I think there is some value in threads like this.

It’s one of the many data points a candidate can use to gauge the likelihood of a scholarship and set expectations. Used in the right context, it can be really useful for many applicants.

Again, it’s just a data point. Weed out the extra noise/static. Take what’s important. Come up with a plan to improve/maintain your personal stats and set expectations.

Before my DD applied for a scholarship, she knew the average GPA and ACT of a 4 year winner. She also knew the scoring chart for the PFA. She knew some of the potential questions the PMS will ask her. All this stuff were available on this forum or other public venues. I helped her to weed out the background noise and to recommend which data are important.

She did well overall in her application process.
I think stats do make a difference. I believe my essay or survey, or both, have left me out of the 1st and 2nd board:

GPA: 3.64 (UW) / 3.94 (W)
SAT: 1290
ACT: N/A
PFA: 53 PU/55 SU/6:00m flat run (NROTIC-MO) 241 and 269 (last Friday)
AFQT: 95/99 (MO) - Asked about Aviation. Navy officer asked me about Nuclear Program as well. Took another ASVAB based test for Nuclear and passed. They were just qualifying if I could make Enlisted requirements. Not going enlisted.
Colleges: Accepted to every one (7 Army / 5 NROTC MO) Two Honors and 12 Engineering Programs. (7 Civil, 1 Construction Eng, 1 Geo Eng, 2 Electrical, 1 Robotic)
Honors / AP: 4 and 3 - AP 4 Score tests for College Credits
Volunteer: 12 hours a week for last 3+ years during school / 18 during summer - (School Tutoring, Church, Homelessness)
NHS Member - Tutoring too (Friend I tutored for Math received 3 year AD last year)
7 time State Scholar Athlete Award - still have last Sr. Semester
3 year football player (Fr, JV, and Varsity - Team Capt x 2, Special Teams Capt and MIP - Tore Labrum, had surgery, opted out of Sr. Football - Backup got accepted to USNA two weeks ago)
4 year lacrosse player (Fr/Soph, Varsity 3 years - Team Capt x 3)
4 year lacrosse travel team both US and International (Team Captain x 4)
3 year Ultra/Elite Category Racer - (Ragnarok, Rugged Maniac, and Spartan)
2 time Evike Outpost Team Lead - Nationally

Football and Lacrosse take up over 20 hours a week. Not including weight room and film time.
I took the SAT several times and again just recently but my score did not improve :(
My PMS interview late July was very good at a school I really like and know is a bit of a reach.....

I took the essays and surveys pretty straight forward. Should have put more into it. The Marines I am working through for the last 7 months have me working out with the poolies, getting to know me every Mon, Wed, Fri and Sat at times. I am holding out hope for the Army as I want to be a Combat Engineer/Sapper but the MO under the NROTC is pretty awesome. *sigh* see where it ends. HS for me ends early May.

Those are some seriously impressive accomplishments!! You should be super proud about doing so much and honestly, I think you’re in pretty good shape for the next boards. I’m only a senior in high school and I have a limited amount of ROTC knowledge, but people have received MO scholarships at my school with stats right around yours. Best of luck to you and keep your head up!
 
Status: Received
ROTC Classification: Navy
Board: probably 1st or 2rd - awarded in early Nov.
Scholarship Type: 4yr tier 1

Demographics (Optional):
  • Gender: Male
  • Ethnicity / Race: not URM
Academic Information:
  • SAT: 760 R/730M
  • ACT: 35 single sitting (36M, 36S, 34 R, 33 E)
  • Unweighted Cumulative GPA: 3.91/ 4.00 in IB Diploma Program (only B+'s were 9th grade)
  • Rank 2/396. Ave ACT for 4-year bound seniors at my public HS is 27.4
  • State-issued fluency certificate in Spanish
Activities (Athletics):
  • Baseball (4 years, 2 varsity letters)
  • Wrestling (2 years, 1 varsity letter)
Activities (Extracurricular):
  • Eagle Scout/Gold Palm
  • 2 X SPL, Philmont Crew Leader, NYLT participant, OA
  • 5 years NYLT staff - currently SPL for 2rd largest NYLT program in country
  • teach Wood Badge leadership section to adult leaders
  • baseball varsity co-captain (we don't have official captains in baseball but I am a team leader)
  • Pitched a no-hitter as a junior (not being recruited, however - I can't hit 80 mph).
  • NASS
  • PPL (in progress - pay for lessons with after-school job)
  • Work 10+ hrs during school and 40 hrs in summer as counselor in middle school rec program
  • Led 5 other staff members in 3-day safety camp for middle-school students
  • published article in international magazine
  • NHS
  • play 2 musical instruments well (I play in a gigging band with adult professional musicians)
Awards:
  • Regional debate champion
  • Regional Model UN champion - award for best public speaker
  • 4 x academic letter winner
  • AP Scholar
  • IB Diploma candidate
  • ETC.
Schools of Intent:
  • Prefer not to identify (accepted to 1 of 5 so far)
  • (I want to go to USNA)
Essays:
  • Prefer not to share
Physical Fitness Test Scores:
  • Push-ups (2 min): 58
  • Sit-ups (2 min): 84
  • Mile (1): 6:10
Professor of Military Science Interview:
  • I wore a sport coat and tie and felt I knocked it out of the park. I've always done well at interviews and have a lot of experience and self-confidence (without being cocky). I know that I want to be a servant leader and officer in the US Navy.
Other Comments:
  • Fully medically qualified
  • Don't let stats psych you out - I am NOT walk-on-water - everyone is an individual. I happen to be good at standardized testing. Just practice testing - it's like anything else in life - you get better with practice.
  • Do yourself a favor and read "Once an Eagle". I read it this past fall (dad gave it to me) and I now know better what it means to become a good leader - and what a bad leader is
  • Train for PT test. I trained deliberately for the CFA and NASS and then kept up my fitness all summer
  • Do what you love - not what other people think you should do. I love NYLT and Boy Scouts.
 
Status: Received
ROTC Classification: Army
Board: 2nd
Scholarship Type: 3yr AD

Demographics
  • Gender: Male
  • Ethnicity / Race: Korean/Chinese (Asian)
Academic Information:
  • SAT: N/A
  • ACT: 26 (English: 27, Math: 26, Reading: 29, Science: 23) Not my best thing.
  • Unweighted Cumulative GPA: 3.61 / 4.00
Activities (Athletics):
  • Basketball (9)
  • Cross Country (12)
  • Martial Arts; 2 black belts (Whole life)
  • Track and Field (10-12)
  • MMA (Whole life)
  • Coach, Manager, Trainer (9-12)
  • Power lifting (12)
Activities (Extracurricular):
  • Scholastic Honors & Awards - National or State (10-12)
  • Leadership Honors & Awards - National or State (10-12)
  • Leadership Honors & Awards - Other (10-12)
  • Church - Group Member (9-12)
  • Church - Group Leader or Director (9-12)
  • Other (10-12)
  • Student Government President (11-12)
  • Class Officer - President (9)
  • School Club - President (12)
  • School Club - Representative or Committee Chairperson (9-10)
  • Student Government Representative or Committee Chairperson (9-10)
  • Student Government Secretary (10-11)
  • Boys State Delegate - Assemblyman (3rd highest NJ office) (11)
  • Volunteer - Over 20 hours per month (9-12)
  • Service Organization - Leadership Position
Awards:
  • National Chinese Honor Society
  • National English Honor Society
  • Social Studies Honor Society
  • Completion or National Youth Leadership Forum: National Security (DC)
  • Completion of American Legion Boys State
  • Several bronze, silver, and gold medals for martial arts
Schools of Intent:
  • Wheaton College Illinois (Received)
  • Virginia Tech (Received)
  • Rutgers New Brunswick (Received)
  • Want to go to USNA to be a Marine Officer but seems unlikely at this point with my ACT scores
Essays:
  • Pretty general. Just talked about my desires to serve and what I do daily. Also talked about what I accomplished in my leadership positions (7/10)
Physical Fitness Test Scores:
  • Push-ups (1 min): 64 (Now able to do 70 in a min)
  • Sit-ups (1 min): 49 (Now able to do 60 in a min)
  • Mile (1): 6:45 (Now able to run 6:20)
Professor of Military Science Interview:
  • Went very well. He did most of the talking and was really nice. I wore dress pants, belt, leather shoes, gray button up shirt with a tie. Asked me about my desires to serve, future MOS, general topics. Did well on "selling myself" to the point of really impressing him, could've done better by not being as nervous (9/10)
Other Comments:
Advice for future applicants:
  • Train, train, train. I started training in the Spring of my Junior year for the PFT. When you train for the PFT, be good at all the branches PFTs. Do the Marine PFT especially; it really helps a lot with longer distance running, pull-ups (upper body strength), and confidence. Practice the Army one too and the Service Academy CFA. Those are great ways to get in good shape.
  • Apply to a service academy while applying for the ROTC Scholarship. This is only going to push you to be more competitive overall. (Demands more out of your leadership, physical fitness, and academics, and you get to make more connections)
  • Have a great support system. (Parents, Commissioned Officers, NCOs, Recruiters, Friends, Teachers, Guidance Counselor)
  • Set yourself small goals that reach to the big one
  • Go for the "heavier leadership" positions. It does seem nice to be President of several clubs, but it doesn't add up to becoming the President of your School, going to Boys State, being a football Captain or being an Eagle Scout
  • Do a lot of volunteering, working is good but from my experience, volunteering is better. I have 600+ hours of Church volunteering and never had a job in HS
  • Hope I helped
 
Status: Received
ROTC Classification: Army
Board: 2nd
Scholarship Type: 3yr AD

Demographics
  • Gender: Male
  • Ethnicity / Race: Korean/Chinese (Asian)
Academic Information:
  • SAT: N/A
  • ACT: 26 (English: 27, Math: 26, Reading: 29, Science: 23) Not my best thing.
  • Unweighted Cumulative GPA: 3.61 / 4.00
Activities (Athletics):
  • Basketball (9)
  • Cross Country (12)
  • Martial Arts; 2 black belts (Whole life)
  • Track and Field (10-12)
  • MMA (Whole life)
  • Coach, Manager, Trainer (9-12)
  • Power lifting (12)
Activities (Extracurricular):
  • Scholastic Honors & Awards - National or State (10-12)
  • Leadership Honors & Awards - National or State (10-12)
  • Leadership Honors & Awards - Other (10-12)
  • Church - Group Member (9-12)
  • Church - Group Leader or Director (9-12)
  • Other (10-12)
  • Student Government President (11-12)
  • Class Officer - President (9)
  • School Club - President (12)
  • School Club - Representative or Committee Chairperson (9-10)
  • Student Government Representative or Committee Chairperson (9-10)
  • Student Government Secretary (10-11)
  • Boys State Delegate - Assemblyman (3rd highest NJ office) (11)
  • Volunteer - Over 20 hours per month (9-12)
  • Service Organization - Leadership Position
Awards:
  • National Chinese Honor Society
  • National English Honor Society
  • Social Studies Honor Society
  • Completion or National Youth Leadership Forum: National Security (DC)
  • Completion of American Legion Boys State
  • Several bronze, silver, and gold medals for martial arts
Schools of Intent:
  • Wheaton College Illinois (Received)
  • Virginia Tech (Received)
  • Rutgers New Brunswick (Received)
  • Want to go to USNA to be a Marine Officer but seems unlikely at this point with my ACT scores
Essays:
  • Pretty general. Just talked about my desires to serve and what I do daily. Also talked about what I accomplished in my leadership positions (7/10)
Physical Fitness Test Scores:
  • Push-ups (1 min): 64 (Now able to do 70 in a min)
  • Sit-ups (1 min): 49 (Now able to do 60 in a min)
  • Mile (1): 6:45 (Now able to run 6:20)
Professor of Military Science Interview:
  • Went very well. He did most of the talking and was really nice. I wore dress pants, belt, leather shoes, gray button up shirt with a tie. Asked me about my desires to serve, future MOS, general topics. Did well on "selling myself" to the point of really impressing him, could've done better by not being as nervous (9/10)
Other Comments:
Advice for future applicants:
  • Train, train, train. I started training in the Spring of my Junior year for the PFT. When you train for the PFT, be good at all the branches PFTs. Do the Marine PFT especially; it really helps a lot with longer distance running, pull-ups (upper body strength), and confidence. Practice the Army one too and the Service Academy CFA. Those are great ways to get in good shape.
  • Apply to a service academy while applying for the ROTC Scholarship. This is only going to push you to be more competitive overall. (Demands more out of your leadership, physical fitness, and academics, and you get to make more connections)
  • Have a great support system. (Parents, Commissioned Officers, NCOs, Recruiters, Friends, Teachers, Guidance Counselor)
  • Set yourself small goals that reach to the big one
  • Go for the "heavier leadership" positions. It does seem nice to be President of several clubs, but it doesn't add up to becoming the President of your School, going to Boys State, being a football Captain or being an Eagle Scout
  • Do a lot of volunteering, working is good but from my experience, volunteering is better. I have 600+ hours of Church volunteering and never had a job in HS
  • Hope I helped
Update: my 3 yr AD got upgraded to a 4 yr scholarship!
 
Status: Received
ROTC Classification: Marine
Board: 1st
Scholarship Type: 4yr

Demographics (Optional):
  • Gender: Male
  • Ethnicity / Race: Indian
Academic Information:
  • ACT: 35 (35 English/34 Math/ 36 Reading/36 Science)
  • Unweighted Cumulative GPA: 3.40/ 4.00
Activities (Athletics):
  • Only list what is on the portal
  • Lacrosse (Varsity Freshman and Junior year)
  • Martial Arts, Adv. Brown Belt 11 years
  • Downhill skiing 11 years
  • 4 years weekly workouts with local Marine recruiters
Activities (Extracurricular):
  • Only list what is on the portal, include awards
  • One year of work as one of five interns with a Congressional campaign (rising 12th summer and first semester). I mananged over 100 volunteers
  • Worked with youth suicide hotline as an Outreach worker (11 and 12th.)
  • Helped start a BuildOn chapter at my school in grade 9 (we built schools in 3rd world countries), personally raised over $1000 and sent two club members to Haiti to build the school after Hurricane Matthew.
  • Worked in fast food (grades 10 and 11)
  • Key Club International (grade 9). Raised funds for the pediatric cancer ward of a local hospital.
Awards:
  • Only list what is on the portal or uploaded to portal
  • AP Scholar with Honor
  • National Merit Commended Scholar
Schools of Intent:
  • Texas A&M (Received)
  • Purdue (Received)
  • U of Washington (Did not receive)
  • Tulane (Did not receive)
  • GWU (Did not receive)
Essays:
  • Identify the essay, give brief blurb about gist of the essay (
  • I wrote about my work with the Congressional campaign and how it taught me how to be an effective leader and to motivate those around me. I wrote about how I translated that into my time with the local recruiters and how I started to take on a leadership role within the pool. 8/10
  • For the second essay (what unique "thing" do you bring to the Marine Corps) I wrote about growing up as the child of two immigrants with no military history. I talked about how when I first visited India I saw it as a country with good potential but that suffered from corruption and a stagnant economy and how that truly made me appreciate everything that my family had. I talked about how my parents grew up poor and how the US allowed them to pursue higher education and helped them work their way into very high level executive management in major companies. I wrote that that showed me how important it is to protect the values we hold dear and made me want to repay the debt my family owes this country. Essays and interviews were definitely my two strongest points 7/10.
Physical Fitness Test Scores: 269/300
  • Pull-ups: 20/20
  • Sit-ups (In 2 minutes): 96/105
  • 3 mile run: 20:30 (perfect score is 18:00)
OSO interview
  • I wore a suit and tie and a group of us interviewed one at a time with the XO of the main RS (a USMC Captain) along with a Lt. Colonel. I won't go into details with the questions because you aren't supposed to prep beforehand but they covered ethical dilemmas and leadership questions, what sacrifices we have made for others, as well as our plans if we did not receive the scholarship. The interview was easily the strongest part of my application. Two separate times during it the Captain jokingly asked if I had gotten an advance copy of the questions because I was giving perfect answers, and I was able to make him and the Lt. Colonel laugh at the right moments. It honestly could not have gone better and I think it helped compensate for my lower GPA and PT scores. 10/10
Other Comments:
  • Find something you care about that betters your community and work your way into a leadership role and take the organization in an exciting new direction. There were lots of applicants that were Boy Scouts, or in National Honors Society, or who did Church volunteering or things like that. Those are fine things to be a part of, but if lots of applicants have them they it doesn't really make you stand out. Find something unique and make yourself a star in that field. For me it was the Congressional campaign (and I managed to get a letter of recommendation from the candidate).
  • NROTC is four years long. They know that they have time to make you more physically fit, or even to make you a better student. But they can't teach you to embody the traits of a good leader. Show them that you have what it takes to lead Marines. Show strong leadership and management on a large scale and demonstrate that you put the needs of others ahead of your own. Also, go work out with the enlisted recruiters every week. Not only does it keep you in shape, but you get to meet Marines you may one day serve with, and it shows you more of what the Marine Corps is like. Also in my case, my Gunny told me that I got the scholarship a month before the online portal updated.


Note: Any future Marine option applicants who see this post feel free to send me a PM. I'll be staying pretty active on this forum and I'll be glad to answer any of your questions.
 
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Status: Received
ROTC Classification: Army
Board: 3rd
Scholarship Type: 3yr AD

Demographics (Optional):
  • Gender: Male
  • Ethnicity / Race: White
Academic Information:
  • SAT: Composite: 1310
  • ACT: Composite: N/A
  • Unweighted Cumulative GPA: 3.65/ 4.00
Activities (Athletics):
  • Lacrosse (3 years JV (8,9,10), 2 varsity letters)
  • Ice Hockey (2 years JV (10,11))
  • Football (1 year JV (9))
  • Soccer (1 year JV (10), 2 varsity letters)
Activities (Extracurricular):
  • Boys State (summer after junior year)
  • USMA summer leadership experience
  • Service club
  • Co-founder entrepreneurs club
  • Guide Dog Foundation dog raiser
  • part-time job in technical support (7-10 hrs a week during school)
  • Acolyte (senior) alter server
Awards:
  • Honor roll (7 semesters)
Schools of Intent:
  • Virginia Tech (Received)
  • Northeastern University (Did Not Receive)
  • Miami University (Ohio) (Received)
Essays:
  • I would give the essays around a 9/10. I worked very hard on them.
Physical Fitness Test Scores:
  • Push-ups (Insert Time): 55
  • Sit-ups (Insert Time): 56
  • Mile (Insert Distance): 6:30
Professor of Military Science Interview:
  • I dressed well for the interview, wore a suit with dress pants and tie. I answered all the basic questions well but some of the more complicated questions took me a bit and I didn't do so well on those I think. (7/10)
Other Comments:
  • Be prepared for the interview, they are not easy. Also, pick schools that you are pretty sure you will be going to and can get into for the scholarship. Also, get involved in leadership roles.
 
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