2023 NROTC Review Board

Toolman002

Toolman002

Member
Joined
May 16, 2022
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36
Hey everyone! DS completed his AFA yesterday (6 mos after realizing that doing push-ups and planks PRIOR to a run has a sigNIFigant impact on one’s time - busted his arse and got a 92💪). He’s about to wrap up the application process and I was curious of any insight on whether or not his app would be reviewed by the 1st board in October? Also, our household is in the midst of a class 4 debate regarding the schools to which he needs to apply and when. My stance is that the Navy doesn’t consider this when awarding scholarships (initially) and that we should proceed with the process of applying for admission as we would irrespective of DS applying for NROTC scholarship. Better half thinks he needs to be accepted by all 5, JIC. Any insight would be appreciated…as is humor and snarkiness (life is too short to be dull…and I have come to sincerely appreciate some of the comments in this forum😜)
 
The general consensus around here is DS should apply to schools he wants to attend and where he thinks he will thrive. If he is happy at the school, he will be well-situated to thrive at the NROTC unit, whether as a scholarship winner or a college programmer.

Do factor in affordability for school choices if the scholarship is not awarded.

Every year it happens where someone wins the scholarship but does not get accepted by a school that is the #1 choice. Sometimes the unit has some influence with Admissions; sometimes not. Always good for the applicant to contact the unit and let them know scholarship has been awarded but school did not accept. Failing that, there is a process to re-assign scholarships to the destination school that has accepted the student.
 
If I understand the later part of your better half’s question…no he doesn’t have to be accepted into all 5 schools before he applies. Not sure if that’s part of the armageddon going on in your house or not.

Great advice already about how to pick the 5. Make sure there are a couple ‘sure things’ on the list. Another consideration, is the affordability piece, as mentioned. Even if he does go in with a scholarship awarded, there are always medical, academic, change of mind kinds of things that can pop up after attending. Then he is stuck trying to finance his education at a school he may have not applied for, without the scholarship.

To your better half’s point, both of my guys had applied junior year to their number one college choice and were accepted. They were able to use that in their application about their commitment (already accepted to xx school) level, and when they visited that unit during a college admissions tour. May or may not have mattered, but they were both received great feedback from their interview (done with that same schools Captain), and received round one scholarships.

Good luck to you son!

Adding this: does your son have a recruiter assigned to him for this process? I’m wondering if not, because of your question. My advice would be to make sure his assigned recruiter has done a ‘once over’ look before he submits his package. My guys’ recruiter found things to tweak on their applications. He can find his online if he doesn’t have one.
 
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Toolman002 said:
He’s about to wrap up the application process
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Do you know if the guidance counselor and/or math teacher have submitted their recommendations? In the past that has been one of the hold ups in getting a package sent for board review.

Also, has the officer interview been completed? The October board has traditionally not had a high percentage rate for acceptance, but there are always people trying to get their package in as soon as possible.
 
Thanks so much to all of you for your insight.

Capt. MJ - You're so right about finding the place he will thrive. Our DS spent the last winter holiday break filling out a college planning/comparison spreadsheet he'd found online with info from schools that met his criteria and in mid-January, we embarked on a series of journeys to visit each one - including meeting with both staff and MIDN from each unit - what a learning experience! And, sure enough, he found it...the perfect fit (not gonna say where just yet 😎) We think he'll be pretty competitive in the eyes of both the school and the Navy (of course, we're heavily biased), but we're very fortunate to have tuition back-up benefits through an employer if he has to go the programmer route.

justdoit19 - We required DS to form plans A, B, C & D - which was a local school that didn't even have is desired major but MAN, is it cheap 😛) But again, it was a great learning experience and even a motivator for him to give his all if he wanted to be competitive for the big scholarship. DS has been in regular contact with his local scholarship coordinator for a couple of months now and, based on their correspondence, I do feel confident that he will thoroughly review everything before tying a bow around the packet and sending it to the next step in the review process. My question (and our debate) is really more centered around the stuff that goes on behind the scenes, after the proverbial "bow" is tied. There's no shortage of supporting docs available to guide us through the process of completing the app (heck, the local coordinator even sent DS the interview questions!) But, once you've jumped through ALL the hoops to complete an application, it's hard to transition into a period where you just sit back and wait. Coincidently, we realized today that 4 of the 5 schools that are on his list all participate in the CommonApp program, which means our "discussion" is basically moot (they all think they won the debate 😜)

Captain Meyers - Yes sir; DS interviewed with staff from the unit at his 1st choice school a few weeks ago. According to scholarship coordinator, everything has been received except one reference letter/packet from his somewhat distracted XC & Track Coach (which should be done early this week). That should mean that all of the components of his complete application packet should be compiled by the end of this week. Is there anything DS should do to as a follow-up to ensure that the coordinator sends everything to the next stage in a timely manner? Or, should he just sit back and be satisfied knowing that he's done all a 17-year-old can do?
 
First board meets October 17; if his packet is complete, he will be in the first round. Best of luck - my daughter is nearly complete with her packet, too! Notifications go out within 2 weeks of the board.

He is required to apply for all 5 schools listed in his applications.
 
GWU PNS said:
Do you know if the guidance counselor and/or math teacher have submitted their recommendations? In the past that has been one of the hold ups in getting a package sent for board review.

Also, has the officer interview been completed? The October board has traditionally not had a high percentage rate for acceptance, but there are always people trying to get their package in as soon as possible.
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My daughter is in the process of scheduling her interview appointment time; may I ask what she can expect in the interview? What kinds of questions, how long should it last, how much weight does the interview carry? Thank you!
 
Newport122 said:
My daughter is in the process of scheduling her interview appointment time; may I ask what she can expect in the interview? What kinds of questions, how long should it last, how much weight does the interview carry? Thank you!
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It depends on who is doing the interview. They can run up to 90 minutes but most will complete in an hour.

They questions seek to understand why someone is seeking to serve as a naval officer, if they have a desired career path and why, what makes them stand out amongst their peers, how they work in teams, and a wide range of issues. Each interviewer will focus on slightly different topics.
 
Toolman002 said:
Thanks so much to all of you for your insight.

Capt. MJ - You're so right about finding the place he will thrive. Our DS spent the last winter holiday break filling out a college planning/comparison spreadsheet he'd found online with info from schools that met his criteria and in mid-January, we embarked on a series of journeys to visit each one - including meeting with both staff and MIDN from each unit - what a learning experience! And, sure enough, he found it...the perfect fit (not gonna say where just yet 😎) We think he'll be pretty competitive in the eyes of both the school and the Navy (of course, we're heavily biased), but we're very fortunate to have tuition back-up benefits through an employer if he has to go the programmer route.

justdoit19 - We required DS to form plans A, B, C & D - which was a local school that didn't even have is desired major but MAN, is it cheap 😛) But again, it was a great learning experience and even a motivator for him to give his all if he wanted to be competitive for the big scholarship. DS has been in regular contact with his local scholarship coordinator for a couple of months now and, based on their correspondence, I do feel confident that he will thoroughly review everything before tying a bow around the packet and sending it to the next step in the review process. My question (and our debate) is really more centered around the stuff that goes on behind the scenes, after the proverbial "bow" is tied. There's no shortage of supporting docs available to guide us through the process of completing the app (heck, the local coordinator even sent DS the interview questions!) But, once you've jumped through ALL the hoops to complete an application, it's hard to transition into a period where you just sit back and wait. Coincidently, we realized today that 4 of the 5 schools that are on his list all participate in the CommonApp program, which means our "discussion" is basically moot (they all think they won the debate 😜)

Captain Meyers - Yes sir; DS interviewed with staff from the unit at his 1st choice school a few weeks ago. According to scholarship coordinator, everything has been received except one reference letter/packet from his somewhat distracted XC & Track Coach (which should be done early this week). That should mean that all of the components of his complete application packet should be compiled by the end of this week. Is there anything DS should do to as a follow-up to ensure that the coordinator sends everything to the next stage in a timely manner? Or, should he just sit back and be satisfied knowing that he's done all a 17-year-old can do?
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Word of caution: receiving the interview questions isn’t uncommon. Both mine received them as well, and I’ve heard SAF members saying the same.

Those questions may, or may not, be asked 😉
 
justdoit19 said:
Word of caution: receiving the interview questions isn’t uncommon. Both mine received them as well, and I’ve heard SAF members saying the same.

Those questions may, or may not, be asked 😉
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Very true. The Lt. that conducted the interview merely used them as a guide...and added a little of his own interpretation :cool: All told, the interview lasted about 30 minutes. Based on what DS shared afterwards, I think the Lt. found out what he wanted to know fairly quickly (no baby pics were presented :p) All that being said, I was really impressed with the standardized questions at the level of intentionality put into their development.
 
I hope it’s alright to ask a follow up question to this very helpful thread. My son (the applicant ;) is currently on a mountain in upstate NY out of cell range so that leaves us here all discussing what has also become a Great Family Dinner Debate!! He’ll be back in a couple days and has a pretty short list of some follow up before hitting submit. But here’s the question we parents have…

And that is: How to rank the 5 schools!!??

Is there any help with figuring this out? Is it as “simple” as ordering them by how much you want to attend / joint those battalions? In which case, great. But I guess our question (debate?!) stems from worrying that if he puts as his first choice a school he is sure to be accepted at that also has a large battalion, that would maximize his chances of his getting his ultimate goal, which is serving our country by becoming a Naval officer. But what if that school is not his “favorite”? It’s probably not even in the top 3. The other schools he really likes are a lot more competitive. Some of them are INSANELY competitive. So on this list of 5 we have a sure thing admissions wise, some competitive schools where everyone ELSE applying also has high grades and SATs, and 1-2 moonshot schools including an Ivy where it feels like shooting in the dark to know if you can get in to be honest no matter how great you are.

So do you put the safety school first knowing that if they’ve decided to award you the honor of a scholarship, you are in to that school and your scholarship is likely to be placed at that school and no finagling or petitions after. One and done. Rest easy. OR… do you put a more competitive school first (that you like a lot better) and know you’ll get in to your safety school that you put 5th and pray that when you get rejected from your favorite moonshot school you ranked the #1 or #2 or #3 etc slot (or all!) they’ll still have room for you down at #5 and pray the scholarship is able to be moved?
 
My DS put his favorite long-shot school as #2, after conferring via email with the school's NROTC battalion that they always had available slots as it was so competitive for admissions. He put his #1 school at a "target" school - one he really liked and where he was a likely admit. Upon receipt of scholarship and ED acceptance to #2 school, it was a simple email to change schools. I'd suggest emailing battalion POC(s) to find info on if/when quotas are reached at a particular school. In DS's case, ED and an early NROTC board really eased the whole process.
 
It's really a question your DS has to decide for himself. My DS put his very competitive dream school #1 and ranked them all according to his preference. He was awarded a NROTC scholarship early on, before any admissions decisions came out. I worried when he was deferred early action at his #1 school. He had been admitted to his #2 by that point and I wondered if he should look into transferring the scholarship there until he had a final decision from #1. He decided to let it ride at #1 school and let it play out. It all worked out just fine and he commissioned last year and is loving life right now.
 
Jabor3 said:
But here’s the question we parents have…

And that is: How to rank the 5 schools!!??

Is there any help with figuring this out? Is it as “simple” as ordering them by how much you want to attend / joint those battalions? In which case, great. But I guess our question (debate?!) stems from worrying that if he puts as his first choice a school he is sure to be accepted at that also has a large battalion, that would maximize his chances of his getting his ultimate goal, which is serving our country by becoming a Naval officer. But what if that school is not his “favorite”? It’s probably not even in the top 3. The other schools he really likes are a lot more competitive. Some of them are INSANELY competitive. So on this list of 5 we have a sure thing admissions wise, some competitive schools where everyone ELSE applying
also become a Great Family Dinner Debate!!
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What is the current state of ‘transferability’ of scholarships? Back when my boys applied, they could transfer to any school on their list. Is that how it is nowadays?

My only piece of advice, is to make sure it’s a school that he will be happy to attend. And can afford if something comes up (happens allllll the time, just look around the forums) down the road after he has a year or two completed.

I also advise to not try and gamble, or game the system/outcome. Not saying he is. But coming from a straight forward approach. Vs banking on “what-if” scenarios.
 
justdoit19 said:
What is the current state of ‘transferability’ of scholarships? Back when my boys applied, they could transfer to any school on their list. Is that how it is nowadays?

My only piece of advice, is to make sure it’s a school that he will be happy to attend. And can afford if something comes up (happens allllll the time, just look around the forums) down the road after he has a year or two completed.

I also advise to not try and gamble, or game the system/outcome. Not saying he is. But coming from a straight forward approach. Vs banking on “what-if” scenarios.
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I believe it is back to the same as when DS applied in 2016. You have to list 5 schools, with one being in-state and at least one a public institution. Scholarship caps are back in play at units (they were removed for a few years). You can potentially transfer the scholarship to any school where you are admitted that has an NROTC unit that has not reached its scholarship cap, even if it was not on your original list of 5. I believe @GWU PNS said that cost does come into play when evaluating the request to transfer.
 
ProudDad17 said:
I believe it is back to the same as when DS applied in 2016. You have to list 5 schools, with one being in-state and at least one a public institution. Scholarship caps are back in play at units (they were removed for a few years). You can potentially transfer the scholarship to any school where you are admitted that has an NROTC unit that has not reached its scholarship cap, even if it was not on your original list of 5. I believe @GWU PNS said that cost does come into play when evaluating the request to transfer.
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That sure adds a level of challenge to rankings schools!
 
Last cycle, more than 90% of the applicants were placed at their #1 choice assuming they were accepted. Some of the Ivies reach their limit and I think Texas A&M was close to reaching its cap.

Once you are placed at a unit, then shifting to a different unit will take into account the difference in tuition cost.

One thing applicants need to keep in mind is that to be considered for an MSI option, one of their choices has to be an HBC or an HHE.
 
GWU PNS said:
Last cycle, more than 90% of the applicants were placed at their #1 choice assuming they were accepted. Some of the Ivies reach their limit and I think Texas A&M was close to reaching its cap.

Once you are placed at a unit, then shifting to a different unit will take into account the difference in tuition cost.

One thing applicants need to keep in mind is that to be considered for an MSI option, one of their choices has to be an HBC or an HHE.
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It's interesting some of the Ivies reached their limit. When DS was applying and listed U Mich as his #1, unit staff there told him they never reach their limit, due to how selective admission to the university is. I'd think the same would apply to the Ivies.
 
In 2013 DS1 was accepted to dream school. He received a letter from unit indicating they were aware of his credentials and asked him if he would be interested in applying for national scholarship. He received an ISR, listed his dream school that he was accepted to and received letter from as #1. His scholarship was assigned to 3rd school, state school, on list. He worked with 1st ranked school and got it transferred. DS2 ranked in order he wanted to attend with dream school first. Scholarship was awarded to first rank school, which he subsequently got into. As an fyi, he was also admitted to an Ivy and their unit reached out to him to attend, but in the end, he went with the school that held his heart since he was a young tike.
You will see on these boards to keep in mind affordability if something should happen during the 4 years and your Midshipman loses the scholarship. It's wise advice. I will be honest, both my son's dream schools were more than I could afford without the scholarship. It would have meant significant student loan debt. They went to their dream schools anyway. Those 8 years brought a lot of worry...don't get injured playing intramural, don't make bad decisions that get you kicked out, keep your grades up, pass physics and Calc, ace the prt every semester, etc...but the unknown worry wound up being the commissioning physical end of junior year when something showed up that we weren't aware of. In my son's case the flight surgeon was excellent, they performed several tests to conclude there was no medical cause and gave him the necessary waivers....everything but the medical was in my sons control. As much as I worried, I let them be college kids, play sports even though they risked injury....and yes, there were trips to the health center for sprained ankles, etc...in the end, it worked out ok for us, they are both commissioned and in aviation. I only shared this information because it's important to realize that there are things that can go wrong and should be considered when selecting a school.
 
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