AROTC deciding where to interview

Osprey

5-Year Member
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Nov 30, 2018
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DS is finishing up junior year and has decided he wants to go AROTC. On this forum I’ve seen several people recommend scheduling the interview (which he will do later this summer) at the school that is #1 on their list. In DS’s case that is CU Boulder, which is a 2 hour flight from us. I’m happy to make this happen if it is worth the effort. Thoughts on the advantages of interviewing at the school he really wants to attend? The other option is to interview at University of Oregon, which is an easy day trip by car, or university of Washington (3 hour drive). Order of schools he is looking at and distance:

1. CU Boulder (2 hour flight)
2. University of San Diego (cross town to San Diego State) (2 hour flight)
3. University of Washington (3 hour drive)
4. Texas A&M (3.5 hour flight)
5. University of Arizona (3 hour flight)
6. University of Oregon (2 hour drive)
7. Boise State (1 hour flight)

Can you tell he is trying to get away from us? :)
 
Go to your #1 choice if it’s practical. That’s a relative judgment, based on time and resources. If you can’t pull it off, no harm, no foul. Go to the unit that’s convenient. That’s what the vast majority of candidates do.

For DD, her top AROTC choice was Cornell. But that wasn’t practical — there’s nothing practical about getting to Ithaca — so she interviewed at the flagship state university, which happens to be 10 miles away. Didn’t hurt her because she got the scholarship. However, she didn’t get into Cornell. But where she interviewed for AROTC had nothing to do with Cornell's decision because they’re two completely different processes.
 
I would suggest to interview at the university you will list as #1 on your Army ROTC college list. It is my understanding that the interviewer can preview your college list before the interview. Therefore, if you listed your interviewer school as #5, you would appear to be wasting the interviewers time and potentially receive a lesser interview score.

If you wish to interview at a local university, try to move that local university up your list to at least #2. It's quite common for Cadet Command to offer a few colleges. And, you can request a transfer if need be (transfers are usually granted).

So in your case, you could move UO up to #1 or #2, interview there, and if awarded a scholarship, CC would typically offer a few choices, e.g., #1, #2 & #3.
 
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DS is finishing up junior year and has decided he wants to go AROTC. On this forum I’ve seen several people recommend scheduling the interview (which he will do later this summer) at the school that is #1 on their list. In DS’s case that is CU Boulder, which is a 2 hour flight from us. I’m happy to make this happen if it is worth the effort. Thoughts on the advantages of interviewing at the school he really wants to attend? The other option is to interview at University of Oregon, which is an easy day trip by car, or university of Washington (3 hour drive). Order of schools he is looking at and distance:

1. CU Boulder (2 hour flight)
2. University of San Diego (cross town to San Diego State) (2 hour flight)
3. University of Washington (3 hour drive)
4. Texas A&M (3.5 hour flight)
5. University of Arizona (3 hour flight)
6. University of Oregon (2 hour drive)
7. Boise State (1 hour flight)

Can you tell he is trying to get away from us? :)

@Osprey , It turns out my DS also wants and is in fact going to a school more than 1k miles away. :) it's all good- I too try not to take it too personally:)

Agree with comments from @MidCakePa and fully respect @SunnyCal's recommendation.

I'll just offer one data point, which is how it worked for my DS. My DS did his AROTC, AFROTC, and NROTC interviews at a local university, not his number 1, 2, or 3 schools which were each more than 500 miles away. He received 4 year offers from all 3 branches and his top schools. It absolutely did not hurt him.

Quick story, for AROTC, one local university ROO he first called for an interview told him to buzz off- go to his number 1 interest, not them. So he called his top school and he said - hey you're my top choice, and I was told to come on-site with you for this - when can I come out for an interview please? His #1 school said "Whoever answered the phone at where you called is an *ss. That's completely not needed - just go local". So he went with other local schools for his interviews.

Here is my indirect additional recommendation - I recommend a push to have both your university and your ROTC/ SA applications completed - including all recommendations, PT test scores, official transcripts - I mean 100% DONE by a date you pick in August so that you are considered by the 1st boards. You should also go EA on your college apps so that you are considered for additional merit moneys. EA is not binding. That process should start NOW with getting teacher recommendation request discussions and getting your PT numbers where you want them to be on your application, if they aren't already. It starts now with an SAT/ ACT course or at least the free one through the Kahn academy and scheduling the sats etc. we did this and it made the fall so much more enjoyable as he had university acceptances by early September.

Best of luck and hope this helps you. Keep your questions coming and we'll all do our best to share our recent experiences. This board helped us a great deal and I'm very interested to pay back the next candidates. Best of luck and awesome that your child is interested in serving.
 
It's always a good idea to see the school you're interested in, as well as its environs and the particular ROTC unit. For the interview, however, I would recommend what is most convenient and cost-efficient, particularly if the difference is between flying and driving. The flight times you cite may not include getting to the airport, getting through security, renting a car or obtaining other local transportation and reversing the process when you are finished. And it's always possible that on the particular day you plan to fly there is an equipment or weather problem, which increases if you have to make connections. There is a low percentage of these problems occurring, until it does. We nearly missed a graduation across the country a few weeks ago because of a nasty weather pattern at a hub a thousand miles away.

Regarding the suggestion of potential negative bias of the interviewers, they are professionals. In addition, because they generally change jobs in three or so years, odds are good they will either have left for another assignment or will be in their last year by the time you arrive on campus.
 
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DS is finishing up junior year and has decided he wants to go AROTC. On this forum I’ve seen several people recommend scheduling the interview (which he will do later this summer) at the school that is #1 on their list. In DS’s case that is CU Boulder, which is a 2 hour flight from us. I’m happy to make this happen if it is worth the effort. Thoughts on the advantages of interviewing at the school he really wants to attend? The other option is to interview at University of Oregon, which is an easy day trip by car, or university of Washington (3 hour drive). Order of schools he is looking at and distance:

1. CU Boulder (2 hour flight)
2. University of San Diego (cross town to San Diego State) (2 hour flight)
3. University of Washington (3 hour drive)
4. Texas A&M (3.5 hour flight)
5. University of Arizona (3 hour flight)
6. University of Oregon (2 hour drive)
7. Boise State (1 hour flight)

Can you tell he is trying to get away from us? :)

This advice only applies to Army ROTC. Air Force and Navy ROTC tells you where to go and who you will interview with.


I advise people to visit the closest program a month or two before you interview. Get to know the PMS and the cadre. If you get a good vibe, interview there. If not, repeat the process at the next Army ROTC program.


You have total control over where you interview. Why not fully set yourself up for success?


Robert Kirkland, LTC (Ret)
"The Insider's Guide to the Army [and Air Force] ROTC Scholarship for High School Students and their Parents" (Amazon)
 
DS interviewed at a local school that wasn’t even on his list. He was awarded a 4 year scholarship. Obviously didn’t hurt him. He did visit his first, second and third choice schools and met with the cadre at all of them but it didn’t work out for him to interview there.
 
I'm with the "interview locally" crowd as both my kids did and they both ended up with 4 year scholarships. The school they interviewed with (San Diego State) wasn't even on their list of schools. Any PMS you interview with could be long gone by the time your son gets selected for a scholarship.
 
Thanks, I really like the idea of going to the local option and meeting the people who might be interviewing my DS. Given that the interview is such a big component of the score makes a lot of sense to see how they interact before the actual interview.
 
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@Osprey - I think we are neighbors, relatively, given the distances for driving to the schools. My DD went with her local option which was listed last on her list, and a hour drive from us, She had asked the ROO at her number #2 school on a visit if she should come back to interview with the PMS there (an 8 hour drive), and was told no, to do it locally. I think it is more important that your son interview with a PMS, this is from a former PMS and former cadet Command review board member that has given advice on this forum. His advice is that interviews by a PMS are weighed more than interviews with a ROO.
 
Thanks, I really like the idea of going to the local option and meeting the people who might be interviewing my DS. Given that the interview is such a big component of the score makes a lot of sense to see how they interact before the actual interview.

FYI - the advice you are referencing is the same person who advises to interview with the PMS, this is something that can be overlooked, so when he schedules his interview, he should make sure that is the case!
 
Okay thanks. So would you recommend contacting the PMS directly to come down for an informal visit? Then, if the vibe is good, scheduling an interview with them? Or does one have to work through the ROO first?
 
DS is finishing up junior year and has decided he wants to go AROTC. On this forum I’ve seen several people recommend scheduling the interview (which he will do later this summer) at the school that is #1 on their list. In DS’s case that is CU Boulder, which is a 2 hour flight from us. I’m happy to make this happen if it is worth the effort. Thoughts on the advantages of interviewing at the school he really wants to attend? The other option is to interview at University of Oregon, which is an easy day trip by car, or university of Washington (3 hour drive). Order of schools he is looking at and distance:

1. CU Boulder (2 hour flight)
2. University of San Diego (cross town to San Diego State) (2 hour flight)
3. University of Washington (3 hour drive)
4. Texas A&M (3.5 hour flight)
5. University of Arizona (3 hour flight)
6. University of Oregon (2 hour drive)
7. Boise State (1 hour flight)

Can you tell he is trying to get away from us? :)

Just want to share with you my DD's experience with her AROTC app:

1) She was given a list of 5 local schools as potential interview sites. None were in the list of her 7 to which she wanted to apply the scholarship. She called 4 of the schools. All of them said they wanted her to list them in her application. I think this "requirement" is a local thing. It's certainly not a requirement from the AROTC Cadet Command level.

Apparently, the schools can't see an interviewee's stats in the system unless they are listed in the top 7 in the application.

In the end, my DD replaced her 7th choice school with the nearest university that had AROTC. She ended up interviewing at that university.

2) Advanced Camp season is underway which means PMS are most likely at Ft. Knox right now. For expectation purposes, the PMS may not be available to interview until middle of August.

My DD got lucky. For some reason, the PMS at the local university wasn't required to help out at Advanced Camp so she was able to interview in early July.

3) Two of the schools she called offered to do the PFA for her the same day of the interview. Fortunately, my DD knocked out the PFA right when she returned from SLE, so that requirement was done.

I guess what I'm saying is if your DS scores an interview in 2 weeks or 2 months and he's in no shape to do well on the PFA and the PMS offers to administer the PFA, then it would be awkward to turn down the offer.

4) At a local Service Academy meet-and-greet event in February 2018, my DD and I met the ROO at the local university at which she ultimately interviewed. She kept in touch with him over the next few months. He set up the PMS interview for her. The ROO was very helpful even though his school wasn't on my DD's list of 7. When my DD contacted him to schedule the PMS interview, he asked her to list his school in her top 7. He was trying to be helpful so my DD didn't raise a fuss about this "requirement." She just replaced the school that was 7th on her list with the ROO's school. No big deal. It got her the interview in July.

5) As you can imagine, state universities are huge and finding some buildings can be difficult. A couple days before the interview, we did a "leader's recon" of the AROTC building. This way, she wouldn't have to be looking around for it the day of the interview. We even looked for the door that she was supposed to enter. On the day of the interview, we had no problem getting to the AROTC building. I know she's the type of person if she doesn't know where something is, then she'll get stressed out if we had gotten lost or worse be late for the interview.

As an aside, she also scoped out the local MOC's office the day before her MOC interview so she knew exactly where to show up and park.

5) The recommendation about trying to get your app for the Oct board is spot on. If you can submit your best app for the Oct board, then do it! It was a huge weight off my DD's shoulders when she was notified of her selection in late Oct. At that point, ROOs started contacting her about applying for admission their school. Know this... some schools, even the "elite" ones (use whatever definition of "elite" you want to use), take into consideration the AROTC scholarship when deciding on admitting applicants or not. If you know you have an AROTC scholarship in hand by the end of Oct, most schools without rolling admission have an app deadline of 1 Jan. It's possible the admissions committee will know of your scholarship when they meet in the Jan/Feb/Mar timeframe to decide who gets admitted or not.

Good luck!!!
 
Last summer while touring a university, DS and I stopped at the AROTC armory. The ROO spoke to us for nearly an hour and made it quite clear "that the early bird gets the worm."

DS followed her advice and this led to a 4-year scholarship on the first board and early acceptance to the university.
 
In his application when he is in "interviewee" status, there should be a list of local schools to interview at. He would then contact that school to schedule it. If you want to go on a visit before, that would be great, that would be arranged with the ROO, he may or may not meet the PMS on that visit based on his/her schedule. What he wants to avoid is if the school is between leadership (as University of Portland is currently in that position as their PMS has left for her next assignment and the new one has not started yet), is to accept to just do the interview with the ROO. The interview is the last thing. The PMS will want his PFT score, best ACT or SAT score, etc. So as long as the interview is done prior to the October board deadline, it is all good. A reason to not do it early would be to rush it and not have all the ducks in a row. Also, since the Army app usually opens up in June, an interview cannot be done until the system prompts him that he is an "interviewee".

Like I said, I think I am an hour south of you and going through the process with my DD a few years back have some knowledge of the local schools, so feel free to PM me. I also have two other kids at another school he listed (not ROTC), and have visited a 3rd school, including ROTC (one of the schools she had an option for her scholarship) that is on his list. I won't have all the answers, but might be able to offer some suggestions if you would find that helpful. That was back in the day when she was a junior/senior in high school and I had a clue what was going on. Now I might learn after the fact, now that she is an adult and almost onto her next chapter of post college life.

One piece of advice offered here often, is whether he interviews or not, he should visit as many of the schools on his list as he can. I recommend that to any prospective student, absent of ROTC, but especially for ROTC. . An idea vs the reality of a place can be vastly different. While on that visit, seeing as much of the ROTC program and personnel as possible on that visit is also a good idea. My DD visited all 4 schools on her list, and did a sit down with the ROO or other cadre and watched a lab, talked to a cadet, etc. Of the 4 schools, 3 of the ROO's kept in contact with her during the process and was a great help in answering questions and guiding her. In the end, partly because of those experiences, her last choice school ended up being her first choice. I never saw that coming. One of the reasons it changed was because her first choice school, the ROTC program felt off. This is not a criticism, just more of a wrong fit. In retrospect, I dont' think the school was a right fit either, however, it was brighter and shinier in appearance to the school she ended up choosing. But while all those decisions were hard, she does not regret where she ended up. If she had not visited all 4 schools, some twice, she would have most likely made a different choice. She graduates and commissions next May.

Most of the cadre will be gone already for the summer, except he could try Oregon, they are in school for another 3 weeks. Might be a chance to just go visit a school and a ROTC program while they are still in session. That being said, I am sure the ROO and everyone else there is busy, but it might be an option to get one off his list if he hasn't already visited the ROTC there.
 
We debated this issue, as well, for both of my kids when they went through the process. In the end, they both contacted their #1 schools (which were both plane rides away), and they each said to just feel comfortable to interview locally. Each of them had already visited their #1 schools and had previously met the PMS and ROOs at each of them. Both of them interviewed at the close state schools (where neither had any intention of attending and did not have on their college lists). They both got 4-year scholarships to their #1 schools.
 
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