2nd Interview for NROTC?

kikibear

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I applied to Yale University as a Restrictive Early Action applicant and had an interview with an alumni. I also interviewed with their NROTC commanding officer as part of my NROTC scholarship application, as Yale was listed as my top choice school and their CO said he interviews anyone who selects Yale as their top choice school. I was notified as a Yale deferral soon after (December), and an NROTC National Scholarship recipient last week. The scholarship was placed at Yale so I updated them through the applicant portal that I had received the scholarship and that it had been placed at their school. Today, a different NROTC instructor from Yale sent an email requesting an interview as part of my admissions application. I'm assuming it was because of the scholarship update, but has this happened with anyone else? That the notification of a scholarship causes an interview specifically with their NROTC faculty?
 
I applied to Yale University as a Restrictive Early Action applicant and had an interview with an alumni. I also interviewed with their NROTC commanding officer as part of my NROTC scholarship application, as Yale was listed as my top choice school and their CO said he interviews anyone who selects Yale as their top choice school. I was notified as a Yale deferral soon after (December), and an NROTC National Scholarship recipient last week. The scholarship was placed at Yale so I updated them through the applicant portal that I had received the scholarship and that it had been placed at their school. Today, a different NROTC instructor from Yale sent an email requesting an interview as part of my admissions application. I'm assuming it was because of the scholarship update, but has this happened with anyone else? That the notification of a scholarship causes an interview specifically with their NROTC faculty?
Agree with above that the second interview is rare / unique. My gut says it's a good thing though so I recommend going through with it.

Congrats on receiving the scholarship by the way! While I fully appreciate the desire to attend Yale, have you been accepted to other NROTC schools as a backup in the event Yale doesn't work out?
 
Hopefully you end up joining us at the unit–it's a great environment. Good luck!
 
Definitely very rare; I have never heard of someone doing a second interview. Best of luck, rooting for you!
 
Agree with above that the second interview is rare / unique. My gut says it's a good thing though so I recommend going through with it.

Congrats on receiving the scholarship by the way! While I fully appreciate the desire to attend Yale, have you been accepted to other NROTC schools as a backup in the event Yale doesn't work out?
All my schools are getting back to me in late March/early April. Only two more months left of the waiting game!
 
If it has it's rare. Take the interview. Perhaps they're re-assessinh your commitment to Yale at this point before going to bat for you. That's the bright side anyway. Of course it might be something else.
They said it was another opportunity for the admissions team to capture who I am and what I'll contribute to Yale. Interview is scheduled for tomorrow, I really don't know what more I can tell them (first Yale interview went for 45 minutes, NROTC interview for 1.5 hours), but I'm excited regardless!
 
They said it was another opportunity for the admissions team to capture who I am and what I'll contribute to Yale. Interview is scheduled for tomorrow, I really don't know what more I can tell them (first Yale interview went for 45 minutes, NROTC interview for 1.5 hours), but I'm excited regardless!
This sounds very promising !! best of luck!!
 
I applied to Yale University as a Restrictive Early Action applicant and had an interview with an alumni. I also interviewed with their NROTC commanding officer as part of my NROTC scholarship application, as Yale was listed as my top choice school and their CO said he interviews anyone who selects Yale as their top choice school. I was notified as a Yale deferral soon after (December), and an NROTC National Scholarship recipient last week. The scholarship was placed at Yale so I updated them through the applicant portal that I had received the scholarship and that it had been placed at their school. Today, a different NROTC instructor from Yale sent an email requesting an interview as part of my admissions application. I'm assuming it was because of the scholarship update, but has this happened with anyone else? That the notification of a scholarship causes an interview specifically with their NROTC faculty?
Sounds like a very good sign. Nail it!
 
Thanks for all the kind replies! She said it was probably triggered by me receiving the scholarship placed at Yale, but that not all kids get interviewed. It only went for half an hour and she asked me similar questions to the scholarship ones (what's the most important leadership trait, why is effective communication important, etc). At the end she asked me "Why Yale" and I reaffirmed my commitment to the university. She said the interview is used to gauge how well I would do at their NROTC unit. Also, something that surprised me was that while she was a Yale NROTC instructor, she didn't attend Yale. I don't know if the admissions committee did that on purpose, but she gave great insight into other NROTC units and how Yale's compares. I think it went well, we will see in March!
 
While I can't speak for Yale, there are a few universities who will take a second look at an application for various reasons. Sometimes it's because an applicant may fill a need for an athletics team, and sometimes it can be when the applicant receives a scholarship that might tip the balance for the admissions office. Assuming you already had your interview done the first time by the PNS, and then you were offered the NROTC scholarship, a second interview (not done by the PNS) would not serve any purpose for NROTC---they have already made their decision.

I am guessing, but I believe there has been discussion between the Yale NROTC unit and the admissions office, and the potential purpose of your 2nd interview was to nail down how much you prefer Yale to any other university or NROTC unit. And guessing again, and they may not have asked, but the possibility exists that if you have also applied to USNA, and receive an appointment offer, which would you choose?

All in all, the request for a 2nd interview can only be a good thing. The worst that happens is you shift to your 2nd or 3rd choice, but that isn't so terrible anyway. Hoping for the best outcome for you. But it's like you already won the lottery, and now you just want to know if you got the "powerball" or not :cool:
 
While I can't speak for Yale, there are a few universities who will take a second look at an application for various reasons. Sometimes it's because an applicant may fill a need for an athletics team, and sometimes it can be when the applicant receives a scholarship that might tip the balance for the admissions office. Assuming you already had your interview done the first time by the PNS, and then you were offered the NROTC scholarship, a second interview (not done by the PNS) would not serve any purpose for NROTC---they have already made their decision.

I am guessing, but I believe there has been discussion between the Yale NROTC unit and the admissions office, and the potential purpose of your 2nd interview was to nail down how much you prefer Yale to any other university or NROTC unit. And guessing again, and they may not have asked, but the possibility exists that if you have also applied to USNA, and receive an appointment offer, which would you choose?

All in all, the request for a 2nd interview can only be a good thing. The worst that happens is you shift to your 2nd or 3rd choice, but that isn't so terrible anyway. Hoping for the best outcome for you. But it's like you already won the lottery, and now you just want to know if you got the "powerball" or not :cool:
Thanks for your insight, it's really helpful! And she did indeed ask if I applied to any ROTC's or service academies and why Yale NROTC specifically, I'm assuming for the reasons you stated above.
 
I applied to Yale University as a Restrictive Early Action applicant and had an interview with an alumni. I also interviewed with their NROTC commanding officer as part of my NROTC scholarship application, as Yale was listed as my top choice school and their CO said he interviews anyone who selects Yale as their top choice school. I was notified as a Yale deferral soon after (December), and an NROTC National Scholarship recipient last week. The scholarship was placed at Yale so I updated them through the applicant portal that I had received the scholarship and that it had been placed at their school. Today, a different NROTC instructor from Yale sent an email requesting an interview as part of my admissions application. I'm assuming it was because of the scholarship update, but has this happened with anyone else? That the notification of a scholarship causes an interview specifically with their NROTC faculty?
Good luck. Daughter is a Junior at Yale (non ROTC) and she loves it
 
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