4 year scholarship chances

PMR

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My DS is looking for a 4 year Army scholarship, based on below stats:

31 ACT (not super scored)
3.78 GPA weighted, 3.5 unweighted
5:53 mile run, 54 push-up, 52 curl-up
2 varsity sports
Multiple volunteer hours
No captain/elected office, but starting a new school club.
Likely to major in I/T.

Main concern: will lack of leadership greatly effect an otherwise very well-rounded student? Thanks for your thoughts and opinions.
 
Yes, lack of leadership will affect him, but it doesn't mean he can't make the cut. He'll need to compensate in other areas.... or chase that captain slot. Not sure how the new club helps as I don't know how that is treated in scoring.
 
Much will depend on the competition of the other applicants at the various colleges on his list. If a school has very few Army ROTC candidates he may be okay.
Speak to the ROO at the colleges he is interested in to get a feel for this. Even if he is declined for a 4 year National scholarship, he may be able to earn a campus based one by working hard as a non-contract cadet.

My son did this and by spring earned a 3.5 year campus based scholarship for Army ROTC. He will commission in 2019. @kinnem's DS did this through NROTC/MO (called sideload) and is now a Marine officer.
 
Not a deal breaker, though if his class has yet to elect officers for the upcoming year, why not give it a shot. As I recall, the only leadership or elected position my son held was something like secretary of his junior class. Starting a new club will show initiative, a quality the Army wants in its officers. If he can show some poise and confidence in his interview, that will help. Otherwise, your son looks competitive on paper, depending, of course, on his school choice.
 
Volunteer or work is also looked at for leadership. Remember to have him list anything and everything he has done on other, even if there is not a specific box to check.
 
For my DS leadership was also his weakest area. His academics were very strong, and athletics were solid. He also worked. He was originally awarded a 3 year scholarship and upgraded to a 4 year. It can be done!!
 
My DS is looking for a 4 year Army scholarship, based on below stats:

31 ACT (not super scored)
3.78 GPA weighted, 3.5 unweighted
5:53 mile run, 54 push-up, 52 curl-up
2 varsity sports
Multiple volunteer hours
No captain/elected office, but starting a new school club.
Likely to major in I/T.

Main concern: will lack of leadership greatly effect an otherwise very well-rounded student? Thanks for your thoughts and opinions.

My DD did not have any of the obvious leadership roles. After some thought and looking over her resume of activities, we realized that being captain of a team or president of the class are not the only ways students exhibit leadership.

Here are some ideas that might trigger you and your DS to look for the leadership he has demonstrated through his experiences:
  • What roles has he played in his community service and volunteerism?
  • Was he ever in charge of organizing or leading one of those service events?
  • Does he have a part-time job? (that shows huge responsibility, especially when juggling work hours with great grades and sports!)
  • Has he been section leader in orchestra or band?
  • Does he ever lead practices/drills for one of his sports?
  • Does his sport team volunteer to coach a younger team?
  • Is he an altar server, eucharistic minister or other type of leader at church?
  • Does he help a teacher after school in setting up labs or preparing classrooms?
  • Is he in any Honor Societies - all of these usually have some type of leadership component students have to complete to maintain their membership.
  • Does he assist at home in taking care of younger siblings?
  • Is he an orientation guide at his school for new students/incoming freshman?
I hope this helps - good luck.
 
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Yes, I should add that my DD won a four-year second round. Also, you have the ability to attach documents to the application. She attached her resume since the activity section on the application was a bit generic and didn't have categories for everything she did. Also, she along with some friends, began a club where they taught science around the community - she attached a video the group made for the purpose of seeking grant funding. She was also very well-prepared and confident when it came to her interview.
 
Much will depend on the competition of the other applicants at the various colleges on his list. If a school has very few Army ROTC candidates he may be okay.

I thought AROTC changed their process in regards to this back in 2014/2015, where the boards simply scored the files and awarded the scholarships to the highest ranked files and then assigned the schools to the winner to select from afterwards? (Similar to how NROTC handles it, but they only offer 1 school to the scholarship winner) I thought I remember @clarksonarmy indicating that with the first board winners that they were given their top 3 schools to choose from automatically and then for the 2nd and 3rd boards they started looking to see which units had scholarship slots to fill. Maybe he can weigh in on this.
 
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DS was a 2nd round winner and was awarded his 1st and 3rd schools (clemson and Alabama). We thought this was odd since his 2nd choice (penn state) was the only in state school. So perhaps PSU was already filled with 1st round winners?
 
The board doesn't make the offers, they just score the files. Cadet Command makes the offers based on the Order Of Merit (OML) list and the availability of allocations. Each school has a mission. How many scholarships are offered to a particular school will be based on their capacity/allocations. If the first 20 on the first round OML all listed Clarkson as their number one school (I wish) I don't think Cadet Command would allow all 20 to get that offer. Of course Cadet Command may honor some r quests for transfer at a later date. Keep in mind the popular, national draws fill up. Well kept secrets like Clarkson not so much. And remember that the process is always being tweaked and changes from year to year.

I'd also agree with brob, but I would caution you about uploading documents not asked for. The place to highlight information not indicated in the activities section is in the additional information box. That is white space that can be filled with bullet points about the other "stuff" you do that indicates leadership. Most board members have a couple minutes to review a file. They aren't reading resumes and looking at videos or reference letters. They are looking at the application info, transcripts, PMS interview, and the blocks of text from the application (essays and additional information). Quality over quantity in this process.
 
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The board doesn't make the offers, they just score the files. Cadet Command makes the offers based on the Order Of Merit (OML) list and the availability of allocations. Each school has a mission. How many scholarships are offered to a particular school will be based on their capacity/allocations. If the first 20 on the first round OML all listed Clarkson as their number one school (I wish) I don't think Cadet Command would allow all 20 to get that offer. Of course Cadet Command may honor some r quests for transfer at a later date. Keep in mind the popular, national draws fill up. Well kept secrets like Clarkson not so much. And remember that the process is always being tweaked and changes from year to year.

I'd also agree with brob, but I would caution you about uploading documents not asked for. The place to highlight information not indicated in the activities section is in the additional information box. That is white space that can be filled with bullet points about the other "stuff" you do that indicates leadership. Most board members have a couple minutes to review a file. They aren't reading resumes and looking at videos or reference letters. They are looking at the application info, transcripts, PMS interview, and the blocks of text from the application (essays and additional information). Quality over quantity in this process.
So if an applicant puts "less-popular" schools on his/her list, is it possible he/she would get a national scholarship if their overall total score on the OML file is lower than other applicants who have selected more popular schools whose scholarship slots fill up faster? Or does Cadet Command simply make the offers based upon the ranking of the files on the OML and then select the schools to match the winner with? It seems that people on this forum infer that the school selection on the application plays into who gets the scholarship. If this is the case, then it could be extremely important for applicants who may have an over weaker application to be very selective in the colleges they choose, if their main goal above all is to get a 3/4 year national scholarship.
 
My opinion is that more students might be wise to look into less well-known schools both from an admissions standpoint and with the view of getting a scholarship. One of my DD's choices was a more competitive school - she was admitted but not offered scholarship. I was glad when she focused her attention on another private school that met all her needs and seemed to want her rather than the other way around. She did not try to transfer her scholarship, but decided to be happy to go where she was wanted. I actually think it is a better fit academically and socially for her, too. PS I went to one of those "big-name" schools and personally, I feel the value of it is over-rated.
 
So if an applicant puts "less-popular" schools on his/her list, is it possible he/she would get a national scholarship if their overall total score on the OML file is lower than other applicants who have selected more popular schools whose scholarship slots fill up faster? Or does Cadet Command simply make the offers based upon the ranking of the files on the OML and then select the schools to match the winner with? It seems that people on this forum infer that the school selection on the application plays into who gets the scholarship. If this is the case, then it could be extremely important for applicants who may have an over weaker application to be very selective in the colleges they choose, if their main goal above all is to get a 3/4 year national scholarship.[/QUOTE]
It is the second scenario you mention, scholarship awarded then the school selection. Basically it is more of an issue if an applicant will get those schools or not based on when they are awarded. For example, my DD had four schools on her list, she apparently had a few hidden gems in her list because during 3rd board she was given 3 choices, her 1st, 3rd and 4th choices, she was a nurse recipient so all the nursing slots were filled at her second choice school by that point. She could of tried transferring if she had not gotten into the schools she was awarded or had changed her mind but no guarantee. The biggest issue is making sure the schools are schools that the student will get accepted to. In some cases a scholarship can help a kid get off a waiting list however at the most selective schools it won't make a difference.
 
My DD is nursing major, also - perhaps if she had her application ready to go first round, she may have been offered that scholarship to the more competitive school at that time - I think you're right - they were probably all filled after that round.
So many things to consider. I think it is wise to put a nice mix of schools on your list, only a couple of "reach" schools and more of those you know you can get into. A very sad scenario on this forum is to see students who were offered scholarships but weren't accepted at any of their schools because the reach was too high/competitive.
 
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If your main goal is to get a three or four year scholarship then an ROTC scholarship may not be a good fit, because it's not really a "scholarship". It's a loan that you will pay back with time and service. Find the school and program that will be the best fit, and set your mind to earning a commission, not figuring out how to get free school.
Control what you can control. You can't control how many offers the schools on your list will get. What you can control is the quality of your application.
 
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Very true - it isn't really a scholarship at all. It is a unique opportunity.
 
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Wow, thank you all very much. I really appreciate all of the feedback. Just for additional info/clarity's sake:

- DS holds full time job over the summer, in addition to off-season lax training.
- Works weekends during the school year.
- NHS member.
- He often helps out with his 6 YO sister (thanks for the idea, @brob).
- @clarksonarmy, great point on #17. His goal is to serve, first and foremost. If Uncle Sam educates him in return, all the better.
 
Glad to give you further ideas on how to demonstrate leadership. Best wishes!
 
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