3yr AROTC AD scholarship award validation

Vickster

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Mar 10, 2017
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Does anyone know if SMC has ever validated a 3 yr AROTC scholarship even though the gpa is short of the Cadet Command 2.5 freshman year requirement?
 
I would doubt it.

They will not validate if the cadet can't pass the APFT so I would assume they don't validate if the cadet does not meet the GPA requirement.
 
I find it almost backwards on the 2.5 to validate and 2.0 to maintain requirement. Seems the freshman year is the hardest, most stressful adjusting to collegiate academics and SMC military requirements, i.e., knobs, rats, et al. Thinking it would be more like "keep your head above water while feet are furiously working below the surface" freshman year and then make the gpa requirement 2.5 the remaining three years with the expectation that you will have acclimated to the SMC environment and be able to manage the higher gpa going forward. Just my 2 cents...
 
I find it almost backwards on the 2.5 to validate and 2.0 to maintain requirement. Seems the freshman year is the hardest, most stressful adjusting to collegiate academics and SMC military requirements, i.e., knobs, rats, et al. Thinking it would be more like "keep your head above water while feet are furiously working below the surface" freshman year and then make the gpa requirement 2.5 the remaining three years with the expectation that you will have acclimated to the SMC environment and be able to manage the higher gpa going forward. Just my 2 cents...
That is why they call it validation.
The choice to list an SMC as a school option is that of the applicant.
My son, a 3YR AD AROTC freshman at an SMC, is on track to finish his first year with a 3.7.
I doubt he would have that GPA if it not for the structure. He commented, "if I am studying they don't yell at me". So that might factor in as well.
His SMC has freshman take only 14 credits their first semester vs 17 the remainder of their semesters.
 
I think Cadet Command understands that GPA can bounce around. Requiring a 2.5 to validate allows them better confidence that the cadet will be able to keep a 2.0 to remain under contract their remaining years in school.
 
I find it almost backwards on the 2.5 to validate and 2.0 to maintain requirement. Seems the freshman year is the hardest, most stressful adjusting to collegiate academics and SMC military requirements, i.e., knobs, rats, et al. Thinking it would be more like "keep your head above water while feet are furiously working below the surface" freshman year and then make the gpa requirement 2.5 the remaining three years with the expectation that you will have acclimated to the SMC environment and be able to manage the higher gpa going forward. Just my 2 cents...
That is why they call it validation.
The choice to list an SMC as a school option is that of the applicant.
My son, a 3YR AD AROTC freshman at an SMC, is on track to finish his first year with a 3.7.
I doubt he would have that GPA if it not for the structure. He commented, "if I am studying they don't yell at me". So that might factor in as well.
His SMC has freshman take only 14 credits their first semester vs 17 the remainder of their semesters.
Which SMC is that?
 
The requirements to validate is the 2.5 GPA and passing the APFT. Validations have to be completed no later than 1 JUL of the first year. A 2.5 GPA is a very low requirement for a merit based scholarship. Most civilian scholarships require a higher GPA.

Regardless of what type of college a student attends, a 2.5 is doable, if the student is making their academics a priority. Students who attend MIT, Cornell, Princeton, etc require a 2.5 to validate their scholarships, and those schools are academically harder than SMCs.

A cadet's GPA should be the number one priority in college, civilian or SMC, and is weighted so by Cadet Command. If the SMC is harming the student's GPA, then another school would probably be better.
 
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