How are my ROTC credentials looking so far?

I'm writing this as a junior in highscool just starting my second semester. Working towards a 4 year ROTC scholarship so i can go out of state to Citadel or Texas A&M preferably. Not too concerned what branch yet I'm leaning more towards army.

Unweighted GPA: 3.6
Weighted: 4.2

SAT: 1270 (still have 3 more SAT dates I'm going to sign up for)

3rd year in army JROTC. Currently a company commander and held other leadership positions previous years, have attended JCLC twice holding leadership positions of company first sergeant and platoon leader. Most likely will be batallion commander next year. Have done drill team for 2 seasons. Squad commander on drill team second season. Have participated in colorguard events and have been on the raider team for 3 seasons, will be captain of raider team next season. JLAB team for 2 seasons. Just recently secured a spot for boys state this summer. JV wrestling for 1 season. Will be varsity next year. Attending 28 day wrestling camp this summer. I've been a part of this schoolastic skeet and trap shooting club for 3 seasons and I am in the varsity group. Also have earned multiple awards for ROTC each year such as superior cadet.

How are my credentials looking and what advice can I get from some who have earned a scholarship or have been accepted to an academy? Thanks.

I am currently a junior in high school just a few weeks into the second semester. I am looking to see what my chances are with what I currently have.

GPA unweighted: 3.6
Weighted: 4.2

SAT:1270

All my classes this year and most of my classes freshman and sophomore year are AICE classes and honors classes, AICE classes are on the same level as IB and AP level classes.

3rd year in Army JROTC. Have the position of company commander right now. Sophomore year was a platoon sergeant for the first semester and company commander for the second semester. I have been on the Raider team for 3 years. I was on the drill team for 2 seasons, and JLAB for 2 seasons. Went to JROTC Cadet Leadership Camp (JCLC) twice, the first time holding the position of platoon leader and the second time holding the position of company commander. About to finish my first season of JV wrestling. For freshman year was involved in a community service club and now participating in another club FCA. Outside of school for three seasons I have been involved in a scholastic trap and skeet shooting club, being on JV the first season and Varsity the last two seasons. I have also earned multiple awards in JROTC at the end of each year such as Superior Cadet.

Some things coming up:
-I just secured a spot at Boys State for this summer
-Signed up for a 28-day wrestling summer camp
-Applying to Westpoint SLE
-Will be raider team captain next year
-Most likely will be Batallion commander next year for ROTC and this year at JCLC, if not I will be BN XO or CSM

How am I looking so far for being competitive for the 4 year ROTC scholarship, mainly the army one, and what else is recommended?

I'd say you are in good shape overall. Based on everything I know and have read I'd be surprised if you didn't get at least a 3-year AD offer.

That said, I also think you could be on track for being a strong 4-year candidate. Easiest areas to improve would be to get the SAT score over 1300 and perhaps find some additional community involvement to fill in the cracks around your solid list of accomplishments. Some volunteer hours, church or civic service organization, and maybe some student government involvement.

Also, you don't mention anything about honor societies, though the spring of junior year is when most of those inductions take place. You'll want to make sure you are in National Honor Society and any discpline-specific societies you are eligible for.

CamC/CPT said:

I am currently a junior in high school just a few weeks into the second semester. I am looking to see what my chances are with what I currently have.

GPA unweighted: 3.6
Weighted: 4.2

SAT:1270

All my classes this year and most of my classes freshman and sophomore year are AICE classes and honors classes, AICE classes are on the same level as IB and AP level classes.

3rd year in Army JROTC. Have the position of company commander right now. Sophomore year was a platoon sergeant for the first semester and company commander for the second semester. I have been on the Raider team for 3 years. I was on the drill team for 2 seasons, and JLAB for 2 seasons. Went to JROTC Cadet Leadership Camp (JCLC) twice, the first time holding the position of platoon leader and the second time holding the position of company commander. About to finish my first season of JV wrestling. For freshman year was involved in a community service club and now participating in another club FCA. Outside of school for three seasons I have been involved in a scholastic trap and skeet shooting club, being on JV the first season and Varsity the last two seasons. I have also earned multiple awards in JROTC at the end of each year such as Superior Cadet.

Some things coming up:
-I just secured a spot at Boys State for this summer
-Signed up for a 28-day wrestling summer camp
-Applying to Westpoint SLE
-Will be raider team captain next year
-Most likely will be Batallion commander next year for ROTC and this year at JCLC, if not I will be BN XO or CSM

How am I looking so far for being competitive for the 4 year ROTC scholarship, mainly the army one, and what else is recommended?

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You are well on track, keep up the good work.

Apply early! Get your stuff in over the summer, as soon as applications open.

PRACTICE THE INTERVIEW.

My partner interviewed many applicants and tells how there were a few applicants who had all the stats but bombed the interview and he would not recommend them for even a sideload.

One in particular was just so incredibly condescending and oblivious.

So... practice the interview. Nail that and you should be golden.

sweetpea3829 said:

You are well on track, keep up the good work.

Apply early! Get your stuff in over the summer, as soon as applications open.

PRACTICE THE INTERVIEW.

My partner interviewed many applicants and tells how there were a few applicants who had all the stats but bombed the interview and he would not recommend them for even a sideload.

One in particular was just so incredibly condescending and oblivious.

So... practice the interview. Nail that and you should be golden.

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Thank you for the very helpful info! I will definitely practice for the interview, would you know if there are different questions asked each interview or are there common questions asked that are mostly the same from interview to interview?

CamC/CPT said:

Thank you for the very helpful info! I will definitely practice for the interview, would you know if there are different questions asked each interview or are there common questions asked that are mostly the same from interview to interview?

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Looks good so far. Extra curriculars, sports are a 1 point and captain roles or leaderships in clubs no matter how small are 2 points. You only need so many to max out the category on scoresheet. Make sure you have some leadership. Boys State is a good one to have. Also really prep for Interview and nail it. I also had my son "prep" per se for CBEF. They say you can't prep for CBEF but understanding what the test values responses to predict outcomes is valuable to know. Some young men may breeze through the CBEF and unintentionally trip themselves up.

Looking good. Take the SAT again or try the ACT as some do better on one or the other - shoot for high 1300s on SAT. You will need very competitive stats to get accepted academically at TAMU, and The Citadel awards Room & Board to entering ROTC scholarship cadets get better the higher your academic stats are. Good luck

gooseblitz said:

Looks good so far. Extra curriculars, sports are a 1 point and captain roles or leaderships in clubs no matter how small are 2 points. You only need so many to max out the category on scoresheet. Make sure you have some leadership. Boys State is a good one to have. Also really prep for Interview and nail it. I also had my son "prep" per se for CBEF. They say you can't prep for CBEF but understanding what the test values responses to predict outcomes is valuable to know. Some young men may breeze through the CBEF and unintentionally trip themselves up.

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My partner had a set of questions that he practiced with my son when preparing for his interview. Some of the questions the PMS asked were almost word for word the same questions and some were different and seemed off the cuff.

My son interviewed with the PMS and PNS (Navy) at his first choice school (VMI) on my partner's strong suggestion.

They were virtual, so I sat in a next door room and listened. At one point the PMS asked my son why he wasn't applying to West Point. My son nervously answered, "I don't feel as though my credentials are strong enough (they are) and it's not really the environment I'm looking for".

Wrong answer. I knew what my son meant because we had talked about it. My son did not want to be a West Point cadet and be just another number. Neither did he like some of what he had heard about West Point cadets from my partner, who indicated that most of the West Point cadets he had interacted with thought very highly of themselves.

My son loved VMI because he appreciated that it's a smaller, more intimate setting. He appreciated that the Physics professor really genuinely knows all of his students.

THAT'S what he meant and failed to communicate clearly.

The PMS paused and then responded, "Not the environment you're looking for? You do know what kind of school VMI is right?"

Fortunately, my son did not make any comments about West Point cadets, because the PMS then stated, "My son is a cadet at West Point and you shouldn't sell yourself short. You're competitive".

Disaster averted.

But... It's things like that that you want to watch out for. My son was nervous, despite practicing. It happens. He sent a follow up email to the PMS to thank him for his time and to clarify why he chose VMI over West Point.

Also... Do yourself a favor and apply Navy as well. They have been having a hard time making mission and are giving out money more easily than they usually do.

My son aced his Navy interview and was offered a four year at the first Boards. Your stats are not far from his. He's a little stronger in his test scores and he has a very diverse leadership resumé (CAP, DECA, etc).

Make sure you go to Open House at the schools you're interested in, this spring if at all possible. While there, make it a point to introduce yourself to the PMS/PNS/ROO, etc and let them know that you'll be applying this summer and hope to interview with them.

Start making those connections now.

Also... This site has great info. Use it!

glen said:

Looking good. Take the SAT again or try the ACT as some do better on one or the other - shoot for high 1300s on SAT. You will need very competitive stats to get accepted academically at TAMU, and The Citadel awards Room & Board to entering ROTC scholarship cadets get better the higher your academic stats are. Good luck

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My goodness, I’m wondering how my son’s SAT scores, which were terrible, got him a scholarship. I’m thinking there was something else (obviously) they saw that they liked and it makes me even more proud of him.

Actually both my kids did terrible on the SAT and ACT and they both scored scholarships. This is encouraging!

CamC you’re looking solid!

My DS's stats is GPA unweighted 3.89/SAT 1320, accepted by the citadel, Texas A&M, and VMI. He applied to SAs, so CFA and medical already got approved and nominations from a senator and a congressman. Four years varsity(swim/lacrosse), 3 president volunteer gold awards(total over 350 hours). He didn't get in 1st board and boarded again now. Can we have hope?

Duplicate threads merged

JoannaC said:

My DS's stats is GPA unweighted 3.89/SAT 1320, accepted by the citadel, Texas A&M, and VMI. He applied to SAs, so CFA and medical already got approved and nominations from a senator and a congressman. Four years varsity(swim/lacrosse), 3 president volunteer gold awards(total over 350 hours). He didn't get in 1st board and boarded again now. Can we have hope?

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He will likely get an offer from this board. If not, it may be that he didn't interview well.

sweetpea3829 said:

He will likely get an offer from this board. If not, it may be that he didn't interview well.

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My DS went to the in person interview by himself, driving a hour but he was sure that he did good and he got a good feedback from PMS, but who knows.. We didn't know we'd better to have an interview with PMS at schools he applied, so he just scheduled an interview with the PMS suggested at the portal based on our locality. At the end of interview, the PMS stated that he wished my son apply to his school and my son answered, "I will." but he didn't because my son is interested in schools where have a corp of cadets in the campus. That's all thing we know. If he will not get it from the 2nd board, what can he do for the 3rd board? should he reach out to PMS/ROO at schools he got accepted?

Seems like a good chance, but not a shoo in like some other posts here.

Recommend: Max PT, take ACT/SAT again. Higher scores can only help.

CamC/CPT said:

I am currently a junior in high school just a few weeks into the second semester. I am looking to see what my chances are with what I currently have.

GPA unweighted: 3.6
Weighted: 4.2

SAT:1270

All my classes this year and most of my classes freshman and sophomore year are AICE classes and honors classes, AICE classes are on the same level as IB and AP level classes.

3rd year in Army JROTC. Have the position of company commander right now. Sophomore year was a platoon sergeant for the first semester and company commander for the second semester. I have been on the Raider team for 3 years. I was on the drill team for 2 seasons, and JLAB for 2 seasons. Went to JROTC Cadet Leadership Camp (JCLC) twice, the first time holding the position of platoon leader and the second time holding the position of company commander. About to finish my first season of JV wrestling. For freshman year was involved in a community service club and now participating in another club FCA. Outside of school for three seasons I have been involved in a scholastic trap and skeet shooting club, being on JV the first season and Varsity the last two seasons. I have also earned multiple awards in JROTC at the end of each year such as Superior Cadet.

Some things coming up:
-I just secured a spot at Boys State for this summer
-Signed up for a 28-day wrestling summer camp
-Applying to Westpoint SLE
-Will be raider team captain next year
-Most likely will be Batallion commander next year for ROTC and this year at JCLC, if not I will be BN XO or CSM

How am I looking so far for being competitive for the 4 year ROTC scholarship, mainly the army one, and what else is recommended?

Click to expand...

My son had similar stats to yours and received a 3-year 2 years ago. Work on maxing your score on the PT test and practice for the interview.

I think Citadel has a scholarship that if you get a 3 year they cover the first year. I’ve heard Norwich may be doing something similar in the next year or two. Your chances will definitely improve if you can increase your SAT score. Good luck’ so much great advice here. Oh, also, Norwich has had a lot of scholarships to give on campus, not sure about other SMCs.

Cmac154 said:

My son had similar stats to yours and received a 3-year 2 years ago. Work on maxing your score on the PT test and practice for the interview.

I think Citadel has a scholarship that if you get a 3 year they cover the first year. I’ve heard Norwich may be doing something similar in the next year or two. Your chances will definitely improve if you can increase your SAT score. Good luck’ so much great advice here. Oh, also, Norwich has had a lot of scholarships to give on campus, not sure about other SMCs.

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To confirm what you said, Norwich covered my son’s first year since he was awarded a 3 year AROTC national scholarship. His entire first year to include room and board has been covered by scholarships/grants. We’ve paid for uniforms only. I encourage OP and any others that have an interest in an SMC to apply to Norwich. Check it out, it’s a beautiful campus with a rich history. Very impressed and DS is having a great experience there. Can’t say enough great things!!

CamC/CPT said:

Unweighted GPA: 3.6
Weighted: 4.2

SAT: 1270 (still have 3 more SAT dates I'm going to sign up for)

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If you retake your SAT and only improve 10 points, I would suggest hiring a "professional" SAT Tutor. That is the one thing I regret not doing for my son. He kept getting the same score even though he studied a lot. Several of his friends hired tutors and improved their scores by over 50 points. Other than that, your resume looks really good.

TCartens said:

If you retake your SAT and only improve 10 points, I would suggest hiring a "professional" SAT Tutor. That is the one thing I regret not doing for my son. He kept getting the same score even though he studied a lot. Several of his friends hired tutors and improved their scores by over 50 points. Other than that, your resume looks really good.

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Schoolhouse is a great resource for tutors. I am a certified math tutor on their and there are free bootcamps available for all students. The only requirement is your student give some of their time to learn in either a math or English bootcamps for SAT. If you're worried about the credentials of these schoolhouse tutors, they can only be certified to host bootcamps if they have scored a 700 or above in their designated section.

Khan Academy is also a great resource I utilized that helped me a lot.

Make sure you articulate what Raiders is.