My 2 cents says "IF" Clarks was "putting somebody down".....it was the posters before him that were trying to help by giving their advice/opinions
.....but their opinions or advice could maybe be equated to a 16 year old driver who has had their license for maybe a day trying to give driving advice to their friend who just got their permit.
While those (new to the forum) posters meant well, normally the OP for the most part is looking for feedback and help from somebody with the experience that somebody like Clarks (AROTC) or Pima (AFROTC) can give them....
Keep in mind my 2 cents worth is only .01426 cents...
That's the way I understood it too. I don't think Clarks was putting down the original poster. Although I agree that new people giving advice won't get a person very far, I feel that some advice may be helpful.
Our family was told by somebody who was involved in the process of selecting candidates that my son would have to have something in leadership to be competitive and that if he didn't, he probably would not be competitive enough to make it. I don't think it's naive to pass that suggestion along to people who ask for comments. I am glad my son was given that advice and I do not think he would have won a scholarship without it.
Along with that, we attended a seminar for the Navy and were told that the ACT and/or SAT tests should be taken as often as possible. Anyway, although nobody knows what it takes to be selected, I think that a person asking for input isn't harmed by advice that others were given before they were selected that may have made a difference. I do agree that none of us really knows what it takes or what makes a difference. It's just a guess.