Army ROTC Scholarship Interview Tips

stephanie2444

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Hello, I have applied for the AROTC 4-year Nursing Scholarship and I have my interview with a PMS on Monday. Here are my credentials:

3.6 Unweighted//3.85 Weighted GPA
1300 SAT (650 M/650 CR&W)
Co-Captain of Varsity Cheerleading
Four AP classes with 4 on all exams
Member of National Honor Society & Spanish Honor Society
Enrolled in a vocational school for Nursing
PRT: 53 Pushups in a min, 45 Curl ups in a min, 8:15 mile

I was curious if I am competitive for this scholarship, for expectation reasoning. Being a female, I was also curious as to what I should wear for this interview. What general questions should I prepare for and what should I bring with me?
 
@Wishful posted this
Interviewing+Attire+Dos+and+Don'ts+-+Females.jpg
 
Here is one of my previous posts. It is for NROTC but you should easily be able to translate it to AROTC Nursing
Bring 2 copies of your resume. One for you one for the Officer. Bring a copy of everything you already submitted for your application including a copy (unofficial) of your HS transcript and those couple of forms you need to sign. You may not need any of them, but it is better to be prepared.

I went with my DS, but a parent is not required.

Dress and look professional. Look and act like you want to be an officer. A suit and tie would be best, but not necessary. You are going to be interviewed by an officer who will be dressed in their uniform. Consider what you are wearing as your uniform. Look clean and neat. Here is a good thread http://www.serviceacademyforums.com...d-i-dress-for-congressional-interviews.51409/

To prep for the interview:
Know why you want to be a naval officer.
Know the different Navy communities and be able to articulate which community you want and why.
Know your resume. Know examples of how you have shown leadership.
Know examples of when you have spoken to a large group.
The Navy is looking for STEM type applicants. Be able to articulate your involvement in math, computers, and science both in and out of the classroom.
What can you add that they don't already know about your physical fitness or physical activities.
Are there any special circumstances that they should know about or that you want to highlight

I have seen these categories and what would give max scores.
NROTC Program Motivation: Applied to all programs but definitely wants Navy and NROTC is first choice.
Service Over Self: Explicit in service over self - just wants to serve - May have other desires but overall, amenable to other communities - Fully career invested.
Physical Fitness: Exceptionally fit - Top athletic condition - Superb muscle tone - Embraces a culture of fitness - Muscular, fit and trim
Appearance/Bearing: Superb - Very mature - Dressed to impress - Sat up straight and was attentive during meeting - Conveyed great respect - Meets Navy standards of appearance already
Communications: Exceptional - Thoughtful and clean in response - Articulated answers with ease - Maintained eye contact throughout - Conveys professionalism and confidence
Overall Suitability for NROTC Program - Great potential to excel as a midshipman/officer - Highest recommendation - Of all applicants interviewed - Top 20%

And by @Capt MJ "Don't talk negatively about other services in this setting; it's not professional. Focus on what career paths and missions of your desired service appeal to you and why."
 
@stephanie2444 the interview has some basic questions that they fill in that are similar to what you already have on your application. Know what your courses, test scores, activities, etc are and definitely bring resumes. Another tip from my interview is after the basic questions of what courses and activities you participated in, in high school, the rest of my interview was essentially a content dump for lack of a better term. The PMS officer basically had me describe my personality, my goals in college ROTC and my Army career goals, what makes me leader, how I interact with others, how could I benefit the army and your motives for joining. Don't make the PMS dig for your info and traits, lay it all out for him or her. Another important one is to simply dress nicely (as a guy I went suit and tie) and always remember "ma'am" and "sir", yes/no, not nah/nope/Yeah, and just be confident and calm, fit the part of an officer. Hope this helps and good luck!
 
Hello, I have applied for the AROTC 4-year Nursing Scholarship and I have my interview with a PMS on Monday. Here are my credentials:

3.6 Unweighted//3.85 Weighted GPA
1300 SAT (650 M/650 CR&W)
Co-Captain of Varsity Cheerleading
Four AP classes with 4 on all exams
Member of National Honor Society & Spanish Honor Society
Enrolled in a vocational school for Nursing
PRT: 53 Pushups in a min, 45 Curl ups in a min, 8:15 mile

I was curious if I am competitive for this scholarship, for expectation reasoning. Being a female, I was also curious as to what I should wear for this interview. What general questions should I prepare for and what should I bring with me?

I would only add any other leadership, formal or informal, community or volunteer activities be included on your resume. Be prepared for questions in this area, and anything that speaks to your character. Business attire. Good luck.
 
Stephanie,
you're "stats" look good, but most on this forum will counsel you not to compare to others....the AROTC scholarship is awarded based on a Whole Person Score (search this in the forum), which tends not to emphasize any one metric.

For the interview, check out the link, it's the actual checklist your PMS will submit after he/she interviews you. The interview itself if worth 200 points (out of 1200 I think), and it has some objective items (1st page) and subjective items (2d page). Make sure you max out the objective items, and bring evidence. The PMS will typically chat with you, and ask fairly obvious questions (why do you want to be an officer? Do you have examples of problems you've solved? etc). Your bearing, confidence, and the way you answer the questions (as well as the content of your answers) will guide the PMS to fill in the subjective stuff. Do you best with this, be yourself, dress professionally and the rest will take care of itself! Best of luck!

http://www.goarmy.com/content/dam/goarmy/downloaded_assets/pdfs/rotc-overseas-interview-form.pdf
 
Nice checklist. @stephanie2444 now that you have the checklist make sure you make it very easy for the PMS to check at least 2 boxes in in each of the first three categories. Based on the information you provided you should be able to do that. And don't forget to take credit for the leadership positions you will have this winter and spring. You could even make yourself a crib sheet of what activities/accomplishments you have to fulfil the criteria, so you don't forget them during the interview.
 
When DS went through the interview 4 years ago it was not. However, that doesn't mean you can't be prepared to provide one if asked. In fact, DS brought two copies to provide immediately upon arrival. It looks so much better when the applicant is prepared.
 
Did you know that your Resume is one of the documents that you can load into your file for Army ROTC consideration? Just attempt to upload it and then it is one of the choices in the drop down box for Type of File.
 
I think the purpose of the resume is to:
1. Bring it in case the officer doesn't have it handy even though it was uploaded
2. Provide departure points for discussion during the interview
Bringing the resume is certainly not required, just a suggestion.
 
Kinnem, I agree with you entirely. One should arrive at the interview with a resume, an updated transcript, and any updated/recent SAT scores--it gives you something to talk about with the interviewer so that he or she does not have to dig. Especially if you have something unusual like a cool job or an Eagle Scout project or won a Athlete of the Year...it is right there.
 
I interviewed with the LTC over at UCLA. It was a super relaxed setting, but you should still dress formally (female equivalent of Business casual, minimum). Be prepared to answer questions about your person (hobbies, why you want to serve, etc) and also about academics. There is a scoresheet, as has already been mentioned. Aim to hit all the points. Bring copies of your transcript and test scores, as well as award certificate and the like. Also, just remember to relax.
 
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