AFROTC Scholarship Chances Dependent on School?

L

LAP

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I am sure this has been asked before but I was unable to find it. My son is a junior and starting to navigate through the college/ROTC/Academy jungle. He has a handfull of schools he is interested in attending and studying mechanical engineering. At some of these schools he would be academically in the top 15% or so of the incoming class and at others he would be in the mid-range. Are his chances of receiving a scholarship better at the school where he would be at the top end or the middle or it doesn't matter? He thinks he is certain that he wants to be a military officer. I have stressed to him that has to be the reason because the scholarship money alone isn't a good enough reason.
Thanks
 
For AROTC and NROTC, it appears to be the case that the more competitive the schools are on your list, the more competitive it is to receive an AROTC or NROTC scholarship. These two services appear to allocate the scholarships among schools, so if you list a top-tier school then you are competing against the other applicants at that top-tier school for the limited AROTC/NROTC allocations at that school.

For AFROTC, this does not appear to be the case based on the discussions on SAF. However, when my DS listed his schools for AFROTC during his interview, the interviewer seemed to suggest that he would have an easier time of receiving an AFROTC scholarship if my DS didn't list competitive schools. Pima will know best.
 
For AFROTC, you can take a scholarship to any school that is approved by AFROTC for the major you are given the scholarship for. Individual schools/detachments do not have an allotment of scholarships--there can be 1 person on scholarship or 100. If you go to the AFROTC website, under High School Scholarships, there is a section where you can put in your major and see all the colleges in the US or by state that are approved for your son's major--mechancial engineering.
 
Thanks for the info. For AFROTC it isn't going to matter which schools he selects but if he applies for a NROTC it might make a difference? I don't think he wants to apply to AROTC.
His first choice is a SA (AF,Navy or Army) but if he can't get in to a SA he is interested in ROTC but only AF or maybe Navy. I am not sure I understand his reasoning for USMA yes but AROTC no and I don't have to understand so long as I can make sure he understands.
 
My advice would be to apply to AROTC as well. Hopefully, he'll have more options, but you'd be surprised how inviting AROTC can be if that is his only option. You can always turn it down.
 
As others have stated the AFROTC program is the only one that does not care what school you apply to for scholarship purposes. All that matters is the school is on their approved list.

They will ask for the school's names because they need to x-ref. that in deed they are approved. No reason to give a scholarship, if the schools don't accept it.

I am not sure why Patent''s DS was told what he was told, it maybe the fear that yes, he gets the scholarship, but not admittance to the school, which would create problems for him. The reason why is he would have to go back to the board and ask to add new schools to the list.

Again, as stated you can put down 1 or 100 schools for AFROTC, whereas AROTC and NROTC it is only 5.

It is always important to have college matches on your list. Yr after yr there are candidates that got the scholarship, but not into the school for AROTC and NROTC, that than leaves them scrambling to fix their list.

Also, I do know some candidates who want USMA, but not AROTC. The most popular reason is they want to serve Active Duty, not reservist or guard. NROTC and AFROTC all cadets serve AD side by side with SA grads, thus, this is how they come to that decision.

Clarkson is someone you should pm about AROTC because if I am correct even though AROTC does have these three routes, it is a myth that you can't get AD if you want AD. If this is his fear, than maybe he should re-think it.

It also could be that his top schools do not offer AROTC as a host BN, and the other do. For example at UMDCP they have AFROTC and AROTC, but NROTC mids have to go X-town, for some that is a big player in the decision process.
 
Thank you everybody.
One of the schools he is interested in is a x-town affiliate. If he goes to a x-town school does he have to travel to the primary school multiple times per week for classes/training?
 
I think it depends on the school. For example, AROTC at Dartmouth is x-town with Norwich University. But the cadets at Dartmouth don't have to travel to Norwich for their training. It's done at Dartmouth.

But I think for the vast majority of x-town units, you have to travel to the mother ship.
 
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It sounds like we should inquire with the specific detachments .
 
YES!

Make an apptmt, ask when you make that apptmt if your DS can speak with cadets/mids at the det, and if x-town is on the table, ask for an x-town cadet. If one is not available, than still just talk to the cadet/mid they have available.

You and your spouse, go and walk the campus while he talks to the other students. Don't hang there, kids talk more freely without us parents around. Make a deal that you will meet somewhere at X time.

This will allow him to get a true feel if the Cadre is a match. Colleges need to be matches, but for ROTC cadets, the cadre also needs to be a match.

When you meet up later you will feel better. Our DS did his one on one with his AFROTC unit, and when Bullet met up with him at the student union, he asked if they could go to the Bursar's office and make a deposit. He found his match. He did this, even though he was an AFA candidate with 4 noms, and it was not even Feb. We followed his lead.

As a parent this is a hard yr, you know that you have to let go, but parental instincts fight you tooth and nail. When you see that smile on their face, you know everything will be fine. This is their life, not ours.
 
DS is a junior right now so we still have some time. Would you suggest visiting the det. the spring of his junior year or the fall of his senior year?
 
Honestly, I would suggest fall. There are many reasons why, but here are my top reasons:

1. Kids may be gung ho one college in March and come Sept that college went from top pick to well if all else fails.

2. Just because this yr this is the system doesn't mean come Oct., that will hold true.

FY for the military runs Oct 1st to Sept 30th.

3. Come the fall they will have more perspective of incoming (Class of 15) competition than in April. You want to have the most up to date information.

They will be able to give you stats regarding SFT and AFSC selection from the 11/12 yr group in the fall, show up in March and the profile will not be as detailed because they are still working on this.

Parent who has their third and final child in your DS's yr group. Don't do the tours. It is a dog and pony show. Instead, make apptmts not only with ROTC, but an admissions counselor. Trust me a dorm room looks like a dorm room, classrooms look like other classrooms...you can get that all off the net on their virtual tours...plus they are going to show you the best of the best, not the bad juju. You can't get one on one advice off the net and that is what you want. I would suggest as a parent for paring down the schools go to www.collegeconfidential.com. They have almost every college in the world...just go on the left side and hit colleges, from there hit the letter for the schools. Posters there are parents, students and applicants. You can even ask for a chance me and they will tell you safety, match, reach.

Double check with the school when the ROTC unit says ROTC scholarship candidates have a higher rate of acceptance if this is true, and ask why? It maybe because the ROTC candidate is above par to their traditional match. It is important to ask them if it is a reach, is this still true?

This is the time to ask the specific questions to that specific school.

There is no such thing as a silly or stupid question. The more you ask, the more the decision process will be easier.

Ask, do ROTC cadets have special housing? Sounds silly, but some schools do have that.

Do Honors students have problems aligning their classes with ROTC?

I have heard they do volunteer hours, how often, what if they are X-town are they still required?

DS wants XYZ in the AF, how often do cadets who want his career field goal get that, can we talk to a C400 (SR) who has that career field?

Do you have military fraternities, do kids hang out during off time...easy answer look in the lounge if they have tvs, xboxes and foosball or crud table, the answer is yes.

What is the retention rate?

The list could go on and on forever. The important thing is to visit the school and the det. If it means missing a day of school, than you need to remember this will be 8 yrs of their life, 1 day can make all the difference.

I would also suggest as a parent who has been down this road, don't do the crash course of 5 schools in 3 days. It is mind boggling to you, and more to them. Hard to absorb who said what and when. Do it in parts. Visit 2 one week, 2 another, so on and so forth. Let what was told to you absorb into your mind. You can take the most copious notes, but it still will be a blur, and you will say was it X school that said this, or Y?

Good luck, and as always thank your DS for wanting to protect this great nation.
 
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Thank you for sharing your perspective. You are a wealth of information.
 
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