AFROTC Scholarship Questions: College Majors and the PFA

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catlover99

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Hi! I'm new to the forum and just recently made an account here, but I've been reading theads for a while now.

I have a fews questions regarding the AFROTC Scholarship:

1) When you list three majors on the application (if it's not three, please correct me) is the scholarship tied to one of those specific majors? Like, does the AF decide what you major in? (Ex. If I listed Mathematics, Aerospace Engineering, and Physics as my three, and does the AF tell me I'm only awarded the scholarship if I'm a Engineering major, like how A/NROTC Scholarships are tied to specific schools? Or is it just awarded and I can major in any of the three I listed?)

2) Does the Air Force have different "tiers" of Tech majors like the the Navy does (Engineers are Tier 1, all other tech is Tier 2) or do all the majors listed as Tech on the AFROTC website received the same consideration, in terms of who receives a scholarship? (Basically, is a Math major just as likely to receive a scholarship as an Engineering major since they're both Tech? [not accounting for GPA, ACT, leadership, etc] Or is the Engineering major more likely to receive one?)

3) In college, is it difficult to get approval to switch from one technical major to another? (I know going from tech to non-tech is frowned upon, but what about going from tech to tech? Engineering to Math? Math to Engineering?)

4) How much does the PFA factor into the Whole Candidate Score? I know you have to pass it to activate the scholarship, but when you're applying, how much consideration is your score given? (An Army ROTC recruiter who presented at my school said that AROTC boards pretty much don't consider the fitness assessment score at all, so I'm wondering if AFROTC is like that as well).

Thank you in advance to anyone who replies!
 
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1. You will be awarded a scholarship based on your intended majors. IOWS, 1 of those 3 will be fine with them.
~ They get it...maybe X university you will go Chem Engineer, but Y university has a better Math program and Z university is renown for their Computer program. All 3 are tech, all 3 are on your list.
2. Majors matter. IE a few years back they considered EE as critically manned.
3. On the whole it is not difficult to switch from a tech major to another tech major. However, see #2. If your major is considered critical manning than it can become a little more difficult.
4. I won't swear by it, but I believe the PFA is 10% of the score.

The thing that is also important to understand is how selecting your major may also impact your future for your career field options. For example when they were critically manned for EEs, HQAFROTC only allowed a small percentage of cadets to go rated, thus, although by being an EE major helped them get an advantage for scholarship, and an edge for SFT selection, if they wanted to become a pilot than as an EE major they were at a disadvantage because the AF needed them for their major.

I would also say that sometimes a certain major can also be a disadvantage from a scholarship aspect if you are trying to game the system for getting a scholarship. Engineering is not an easy major, and unfortunately impo too many kids think because they do well in Math and Science that it translates into success as an engineering student in college. It can be even more difficult for ROTC cadets because as an engineering major you will take 18-21 credits. Now add on top of that ROTC LLAB, and PT (2x a week at O dark thirty).
~ This is also why for HQAFROTC the avg cgpa for SFT selection varies. Non-tech majors typically need a 3.3/3.4, but tech avgs around 3.0/3.1

NO SFT = disenrollment 9 out of 10 times. Disenrollment means loss of scholarship. If you need that scholarship to attend your dream college than how will you pay for the last two years of college?

FWIW, my DS was an AFROTC HSSP scholarship (Type 2) as a non-tech major. He is now an O3 C130J pilot. This was a kid that graduated top 7% of his class. Took every AP Math and Science. 33 or 34 best sitting ACT and a 1400 SAT. He had the brains for engineering, but knew he hated those classes compared to his APUSH, APEURO, APGOV, etc. Had he applied as a tech major, chances are he would have hated all of his classes that he had to take and maybe shot himself in his own foot from an academic aspect...in turn that would mean he would never have gone to SFT or maybe his cgpa would have been so low that he would not have made the OML cut for pilot.
~ Think long term.

Also the PFA does matter, more than you might realize right now. You are correct you need to pass the PFA to activate, but what you might not realize currently is that when you do the PFA for the scholarship, your administrator may not be looking at your form, just doing the count. In AFROTC they will be looking at your form throughout the PFA. If it is wrong, it will not count, and you have wasted energy that you may need for the next portion. IE you can do 50 sit ups now, but form count it is only 38. Same thing may occur with push ups. Work out now and continue throughout the year. Run in the rain, run when it is 30 degrees outside. Run at 6 a.m. after going to bed at 1 a.m. (you will have to do that in college...stay up doing a term paper or studying for an exam, but will have to be at PT at 6) Exhaustion from sleep deprivation can impact your scores too.
~ It is also one reason why they like to see candidates with multiple ECs (sports, clubs, PT jobs, etc). It shows time management without gpa sacrifice.
 
Pima said:
1. You will be awarded a scholarship based on your intended majors. IOWS, 1 of those 3 will be fine with them.
~ They get it...maybe X university you will go Chem Engineer, but Y university has a better Math program and Z university is renown for their Computer program. All 3 are tech, all 3 are on your list.
2. Majors matter. IE a few years back they considered EE as critically manned.
3. On the whole it is not difficult to switch from a tech major to another tech major. However, see #2. If your major is considered critical manning than it can become a little more difficult.
4. I won't swear by it, but I believe the PFA is 10% of the score.

The thing that is also important to understand is how selecting your major may also impact your future for your career field options. For example when they were critically manned for EEs, HQAFROTC only allowed a small percentage of cadets to go rated, thus, although by being an EE major helped them get an advantage for scholarship, and an edge for SFT selection, if they wanted to become a pilot than as an EE major they were at a disadvantage because the AF needed them for their major.

I would also say that sometimes a certain major can also be a disadvantage from a scholarship aspect if you are trying to game the system for getting a scholarship. Engineering is not an easy major, and unfortunately impo too many kids think because they do well in Math and Science that it translates into success as an engineering student in college. It can be even more difficult for ROTC cadets because as an engineering major you will take 18-21 credits. Now add on top of that ROTC LLAB, and PT (2x a week at O dark thirty).
~ This is also why for HQAFROTC the avg cgpa for SFT selection varies. Non-tech majors typically need a 3.3/3.4, but tech avgs around 3.0/3.1

NO SFT = disenrollment 9 out of 10 times. Disenrollment means loss of scholarship. If you need that scholarship to attend your dream college than how will you pay for the last two years of college?

FWIW, my DS was an AFROTC HSSP scholarship (Type 2) as a non-tech major. He is now an O3 C130J pilot. This was a kid that graduated top 7% of his class. Took every AP Math and Science. 33 or 34 best sitting ACT and a 1400 SAT. He had the brains for engineering, but knew he hated those classes compared to his APUSH, APEURO, APGOV, etc. Had he applied as a tech major, chances are he would have hated all of his classes that he had to take and maybe shot himself in his own foot from an academic aspect...in turn that would mean he would never have gone to SFT or maybe his cgpa would have been so low that he would not have made the OML cut for pilot.
~ Think long term.

Also the PFA does matter, more than you might realize right now. You are correct you need to pass the PFA to activate, but what you might not realize currently is that when you do the PFA for the scholarship, your administrator may not be looking at your form, just doing the count. In AFROTC they will be looking at your form throughout the PFA. If it is wrong, it will not count, and you have wasted energy that you may need for the next portion. IE you can do 50 sit ups now, but form count it is only 38. Same thing may occur with push ups. Work out now and continue throughout the year. Run in the rain, run when it is 30 degrees outside. Run at 6 a.m. after going to bed at 1 a.m. (you will have to do that in college...stay up doing a term paper or studying for an exam, but will have to be at PT at 6) Exhaustion from sleep deprivation can impact your scores too.
~ It is also one reason why they like to see candidates with multiple ECs (sports, clubs, PT jobs, etc). It shows time management without gpa sacrifice.
Click to expand...

Thank you so much for all of the advice! I'm currently a junior in high school and will be applying for an AFROTC scholarship next year (I intend to major in possibly Math or Computer Science, but definitely something tech) and everything you said will be very helpful to consider during the application process.
 
Let's say I'm awarded a scholarship with my top three majors as 1. chemical engineering; 2. chemistry; and 3. aerospace engineering. I could chose any of those three at any eligible school, and the scholarship isn't tied to a particular major. So if I wanted to switch from chem E to chem, for example, it wouldn't cause any problems. Do I understand this correctly?

Also, on a semi-related note, would those three choices be competitive for a scholarship? Would changing the order make a difference?
 
Yes and no is the answer.

You will have to request the change from HQ AFROTC. Now, honestly 95% of the time they approved the switch, BUT as I stated earlier if Chem E according to them is a crtiical manning than they have the right to decline your request.

As always it comes down to the needs of the AF.

I don't think anyone can tell you if those choices are competitive or not from an overall perspective. What will help you more impo is a strong application packet.
~ IE let's say they need Chem Es, but your SAT score is 1000 best sitting and your ECs are not astounding, than your chances will not increase dramatically even if they are trying to recruit those majors.
 
Chem E isn't even on the list of tech majors on the AFROTC website, so it's probably not critical manning right now (although it would be surprising if it wasn't a tech major at all).

Also, what happens if you want to switch to a tech major that wasn't one of your top three choices? Does that matter at all?
 
usafa2022 said:
Chem E isn't even on the list of tech majors on the AFROTC website, so it's probably not critical manning right now (although it would be surprising if it wasn't a tech major at all).

Also, what happens if you want to switch to a tech major that wasn't one of your top three choices? Does that matter at all?
Click to expand...

You must get approval through the Cadre to switch majors. If you switch from tech to non tech, you may lose your scholarship. If you switch between tech majors, you must have a paper trail of approvals. I have heard a few stories about cadets who did not have all the necessary approvals in place, and things did not always turn out well for them.
 
If it helps, my daughter listed Math as a major and got a Type 2 AFROTC scholarship. Meanwhile, Navy gave her an ISR for a full ride. Big dilemma for her since AF is her first choice.
 
unkown1961 said:
If it helps, my daughter listed Math as a major and got a Type 2 AFROTC scholarship. Meanwhile, Navy gave her an ISR for a full ride. Big dilemma for her since AF is her first choice.
Click to expand...
If you don't mind me asking, what were her other stats? (GPA, ACT/SAT, Air Force PFA, etc)
 
catlover99 said:
If you don't mind me asking, what were her other stats? (GPA, ACT/SAT, Air Force PFA, etc)
Click to expand...

Sure: 34 ACT, 4.6 weighted GPA, don't know the physical fitness scores, but probably average. There were also school leadership positions, activities such as cross country, track and debate (including making Nationals), acceptance to USAFA and USNA junior seminars and other selective summer programs (including Notre Dame's Summer Leadership Seminar), and Civil Air Patrol. But the subjective thing is the interview - how well she handled it and how well the interviewer can put together a statement for the board. Her NROTC interviewer was a former ROTC commander and knows how to write a review. The AF interviewer was a young LT so maybe he is new to writing these things.
If you're a junior, you should consider the Summer Seminars, not only to get a taste for a service academy but also because they are selective.
You asked about Tier I type majors in AF, yes they do have priority majors and you can find them on the AFROTC website. Math is listed as a desired major, but they really want certain engineering majors. And Type I for AF is very difficult to get. My son is AFROTC (Type 2 on a Foreign Language Scholarship, which is only Type 2 or 7) and he says no one in his detachment has a Type 1.
As for switching majors, as I understand it, switching engineering majors can be done but you need permission.
Hope this helps. Good luck!
 
10 will get you 20 that your wcgpa is not going to be a 4.6 for boarding because they do not use anything over a 4.5 weight.

Just putting it out there that the reason many posters don't place much weight into the gpa on these forums. There are over 20K HS in the nation and many use different grading scales ( 7 pt or 10 pt), weighting can range from 4.0 to 6.0.

Part of the PAR is also going to involve a school profile. See above. The transcript will include not only the scale and weight, but also how many APs they offer, if pre-req classes are needed for AP/IB/AICE, % of students taking APs, class rank. Plus, they will include the breakdown for post graduation. % that go to Ivy, % that go 4 yr private/public, % of 2 yr or trade and % going straight into the work force.

As stated that is why many do not place much weight into the wcgpa because nobody knows the school profile that HQAFROTC has placed in their records. Someone with a 4.4. can look lower than unknown's 4.6, but if the 4.4 is on a weight of 4.5, and 4.6 is on a weight of 5.0, than 4.4 can be stronger. Just like someone with a 4.4 on a 4.5 can look stronger, but when you delve deeper and see that the 4.4 is top 15% with 0% going Ivy, but the 4.6 is top 10% and 25% go IVY.

As far as type 1s go, very few colleges will have a type 1. Statistically only 5% of the scholarships will be type 1, or number wise @45. Many of those type 1s will also apply for USAFA, if they opt to go SA, than that will decrease the number even further. Unless something has changed they do give non-tech type 1, but only about 2 or 3. 5% of that 5% go to non-tech, hence only @ 2 or 3 nationwide.

Type 7 is the most common with @80% of the scholarships. Type 2 is @15% of all scholarships.
 
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