For ROTC scholarship applicants, this is now a very stressful season. I don't know about this years board schedule, or whether the timing is working out the way it did last year.
I would like share a word of caution for students aiming to get a scholarship to expensive private schools.
I posted this in another thread, but I will repeat here since it is relevant.
The decision regarding AROTC school of choice and actual college application for AROTC is like playing multiple chess games simultaneously. I am not that familiar with AFROTC or NROTC, but I understand for AFROTC, the school does not matter, and NROTC "selects" the school for scholarship for you among the list you created (please correct me if I am wrong).
For AROTC, if they award you a scholarship, you could be receiving several choices. Now, you have to choose one within a month and then you HAVE to admitted to that school to match the scholarship to the school you are admitted to. You have to make commitment and decision not having all the data you need to make a decision. For my son, the last year's timing for everything was perfect, but I don't know such good timing works out for every school or every year (depending on when the first board meets). Also it worked out well since he was awarded the scholarship out of the first board. If he had not been awarded the scholarship after the first board, it would have complicated the whole thing a lot more.
Here is the rub. There were several cases last year of students applying binding early decision to some very expensive schools, getting admitted, and then later finding out that s/he did not get a scholarship to that school. Granted, you could transfer the scholarship, but believe me, transferring a scholarship to a VERY expensive school in the spring will be a tough thing to pull off, especially in a tightened budgetary environment. (for instance, at the school where my son is a freshman 4 year scholarship cadet, several scholarship winners were not admitted to the school, but the slots are NOT backfilled this year, probably due to the budgetary issue. As a data point, this school is rated as one of the top 5 most expensive schools in the nation).
On top of that I am already hearing about students who decided to drop out of the AROTC program after they matriculated to a very expensive school as a 4 year scholarship student. Now, if the family cannot afford to pay the exorbitant tuition, the student may either have to incur a student loan worth the price of a house or has to transfer to a more affordable school.
So, my advice: do NOT apply binding ED unless you can afford the tuition without any scholarship. Granted some say that you can get out of the binding ED commitment if you don't get scholarship, claiming financial difficulties if the school has the "need blind" policy when it comes to finances. However, trust me on this, "need blind" from their perspective is very different from saying "we will keep you whole". For instance, the school can deem the family financially "capable" assuming that your parents can tap ALL the equity in the house. This is NOT a sound financial decision for the family - draining the family resources like this.
Also, I advise you not take the 4 year scholarship to a very expensive school unless you and your family feel confident that even if you drop out, your family can afford the school expenses going forward. You may feel confident that you are 100% committed, but you never know, and somethings can happen that you don't control that might force you to drop out. It'a tough economic time: everybody needs to make a prudent financial decision.
Good luck
I would like share a word of caution for students aiming to get a scholarship to expensive private schools.
I posted this in another thread, but I will repeat here since it is relevant.
The decision regarding AROTC school of choice and actual college application for AROTC is like playing multiple chess games simultaneously. I am not that familiar with AFROTC or NROTC, but I understand for AFROTC, the school does not matter, and NROTC "selects" the school for scholarship for you among the list you created (please correct me if I am wrong).
For AROTC, if they award you a scholarship, you could be receiving several choices. Now, you have to choose one within a month and then you HAVE to admitted to that school to match the scholarship to the school you are admitted to. You have to make commitment and decision not having all the data you need to make a decision. For my son, the last year's timing for everything was perfect, but I don't know such good timing works out for every school or every year (depending on when the first board meets). Also it worked out well since he was awarded the scholarship out of the first board. If he had not been awarded the scholarship after the first board, it would have complicated the whole thing a lot more.
Here is the rub. There were several cases last year of students applying binding early decision to some very expensive schools, getting admitted, and then later finding out that s/he did not get a scholarship to that school. Granted, you could transfer the scholarship, but believe me, transferring a scholarship to a VERY expensive school in the spring will be a tough thing to pull off, especially in a tightened budgetary environment. (for instance, at the school where my son is a freshman 4 year scholarship cadet, several scholarship winners were not admitted to the school, but the slots are NOT backfilled this year, probably due to the budgetary issue. As a data point, this school is rated as one of the top 5 most expensive schools in the nation).
On top of that I am already hearing about students who decided to drop out of the AROTC program after they matriculated to a very expensive school as a 4 year scholarship student. Now, if the family cannot afford to pay the exorbitant tuition, the student may either have to incur a student loan worth the price of a house or has to transfer to a more affordable school.
So, my advice: do NOT apply binding ED unless you can afford the tuition without any scholarship. Granted some say that you can get out of the binding ED commitment if you don't get scholarship, claiming financial difficulties if the school has the "need blind" policy when it comes to finances. However, trust me on this, "need blind" from their perspective is very different from saying "we will keep you whole". For instance, the school can deem the family financially "capable" assuming that your parents can tap ALL the equity in the house. This is NOT a sound financial decision for the family - draining the family resources like this.
Also, I advise you not take the 4 year scholarship to a very expensive school unless you and your family feel confident that even if you drop out, your family can afford the school expenses going forward. You may feel confident that you are 100% committed, but you never know, and somethings can happen that you don't control that might force you to drop out. It'a tough economic time: everybody needs to make a prudent financial decision.
Good luck
