A little lost on what to do

Ethan T Morrow

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Oct 2, 2018
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A little bit of background:
I am a junior in high school with a 3.8 gpa, JROTC, CAP, Young Republicans, TSA, FCA, Gear Up, and Student Government under my belt. I scored a 22 on my ACT, and I am currently studying to improve that. My question is what should I aim my ACT score at to be accepted for a AF or a Army ROTC scholarship (University of Kentucky), and if I don’t get accepted how should I then proceed if I wish to be commissioned and attend UKY? Thank you!
 
AF minimum is 26.
Army is 22.

I would strongly encourage you to get that up into at least the high 20’s though
 
and if I don’t get accepted how should I then proceed if I wish to be commissioned and attend UKY? Thank you!

Back in 2015, my DS had low test scores too (1150 SAT). He still ended up earning a 3 year AROTC campus based scholarship by just being a "walk-on" to the program at his university and working his rear-end off. He commissions active duty next May.

If you wish to attend Kentucky and participate in Army ROTC without a scholarship, you simply enroll in the program, and attend all the required MIL-SCI classes. If you work hard and participate in EC's plus NAIL the APFT, you should have a strong chance to win a campus based scholarship.

Even if you don't win a scholarship, you can still qualify for a non-scholarship contract by your junior (MS-III) year. This provides with a stipend and makes you eligible to participate in the advanced course (MS-III and MS-IV). Successful completion of this will result in a commission. If you rank high on the national order of merit (OML), you will likely be granted active duty.
 
A little bit of background:
I am a junior in high school with a 3.8 gpa, JROTC, CAP, Young Republicans, TSA, FCA, Gear Up, and Student Government under my belt. I scored a 22 on my ACT, and I am currently studying to improve that. My question is what should I aim my ACT score at to be accepted for a AF or a Army ROTC scholarship (University of Kentucky), and if I don’t get accepted how should I then proceed if I wish to be commissioned and attend UKY? Thank you!


For Army ROTC, the GPA is ~3.6 and SAT is ~1270 (translates to about 26-27 ACT) for a 4-year scholarship winner.

So aim for much higher than 26-27 ACT if you want an Army ROTC scholarship going in to UK.
 
You should aim to get the highest ACT score possible regardless of service. You need to be accepted by the colleges you wish to attend as well. It's a competition... it's not a "meet this minimum and we'll give you a scholarship".

If you are not awarded a scholarship you can still enroll in any ROTC program in college. Each program has some way of requiring you to be approved to go forward for the last 2 years. If you complete the program successfully, with or without the scholarship, you will commission.
 
AF minimum is 26.
Army is 22.

I would strongly encourage you to get that up into at least the high 20’s though
NROTCdad is right, attempt to get the ACT score up as high as possible; however my DS won a 4 year Army ROTC scholarship with a 24 composite, although he had a 30 in math which I believed helped him. He applied as an Elec Eng major, but the Army does not even care what your major is. Do the best you can and let the chips fall.
 
Minimum ACT to received a scholarship is 19. Higher is better, and if you don’t get a national offer you can still enroll, possibly earn a campus based scholarship, and ultimately commission regardless of whether you get a scholarship or not.
 
Minimum ACT to received a scholarship is 19. Higher is better, and if you don’t get a national offer you can still enroll, possibly earn a campus based scholarship, and ultimately commission regardless of whether you get a scholarship or not.
You’re right, it is 19. I was going off memory from last year. Gotta stop this day drinking. LOL
 
Awww, this brings back memories! My daughter had a 22 ACT after taking it 3 times. Smart kid, but test anxiety wasn’t her friend. After a visit September of her senior year to one of the schools on her list, the ROO told her to retake the ACT before doing her PMS interview because a minimum of a 24 is needed to get full points for that section. He also told her that her file was good, but there are lots of 22’s out there, to shoot for a 26 to set herself a part a little more. He said even a 25 would help. Now, people have gotten the scholarship with lower ACT scores, but she took his advice to heart. She researched for a study program she felt would help her more than the last few she had tried. She dug in and got a 25 a month later, which gave her a super score of 26. She ended up with a 3 year scholarship on the 3rd board. We will never know if she would have gotten one anyway, but I will say that during her PMS interview the LTC congratulated her on working hard and improving her score by so much. It also gave her the max points for the academic section. If you want to know what she did to study, I cannot list it in the public forum but feel free to PM me.
 
Awww, this brings back memories! My daughter had a 22 ACT after taking it 3 times. Smart kid, but test anxiety wasn’t her friend. After a visit September of her senior year to one of the schools on her list, the ROO told her to retake the ACT before doing her PMS interview because a minimum of a 24 is needed to get full points for that section. He also told her that her file was good, but there are lots of 22’s out there, to shoot for a 26 to set herself a part a little more. He said even a 25 would help. Now, people have gotten the scholarship with lower ACT scores, but she took his advice to heart. She researched for a study program she felt would help her more than the last few she had tried. She dug in and got a 25 a month later, which gave her a super score of 26. She ended up with a 3 year scholarship on the 3rd board. We will never know if she would have gotten one anyway, but I will say that during her PMS interview the LTC congratulated her on working hard and improving her score by so much. It also gave her the max points for the academic section. If you want to know what she did to study, I cannot list it in the public forum but feel free to PM me.
Inspiring to see a kid so committed to serve. Kudos !
 
You might consider taking the SAT. DS seemed to be "stuck" on the ACT and scores didn't really improve over a couple of attempts. His score on his first SAT (without preparation) was higher than the superscored ACT and it just got better with a few more attempts.
 
Don't forget EKU (Eastern Kentucky University) as an option for Army ROTC
I’m actually considering EKU and WKU as well, I am attending a tour to those colleges next week so maybe they can give me some more advice. Thank you!


When I was going through ROTC advanced camp, the cadets from Austin Peay University were top-notch. I wondered why they were so good at this "Army stuff." Was it because their cadre prepared them well??? I found out many were prior service (primarily just got out of Army at Ft. Campbell) so they took their Army knowledge and put it to good use.
 
Don’t forget there are many other variables to consider at the same time. Noticed you didn’t mention any sports so I don’t know if your into athletics or not...just a little something to also consider. Good luck!! :)
 
ETHAN. First know that you’re not alone on this. So it’s fine. But it’s important to learn how to correct your problems. It seems you need more practice and learn what you’re doing wrong and fix it.

If this helps your motivation, I know several kids who started with ACT 19 in all sections and ended up getting 35 in most sections after taking 100 practice tests. They took 1 full practice test a day. Evaluated what they were doing wrong and fixed it little by little. They analyzed their test taking issues and corrected their problems and weaknesses along the way. Some can do it over few real tests but most need much more practice to feel comfortable and to get it!

You can get these real and Prep school prepared tests by paying for it. They’re not expensive. If you’re serious about improving this maybe the time to break your piggy bank and invest. Some kids don’t need it but many do. Consider it a small price to pay for a life time investment. You have the winter, spring, and summer to turn this around. You’re a Junior. You have time but need to be dedicated since there’s more to your life than ACT. I would prioritize the most important to the least. And I would put your ACT at the top of your agenda!
 
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