Aw great. Is my chance for ROTC doomed?

davidhwang

5-Year Member
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Jul 14, 2013
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Aw great, despite having above-average grades and impressive extra curricular resume and records, I just have one basic, tiny thing that will ultimately prevent me from even have a shot at 4yr scholarship for Army ROTC : US citizenship.

I am a Korean by birth and in the process of naturalization. If I am lucky, I may be able to get the citizenship by December, and the certification of citizenship for me would take even longer to process through.

Even if I do get the citizenship by December, the Army might not accept the US passport documentation as a proof of my citizenship (and may stubbornly require certification instead, idk)

And does getting citizenship by December even matter? I know that selection board meet every few months or so starting October and my chances will be diminished significantly.

If I am not-so lucky, then I won't be citizen in time before the initial dealine (Jan 10th). So... I guess I am doomed? help!

btw, I am applying to 2 service academies... they only need my proof of naturalization before July 1st of next year, which is more than enough time.

anyways, any words of advice would be greatly appreciated, because I am literally so distraught by the fact that my whole future goal life an army officer could be destroyed by not having citizenship in time.
 
Worst case scenario:

You apply for a 3 year scholarship AFTER you earn your citizenship. Hopefully your above average grades will improve in a college setting.
 
Your chance for a 4 year ROTC scholarship doomed? Maybe, all depends on the timing, as you mentioned.

Your chance for ROTC? Not doomed at all.

I hope you just forgot to add the word "scholarship" to your title. If not, you've fallen into the trap quite a few others on here have fallen into before -- You don't get that 4-year scholarship or appointment to the Academy, and give up thinking you no longer have a shot of competing for a commission. Well, you still can take ROTC, even if you're not on scholarship (hint: the majority of your fellow cadets won't be on scholarship either). And it can lead to a rewarding and successful career in the military (I'm loving proof of that).

If you really want it (the commissioning, and NOT only the money for school), not getting a scholarship now should be treated as a stumble on your path and not an end-of-the-road.

Remember, you don't win the marathon at mile marker 1, you win it during the last mile marker.
 
how's your Korean ?
I can read, write, type, and communicate Korean effectively. However, I immigration here in Oregon when I was about 10 years old, so my Korean vocabs are limited. Despite this I continued to speak Korean with my parents and read Korean news articles online. Phew, good thing I still know Korean well enough despite living in this country for well over 7 years.
 
Worst case scenario:

You apply for a 3 year scholarship AFTER you earn your citizenship. Hopefully your above average grades will improve in a college setting.
I don't know how college campus scholarship stuff works. How do they exactly work? How does a particular college select who will receive the 3 or 2 yr scholarship in their school? Is it still merit-based system like the online 4 yr ROTC scholarship application?
 
I don't know how college campus scholarship stuff works. How do they exactly work? How does a particular college select who will receive the 3 or 2 yr scholarship in their school? Is it still merit-based system like the online 4 yr ROTC scholarship application?

Depends on your perform and their mission for contracting. Some FYs they might have a few slots for AD-option and a few GFRDs others might have nothing. It depends on the school.

IF you look at attending a university with a ROTC mission always ask what the campus based outlook for scholarship is in your particular FY.

It's too easy to get this info
 
Your chance for a 4 year ROTC scholarship doomed? Maybe, all depends on the timing, as you mentioned.

Your chance for ROTC? Not doomed at all.

I hope you just forgot to add the word "scholarship" to your title. If not, you've fallen into the trap quite a few others on here have fallen into before -- You don't get that 4-year scholarship or appointment to the Academy, and give up thinking you no longer have a shot of competing for a commission. Well, you still can take ROTC, even if you're not on scholarship (hint: the majority of your fellow cadets won't be on scholarship either). And it can lead to a rewarding and successful career in the military (I'm loving proof of that).

If you really want it (the commissioning, and NOT only the money for school), not getting a scholarship now should be treated as a stumble on your path and not an end-of-the-road.

Remember, you don't win the marathon at mile marker 1, you win it during the last mile marker.
True, thanks so much for your kind encouragements.

I won't give up even if I do not receive appointments or scholarships...

But still, college tuition is a big concern since my family doesn't have much money. I could potentially apply for other sources for scholarships, are they are usually not enough to cover everything. Even I do get little bit of scholarships thru other sources, I will literally carry at least 100,000 dollars on my back. How will I be able to pay for all these... Is the career in the Army officer corps even enough to pay back college debts? cry
 
Depends on your perform and their mission for contracting. Some FYs they might have a few slots for AD-option and a few GFRDs others might have nothing. It depends on the school.

IF you look at attending a university with a ROTC mission always ask what the campus based outlook for scholarship is in your particular FY.

It's too easy to get this info
Okay, will contact all the universities I will be applying to about this matter. Thanks.
 
True, thanks so much for your kind encouragements.

I won't give up even if I do not receive appointments or scholarships...

But still, college tuition is a big concern since my family doesn't have much money. I could potentially apply for other sources for scholarships, are they are usually not enough to cover everything. Even I do get little bit of scholarships thru other sources, I will literally carry at least 100,000 dollars on my back. How will I be able to pay for all these... Is the career in the Army officer corps even enough to pay back college debts? cry

Why do you say you will carry that much debt? There are plenty of excellent schools out there you could attend that would be far cheaper than that. You could work summers and part time. I'm not saying you won't carry any debt, but you can certainly do better than that. You don't HAVE to go to a Harvard or something.
 
I can read, write, type, and communicate Korean effectively. However, I immigration here in Oregon when I was about 10 years old, so my Korean vocabs are limited. Despite this I continued to speak Korean with my parents and read Korean news articles online. Phew, good thing I still know Korean well enough despite living in this country for well over 7 years.

You should talk to a AROTC PMS ASAP, they may help you expedite your citizenship app...on account of your skill at a critical language
---may not help, but it never hurts to try.

Good luck

(it worked for my son's friend)
 
Why do you say you will carry that much debt? There are plenty of excellent schools out there you could attend that would be far cheaper than that. You could work summers and part time. I'm not saying you won't carry any debt, but you can certainly do better than that. You don't HAVE to go to a Harvard or something.

To pick two local schools, Oregon State U. and Univ. of Oregon are both running about $24,000 all-in for state residents. So $100,000 is not far off and may be a tad low after inflation.

However, there are numerous opportunities for aid, and if money is tight in your family, this may actually enhance your chances of financial assistance. Even if you don't win an AROTC scholarship, when, because of your strong performance in your first two years, you are accepted into AROTC's advanced course and allowed to contract, you will receive a monthly stipend. Also one or both of these schools may provide for a reduced room & board expense. (It was not clear to me how this works from a a cursory look at one of the AROTC websites, but you can certainly investigate it).

By the way, there's nothing wrong with applying to multiple service academies. In fact it's a smart move if your goal is to serve as an officer. Just don't say your life's goal is to be an Army officer.
 
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If looking for local Oregon Universities with ROTC and budget in mind, don't forget about X-town Universities...and UPortland
 
To pick two local schools, Oregon State U. and Univ. of Oregon are both running about $24,000 all-in for state residents. So $100,000 is not far off and may be a tad low after inflation.

However, there are numerous opportunities for aid, and if money is tight in your family, this may actually enhance your chances of financial assistance. Even if you don't win an AROTC scholarship, when, because of your strong performance in your first two years, you are accepted into AROTC's advanced course and allowed to contract, you will receive a monthly stipend. Also one or both of these schools may provide for a reduced room & board expense. (It was not clear to me how this works from a a cursory look at one of the AROTC websites, but you can certainly investigate it).

By the way, there's nothing wrong with applying to multiple service academies. In fact it's a smart move if your goal is to serve as an officer. Just don't say your life's goal is to be an Army officer.
Already am applying to U of O and UPortland. But still, you always want to go to colleges that have far better education and stuff, you know? Like not saying Oregon schools are awful, but there are far better colleges out of state that I can get accepted to... it's just the matter of how much money I will carry on my back.
 
If looking for local Oregon Universities with ROTC and budget in mind, don't forget about X-town Universities...and UPortland
am applying to U of O and UPortland, they do have good ROTC programs and academics there. Thanks though. But there are always better colleges out there with better programs and such.
 
To pick two local schools, Oregon State U. and Univ. of Oregon are both running about $24,000 all-in for state residents. So $100,000 is not far off and may be a tad low after inflation.

However, there are numerous opportunities for aid, and if money is tight in your family, this may actually enhance your chances of financial assistance. Even if you don't win an AROTC scholarship, when, because of your strong performance in your first two years, you are accepted into AROTC's advanced course and allowed to contract, you will receive a monthly stipend. Also one or both of these schools may provide for a reduced room & board expense. (It was not clear to me how this works from a a cursory look at one of the AROTC websites, but you can certainly investigate it).

By the way, there's nothing wrong with applying to multiple service academies. In fact it's a smart move if your goal is to serve as an officer. Just don't say your life's goal is to be an Army officer.
If I do not get 4yr scholarships or get accepted to any academies, then yeah, I might just do that.

Hopefully I can get 3 yr scholarship via on campus scholarship (in general for all colleges I will get accepted to, not just OR schools)
 
but then again, it would've been nice if I was born citizen in the first place. What a sad situation for me.
 
You should talk to a AROTC PMS ASAP, they may help you expedite your citizenship app...on account of your skill at a critical language
---may not help, but it never hurts to try.

Good luck

(it worked for my son's friend)
I am not familiar with military acronyms, sorry. How do I exactly do this?
 
am applying to U of O and UPortland, they do have good ROTC programs and academics there. Thanks though. But there are always better colleges out there with better programs and such.

It's great you're applying to these schools - but if budget is a concern, I was trying to suggest that in-state X-town schools may allow you to get in a good ROTC program without paying the higher tuition - of course, your desired field and plays a big part in whether the X-town schools are a good fit for you.
 
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