Just wondering what is the history of candidates who do not get an appointment receiving AFROTC scholarships?
It is hard to imagine that AFA candidates that also applied to AFROTC as a "backup plan" would be "bailing out" after a year and not serious about the Air Force.Years ago they were VERY common and the AF lost a ton of money with students taking the scholarships and then "bailing out" after a year. So the PTB shifted to a "let's see how serious they are first" mentality.
Have to agree with this statement, and it is not too surprising. Every student that did not get a "Full Ride" scholarship out of high school ANDNOW...while not a huge number of high school students get scholarships, those that enroll in ROTC and do well...
Not sure the intent here - is this a slam on Army and Navy?did not join the Army ROTC (and take a full ride) AND
did not join the Navy ROTC (and take a full ride) AND
paid for their own first year or two of college AND
joined AFROTC has done well.
Pima is right on this -If this approach to scholarships has reduced the AF's number of applicants "bailing out" AND is also meeting its need for quality ROTC candidates then I think it can be qualified as having excellent "results". If on the other hand, the AF is losing some of its best potential officers to other ROTC programs and is still requiring its recruiters to go into colleges and offer freshmen full rides to help fulfill the AF's needs, then it may need to be re-examined.
No. I was simply pointing out that if a "kid" financially needs a full ride then it would be very difficult for him/her to not take an Army or Navy scholarship (which are all full rides) after high school. Is it possible that the Air Force might be losing ROTC students to either the Army or Navy that meet or even exceed the "high quality" that they eventually end up with?Not sure the intent here - is this a slam on Army and Navy?
Thank you. This is very helpful.In case you had not noticed we have been involved in two ground wars for 8 years.
I'm sure the AF does get high quality candidates. My question was whether the restrictions the AF places on their scholarships is costing them some of their top applicants and STILL fulfilling ALL of their needs. I think the fact that the AF recruiters are going into colleges in September and offering full scholarships to the same kids that were offered only type 7s a few months before answers the question. BTW - they are offering full rides to ALL the kids (in the specific areas the AF has needs), not just the ones that were offered type 7s.The demand for AF scholarships is still very high because parents would rather have their son/daughter sitting at a desk than riding in a Stryker through Afghanistan. The result is that the AF can put more restrictions on their scholarships and still get high quality candidates.
Pima, with all due respect I believe you are incorrect about this. No AF recruiter can offer a high school student a certain type of scholarship (that is determined by a board) but once college has BEGUN and they have been advised that the AF is short on their EE (or another major) recruiting goals, YES they can and do offer type 1 scholarships to qualified kids already in school. These scholarship requests go through a different approval process than the HSSP program. I have this directly from SEVERAL ROTC recruiters. While they may not know year to year what the last minute requirements of the AF will be, some have been willing to share what the last 2 or 3 years have been. Probably not a surprise that they have been recruiting most of the same majors each year....No recruiter can walk in and say you will get a type 1, 2 or 7. They are not on the board that makes the determination...
Why do you believe this?I do not believe that the AF or any branch loses qualified candidates because of the type given, but because the student is not ready to make that commitment or has been given other scholarships that do not require the sign on the dotted line for at least 5 yrs after graduation.
In my daughter's particular case, she (we) can afford to pay for a year of school until the AF opens the purse strings. BUT...I can easily imagine that there are other MORE qualified candidates than her that cannot wait and must choose a different ROTC program. Some choices are made for economic necessity and not just whether you like water or want to fly."the AF lost a ton of money with students taking the scholarships and then "bailing out" after a year. So the PTB shifted to a "let's see how serious they are first" mentality.
My question was whether the restrictions the AF places on their scholarships is costing them some of their top applicants and STILL fulfilling ALL of their needs.
Just to clarify....this is your opinion:You asked a question based on opinions regarding AFROTC scholarships. I gave mine. I will not opine on Army or Navy ROTC scholarships since we were never directly involved and I only have anecdotal information.
I do not believe that the AF or any branch loses qualified candidates because of the type given...
Let me clarify, I did not mean 100% get full ride, but I meant 100% will get something if they are competitive. Key word COMPETITIVE...only nom Veep...not competitive.
Also remember they have the 85/15 scale...85% go to science/engineering, 15% to other, thus if your intended degree is not science related your competition is amped up big time.
Just to clarify....this is your opinion:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pima View Post
I do not believe that the AF or any branch loses qualified candidates because of the type given...