Without an erase they may not even look at or give you an opportunity for the other stuff. Plus, it would seem that erasure of the score should be easy given your comment.
 
Perhaps. But I agree with others that your best bet is to erase that score. Without an erase they may not even look at or give you an opportunity for the other stuff. Plus, it would seem that erasure of the score should be easy given your comment.

Erase? As in retake and improve right?
 
the 22 Math score IS a killer. Dead stop.

All five of the academies, and all three ROTC programs put more emphasis on the Math portion than the Reading portion... if I had to guess, 2/3 to 1/3. Long reason for this, but all services are becoming increasingly technical, and officers have to know enough math and basic science to know how to manage people and systems effectively. The Navy ROTC, for example, reserves 85% of its ROTC scholarships for Math, Engineering, or Science majors. At least 95% of Air Force ROTC 4 year full scholarships are awarded to Math/Science/Engineering majors.

Regarding your 22 Math -- for Navy ROTC, a 21 Math ACT score disqualifies an application... and 22 ain't that far from 21. Realistically, 25 would be a score that wouldn't make the scholarship committee wonder if you could handle the rigors of college and ROTC combined. It would still be a "hmmm, what's the deal with that 25?", but it wouldn't be a deal killer like 22.

So, if I were you, I would take the ACT at least two more times, and begin preparing for the Math portion NOW. I don't know if taking JUST the Math portion of the ACT disqualifies a test, but you don't need to boost any section other than Math, so maybe you could only do the math portion of your next ACT.

Also, I would take the SAT at least once, at the next sitting, just to see if your brain is better wired for SAT vs. ACT.

****COMPLETELY OFF TOPIC WARNING*****




P.S. Economics is not Accounting, nor is it Business. Not sure why you would want to major in a field where Math (including Calculus) and Graphing are important elements of success. In fact I've never been able to figure out what purpose economics serves as an undergraduate major other than the necessary preparation for pursuing a Ph.D. in economics (and even then Physics or Math are much more relevant undergrad majors), as a masters is also unemployable. I was an econ major at UCLA long, long ago, abut only b/c at that time UCLA did not offer any major that included the word "business".

With regards to AROTC (as mentioned in the topic header), the 22 is not a killer. However, your choice of Econ as a major (social sciences tier) may have some bearing on your competitiveness with that 22. If your major and tier of interest was humanities, the 22 in math becomes a non-issue.

I honestly don't understand how I got that math score, I've gotten straight A's in every one of my high school math classes, maybe the boards will see that or ill have a chance to point it out in my interview?

Also, I REALLY wanted to get my application in by August, and the next ACT is in September I believe. I could be at risk of missing the first board if I wait that long. Can I retake even after my application is submitted, and will they see the increases?

Go to this topic

http://www.serviceacademyforums.com/showthread.php?t=32524

Click on the link and look at the deadlines for when materials are due (ACT scores) vs. when your ACT Scores will be reported (per the ACT website). That will tell you whether they will be available for the first board.

Don't spend your interview talking about how well you do in math class. That is not what it is about. It makes you sound defensive and insecure about your ACT score. Your interview is about the cadre sizing up how you present yourself as a person - confident vs. insecure, curious vs. uninterested, etc.

As to your grades, CC trusts test scores over grades. Everyone takes the same ACT. Everyone doesn't have a generous grading policy at their high school. You might want to spend some time this summer finding materials about taking the ACT test that gives you hints as to how to take apart their math questions to lessen your chances of misinterpreting the question leading to an incorrect answer. ALL standardized tests create a set of answers that a taker would guess if they did not clearly understand the questions. If you seem to understand all the questions on the ACT, your issue is that you are not careful in parsing their questions.

Erase? As in retake and improve right?

I think that is the idea.

One last thing on your general application. Your list of schools is a mixed bag. A lot depends on if the publics are in-state or out-of-state. Cadet Command awards more in-state public scholarships than OOS. Most importantly, are your stats better than the other applicants for that school? For most schools, if you are in the upper quartile of applicants to the school, your chances are much better than an average applicant. ROTC scholarship applicants tend to be much better than average for their colleges' incoming classes.
 
the 22 Math score IS a killer. Dead stop.

All five of the academies, and all three ROTC programs put more emphasis on the Math portion than the Reading portion... if I had to guess, 2/3 to 1/3. Long reason for this, but all services are becoming increasingly technical, and officers have to know enough math and basic science to know how to manage people and systems effectively. The Navy ROTC, for example, reserves 85% of its ROTC scholarships for Math, Engineering, or Science majors. At least 95% of Air Force ROTC 4 year full scholarships are awarded to Math/Science/Engineering majors.

Regarding your 22 Math -- for Navy ROTC, a 21 Math ACT score disqualifies an application... and 22 ain't that far from 21. Realistically, 25 would be a score that wouldn't make the scholarship committee wonder if you could handle the rigors of college and ROTC combined. It would still be a "hmmm, what's the deal with that 25?", but it wouldn't be a deal killer like 22.

Not really sure I agree with a 22 in math being a "Dead Stop"

Doesn't really matter what the Navy requires, the OP is asking about Army ROTC.

My son had a 21 on his Math ACT, a 24 overall, He was selected for a 4 year scholarship to 5 schools by the first board.

Not really sure why sure why his test scores were so low, took the test twice and had to superscore to get the 24.

Hasn't hurt him in college, OK maybe a bit he did get B's in his Math classes, he carries a 3.8, Deans List the past 4 semesters, this includes Math and Science as well.

Granted a better ACT score will always help, his combined score is 29, any movement up in his math will push him towards 30, but his scores as they are will not be a killer unless he plans to apply to the Academy or other ROTC programs.

I agree with Goliedad, while your ACT may not hinder your scholarship chances it may have an effect on admissions to college and your major.
 
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I honestly don't understand how I got that math score, I've gotten straight A's in every one of my high school math classes, maybe the boards will see that or ill have a chance to point it out in my interview?

Also, I REALLY wanted to get my application in by August, and the next ACT is in September I believe. I could be at risk of missing the first board if I wait that long. Can I retake even after my application is submitted, and will they see the increases?

You should go ahead and make sure you have your application in for the first board, even if it means using the scores you have now. A 29 overall score is not bad, depending on the rest of your application and interview plus your school choices who knows. Don't skip the first board just to try and get your scores up, you will have time to take the test and submit scores before the 2nd board if your not selected by the first.

Your overall score is 29, you will get the max points on the interview sheet for academics with that score, they don't break it down. Do as Goliedad says, do not bring up your Math or scores unless the PMS asks. Chances are he will just see the 29 total score on the sheet and move on.

Take the ACT again, if your Math score goes up then submit the scores to Cadet Command. Don't worry if you happen to get lower scores in the other sections, the Army selects the highest score from each section of the the tests you take. Focus on the Math section for your next test.
 
Alright thanks for the help everyone! I will study, retake in September, and keep up what seems to be good haha! :thumb:
 
Alright thanks for the help everyone! I will study, retake in September, and keep up what seems to be good haha! :thumb:

Don't forget, make sure you have your application in for the first board, even if it has your current scores. Add the new ones for the next board if needed.
 
Don't forget, make sure you have your application in for the first board, even if it has your current scores. Add the new ones for the next board if needed.

Oh I will for sure. I'm starting my application process as soon as I get back from a VMI visit in a week. I've already sent my scores to CC as well.

I was thinking about possibly majoring in Arabic (especially because I love UNGs program for it) with an Econ/Business minor, would this greatly improve my chances?
 
I was thinking about possibly majoring in Arabic (especially because I love UNGs program for it) with an Econ/Business minor, would this greatly improve my chances?
As far as I remember, there are three categories of Scholarship:

1) AROTC scholarship
2) AROTC Nursing major scholarship
3) AROTC Minority Serving Institutions Scholarship (one does not have to be a minority... but one must use the scholarship at a school that is majority minority... such as the historic black colleges)

However, if you would settle for Navy ROTC, there is an NROTC scholarship called LREC: Language and Regional Expertise and Culture, or something like that. However, NROTC mids have to take a full year of Calculus, and Calculus based Physics... if that's not an issue for you, and if you don't mind floating cities, you should think about that.
 
As far as I remember, there are three categories of Scholarship:

1) AROTC scholarship
2) AROTC Nursing major scholarship
3) AROTC Minority Serving Institutions Scholarship (one does not have to be a minority... but one must use the scholarship at a school that is majority minority... such as the historic black colleges)

However, if you would settle for Navy ROTC, there is an NROTC scholarship called LREC: Language and Regional Expertise and Culture, or something like that. However, NROTC mids have to take a full year of Calculus, and Calculus based Physics... if that's not an issue for you, and if you don't mind floating cities, you should think about that.

Dunninla is correct about there being a separate scholarship category for NROTC called LREC. However, they require you to major in the language AND the culture so Econ/Bus would be out as a major, but you could minor in it. That's my understanding anyway.

Could be a useful combination for when you get out of the military.
 
Dunninla is correct about there being a separate scholarship category for NROTC called LREC. However, they require you to major in the language AND the culture so Econ/Bus would be out as a major, but you could minor in it. That's my understanding anyway.

Could be a useful combination for when you get out of the military.

I'm really only interested in the Army, but I do wish they had a program like that.
 
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