Applying for ROTC after High School - Gap Year

[Adyer37]

Hello to whomever is reading this,

I am posting this thread as I cannot seem to find my question answered anywhere else. At the moment, I am in a bit of a dilemma. To get straight to the point, I am a high school senior, and looking to apply during the ROTC's second meeting in December. Recently, due to unforeseen circumstances, I have been faced with an option of taking a gap year. There are many benefits that might help me as a result of a gap year, one example being boosting my SAT score by taking another test in March (atm my score is 1070, but I have scored 1200 on practice tests, so my low score can be explained by my test anxiety). However, there is one problem that I cannot find my way around.

If I were to take a gap year, I of course would not be applying for ROTC until next year, as the year after that, 2021, would be when I attend college. The problem is, any time I look up how to apply for ROTC, I see that I must be a high school senior to apply. If I graduate next year, by the time I apply for ROTC, I will not be a senior anymore. Does this mean that I cannot apply for ROTC if I have graduated high school?

I have seen on some forums that I can apply for ROTC once I go into a college, provided that they have the program available. However, the difference seems that I will be competing for a scholarship at the campus level. My parents are worried that applying in college, only to hope that I get a scholarship to pay for tuition is not a good idea. I am not worried about getting scholarships from colleges, however, this aspect of not being able to apply for ROTC until after I am in college is worrying. Does anyone have any information that might help me?

 

[flyblu]

Hello to whomever is reading this,

I am posting this thread as I cannot seem to find my question answered anywhere else. At the moment, I am in a bit of a dilemma. To get straight to the point, I am a high school senior, and looking to apply during the ROTC's second meeting in December. Recently, due to unforeseen circumstances, I have been faced with an option of taking a gap year. There are many benefits that might help me as a result of a gap year, one example being boosting my SAT score by taking another test in March (atm my score is 1070, but I have scored 1200 on practice tests, so my low score can be explained by my test anxiety). However, there is one problem that I cannot find my way around.

If I were to take a gap year, I of course would not be applying for ROTC until next year, as the year after that, 2021, would be when I attend college. The problem is, any time I look up how to apply for ROTC, I see that I must be a high school senior to apply. If I graduate next year, by the time I apply for ROTC, I will not be a senior anymore. Does this mean that I cannot apply for ROTC if I have graduated high school?

I have seen on some forums that I can apply for ROTC once I go into a college, provided that they have the program available. However, the difference seems that I will be competing for a scholarship at the campus level. My parents are worried that applying in college, only to hope that I get a scholarship to pay for tuition is not a good idea. I am not worried about getting scholarships from colleges, however, this aspect of not being able to apply for ROTC until after I am in college is worrying. Does anyone have any information that might help me?

Hello! Future student and cadet (Spring 2020). I got the same SAT school like you and the person I talked with about it said I must take a yr off before reapplying in the next year. However, I decided not to take a year off and decided to apply to AFROTC without the scholarship. You can get in college scholarships after your first semester in school and the SAT scores would not be necessary. If you can wait until next year to apply, then I suggest you study and take the SAT multiple times to get a better score. Not everyone gets a scholarship but if you want it, I suggest taking a year off.

 

[kinnem]

Well, flyblu is essentially correct but as far as I know NROTC would still require your provide SAT scores when applying for a scholarship while in college. I can't speak to other programs with any definite knowledge, although I'm doubtful SAT scores didn't play a part in such scholarships.

 

[Adyer37]

Hello! Future student and cadet (Spring 2020). I got the same SAT school like you and the person I talked with about it said I must take a yr off before reapplying in the next year. However, I decided not to take a year off and decided to apply to AFROTC without the scholarship. You can get in college scholarships after your first semester in school and the SAT scores would not be necessary. If you can wait until next year to apply, then I suggest you study and take the SAT multiple times to get a better score. Not everyone gets a scholarship but if you want it, I suggest taking a year off.

Awesome! Thank you for letting me know. There are definatly a lot of things to consider, but you and kinnem's comments helped make my decision easier.