First off everyone needs to understand the AFROTC scholarship is run completely different than the AROTC and NROTC.
The AFROTC program doesn't care if one det has 100% scholarships and another has 10%. They take a decentralized approach. They have X amout of scholarships, when they hit that number than it is all over. The pot of money is gone. You can't compare their system to the NROTC or AROTC, it is night and day.
Secondly, the det. commander for AFROTC does not work in tandem with Maxwell, whereas, the NROTC and AROTC have a voice regarding selection. they do not.
Next,
The AFROTC program places emphasis on your intended major and that is why someone with equal or higher stats does not receive a scholarship compared to another candidate.
For example, 95% of Type 1 scholarships go to engineering majors. It is much harder for a candidate that intends to major in poli sci to get a Type 1 over the engineering major.
20% are given Type 2, but again the vast majority are for engineering.
In other words if you aren't majoring in engineering your stats have to be really out the door.
Also, majors like nursing are incredibly competitive and all of them will only get a Type 7 (3 yrs).
MAJOR matters.
NEXT,
The board will re-weight your gpa and part of your WCS is based on the rigor of your course curriculum PLUS class rank. In the 32 ACT scenario, I am sure they are a great student, but it can hurt you if you took the weaker rigor and your rank is top 30%.
You can't start jumping to a belief it is all stats. You can have a 4.4 wgpa, BUT if you only took honors and no APs it will hurt.
I am not inferring this was the case, I am just trying to say 4.4 wgpa at one school, may be great, yet from a nationalistic approach when they re-weight the gpa, it might be much lower....in NC an AP was 5.0. Honors was 4.5. In our VA hs, AP is 4.5 and honors is 4.25. The board is going to re-weight to make everyone equivalent. Same is true for the gpa, in NC their grading scale is a 10 point spread, until last yr in VA it was a 7 pt.
It may appear equal, but you have to step back and place everything into the equation.
Not only will the transcript be a factor, but so will the school profile. If your hs sends 95% to private 4 yr colleges, that school is going to be seen as competitive. If your hs send 25% to Private or OOS colleges it will not be deemed as competitive and that will add into the equation.
Finally,
Yes, the AF is going through what is called "force shape re-structuring". Currently they intend to do a RIF soon if not enough AD members take their "buy out".
The AF is the smallest branch of the ROTC scholarships, and because they give the bulk to engineering majors, their stats are traditionally very high.
Like all of the branches that have ROTC, 99% of SA candidates also apply for ROTC as plan B. The AFA DOES NOT talk to Maxwell. Maxwell operates by themselves, thus they do not know if the same candidate is applying to the AFA.
It is a nationalistic approach, colleges do not matter. Major and hs rigor does.
I can't stress hard enough that for them they know they have X amt of each type of scholarship and a % break down regarding intended majors. Thus, it is a pt. scale. Get above and you get this scholarship, below it and you get that scholarship or no scholarship at all.
I hope that clarifies things.
OBTW, for shooter, it may have been a multitude of reasons
1. PFA ---did you score high...that part does count into the WCS
2. Recs --- are you coming from an area that is very competitive, and instead of getting No. 1 candidate from your interviewer, you got they are a "strong" candidate. This too adds into the points.
Again, plan B for AFA cadets is AFROTC and they have the same ALO.
3. GPA...4.0 is strong, 4.4. is strong, but is the pt scale 5.0 or 6.0? How many APs did you take, particularly regarding your intended major...APUSH is 1 thing APCHEM is another if you are intending to major in engineering.
JMPO, but I would contact your ALO and Maxwell, because I think that if you were accepted to a prestigious engineering college, something is a miss. The AF is like any big organizations, records tend to get mixed up. Maybe, when they inputted your info, there was a clerical era.
YOU NEED TO CALL, not the folks. Start with your interviewer, because they have that connection already, and ask them where it went a foul.
Best wishes.
Congrats to those that got an early Xmas present
... Hoping he can call and find out tomorrow.
