Biology in ROTC?

H

hello-there

Navy '26
Joined
Jul 7, 2021
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Would the ROTC program be less likely to award a scholarship to a hopeful biology undergrad student? I would like to go into genetic engineering in grad school. If stats help, I'm 3rd in my class, 1520 SAT, 34 ACT, 3 sport athlete, and lots of leadership in extracurricular activities. Thanks!
 
hello-there said:
Would the ROTC program be less likely to award a scholarship to a hopeful biology undergrad student? I would like to go into genetic engineering in grad school. If stats help, I'm 3rd in my class, 1520 SAT, 34 ACT, 3 sport athlete, and lots of leadership in extracurricular activities. Thanks!
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Some service branches like Air Force and Navy have preferred Majors - here from official sites of Air Force, NC State, and Old Dominion are details:

Highly Desired Majors | U.S. Air Force ROTC

Technical, foreign language, pre-med, nursing, and additional highly desired majors.
www.afrotc.com www.afrotc.com

Navy Tier System

naval.dasa.ncsu.edu naval.dasa.ncsu.edu
www.goarmy.com

FAQ for Parents & Advisors

Get helpful info for parents & scholarship advisors who are looking for answers to common questions about the Army ROTC program.
www.goarmy.com

Your stats are strong unless your class is 3 people (haha). my DS received scholarships from all 3 branches with lower a couple years back - but it's not all about the stats. Interview, fitness test scores, recommendations, your application package all factor as well. there's also a personality profile you fill in for Army unless their process has changed. Should stress not just participation but leadership and the impacts you've had in the classroom, athletic field and extracurriculars. Good luck.
 
Herman_Snerd said:
Some service branches like Air Force and Navy have preferred Majors - here from official sites of Air Force, NC State, and Old Dominion are details:

Highly Desired Majors | U.S. Air Force ROTC

Technical, foreign language, pre-med, nursing, and additional highly desired majors.
www.afrotc.com www.afrotc.com

Navy Tier System

naval.dasa.ncsu.edu naval.dasa.ncsu.edu
www.goarmy.com

FAQ for Parents & Advisors

Get helpful info for parents & scholarship advisors who are looking for answers to common questions about the Army ROTC program.
www.goarmy.com

Your stats are strong unless your class is 3 people (haha). my DS received scholarships from all 3 branches with lower a couple years back - but it's not all about the stats. Interview, fitness test scores, recommendations, your application package all factor as well. there's also a personality profile you fill in for Army unless their process has changed. Should stress not just participation but leadership and the impacts you've had in the classroom, athletic field and extracurriculars. Good luck.
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Thank you so much! Yeah my class isn't just 3 lol, and I'll make sure to look into the desired majors. Thanks again!
 
hello-there said:
Would the ROTC program be less likely to award a scholarship to a hopeful biology undergrad student? I would like to go into genetic engineering in grad school. If stats help, I'm 3rd in my class, 1520 SAT, 34 ACT, 3 sport athlete, and lots of leadership in extracurricular activities. Thanks!
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No crystal ball here about whether they will be less likely to award the scholarship, however my DD just graduation with Biology major and was a 4 year NROTC scholarship recipient and now an ENS. Disclosure: she initially applied with one of those 'engineering' names after the major, and changed it to straight Biology after her first year. Good luck to you!
 
momx3 said:
No crystal ball here about whether they will be less likely to award the scholarship, however my DD just graduation with Biology major and was a 4 year NROTC scholarship recipient and now an ENS. Disclosure: she initially applied with one of those 'engineering' names after the major, and changed it to straight Biology after her first year. Good luck to you!
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Ditto.

DS, AROTC O-3, began as ChemE. Loved the Chem, hated the E. Switched major to Chem.

It opened up a lot of Electives. He devoted those to Computer Science and Foreign Language, both of which have been very instrumental in his Army career.
 
momx3 said:
No crystal ball here about whether they will be less likely to award the scholarship, however my DD just graduation with Biology major and was a 4 year NROTC scholarship recipient and now an ENS. Disclosure: she initially applied with one of those 'engineering' names after the major, and changed it to straight Biology after her first year. Good luck to you!
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Thank you so much!
 
We had a few bio majors in our NROTC unit! Additionally to echo the statement right above mine... every bio major in my unit came in as something else then switched to bio. It is a lot easier to switch between majors as long as you stay STEM
 
I'll just add some data points: switching to a different major across the board is not always supported. AFROTC in particular has a clear overall preference for specific tech majors. Every year a couple of people write in that yes, but they are a literature, Russian studies, near or middle-easter studies, political science etc majors but still won a scholarship. True, but these are exceptions not the general rule - overall the AF posts a percentage of how many scholarships are awarded in their Tiered vs not listed majors. I think a couple of years ago it was like 85% were tech. For NROTC winning then switching out of nursing too is not a given. My belief is that the Army and Marines care less about majors as others above stated. Also, research older posts and you'll see where people win the AFROTC scholarship under say Computer Science but want to switch and switching is not always supported. So if there's a pattern in the navy of winning the scholarship under a preferred major on the list then switching to one off of it, well I suppose that's useful info for future applicants to have - just know it's not always a given.
 
For NROTC, a midshipman can change majors within within their assigned tier without issue. They can also switch from tier 1 to tier 2 without issue. Special approval is needed to change from tier 1 or tier 2 to tier 3. The exception to this is switching from tier 3 LREC to tier 3 non LREC, which also requires special approval. Navy nursing scholarships are handled separately and I believe switching from Nursing to anything else requires special approval.

One thing to keep in mind is that even though only 15% of NROTC scholarships go to tier 3 majors, there are fewer people applying as tier 3 majors. I'm not sure what the award rate is for tier 1/tier 2 vs tier 3, but you are best off applying with your true desired major than trying to game the system by applying as a tier1/tier 2 major and hoping to be able to switch down the line. For NROTC, once you are awarded the scholarship, as long as you fulfill your obligations, you will commission as an ensign upon graduation. For AFROTC your major plays a role in being selected for SFT after your sophomore year.
 
hello-there said:
Would the ROTC program be less likely to award a scholarship to a hopeful biology undergrad student? I would like to go into genetic engineering in grad school. If stats help, I'm 3rd in my class, 1520 SAT, 34 ACT, 3 sport athlete, and lots of leadership in extracurricular activities. Thanks!
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You definitely have a strong scholastic profile. As long as you have successful leadership experience, varsity athletic experience, coupled with a strong CFA score, you should have a solid shot. As others have said, the interview, essays, and other variables can come into play.

I have come to believe the interview and athletic performance are very important. My DD did not have as high of test scores or class rank. However, she was fortunate to be selected for the AROTC, NROTC-MO, and AFROTC scholarships. Her fitness scores were very high, and she was very involved with volunteering and campus/community leadership.

I wish you the best.
 
While all above are great points, I have never met someone who was denied a major change from Tier 1 to Tier 2. I would say I've heard of ~35 students who have done so in my four years, and not a single one got denied. This is NOT true between tier 1/2 to tier 3. This switch is much harder, asProudDad noted above there are 85% STEM majors.

While it does not "matter" what your major is in the sense that it might not necessarily affect service selection (IE: LOTS of Political Science majors get selected for aviation), it matters in a different sense. If you stick with a subject you are not passionate about, for example engineering instead of bio, your grades might not be as good and your mental health may suffer. While you will commission into something in the navy, Once your grades go down, this can drastically affect service selection. If you go SWO you will be hurt when ship selection comes around, and if you plan on going aviation or subs, your grades do matter when it comes up for the board.

My point is this: whether it be applying for one major then switching out (which is MUCH more common than you think, roughly 50% of my graduating class switched majors) or applying directly, end up doing bio if that is what you are passionate about.
 
Total agree with @FastFood44! My DD was so excited when AF ROTC added astronomy as a desired major this cycle. It has been her passion since 8th grade. Had gone to astronomy associated camps every summer. She was going to do physics (as most astronomy programs are in the physics department) but it wasn't her passion. She is really eager now that it's offically astronomy.
 
FastFood44 said:
While it does not "matter" what your major is in the sense that it might not necessarily affect service selection (IE: LOTS of Political Science majors get selected for aviation), it matters in a different sense. If you stick with a subject you are not passionate about, for example engineering instead of bio, your grades might not be as good and your mental health may suffer. While you will commission into something in the navy, Once your grades go down, this can drastically affect service selection. If you go SWO you will be hurt when ship selection comes around, and if you plan on going aviation or subs, your grades do matter when it comes up for the board.
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The same applies to the Army branching (Service Selection).

Two good markers for future success in almost all Engineering Majors are proven success in Calculus/Physics and a high tolerance for skull hammering tedium. Thank goodness we have them. I wish we had more.
 
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