Do school choices play a role in AFROTC HSSP selection?

P38Lightning

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Jul 14, 2017
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I selected approximately 20 schools (both in-state and out of state) that I was considering at the time that I filled out the preliminary application. Two of the top three choices that appeared in my file are in-state schools, and it appears to be impossible to change school choices once the preliminary app has been completed.

Would my application having two in-state schools increase the chances of a type 2/7 over a type 1 scholarship, or does this section play no role in the board's decision?
 
I don't know for sure, but I doubt it, since the AF doesn't tell you where to use your scholarship. Are there any AF cadre on here that can say whether the school that chosen even needs to be listed?

As far as the type of scholarship being dependent on the schools you picked: I highly doubt it. That would take an awful lot of coordination and foreknowledge as to who was going to apply to what school for what major the week before the final deadline.
 
I don't remember specifically picking "top choices" or anything like that on the application, but my interviewer said that three particular schools were listed in that way on my file, along with my PFA/SAT/ACT scores. My main concern is that the board might decide that since I qualify for in-state tuition at those schools (I'm applying to others, out of state, as well), I won't need a type 1 scholarship.
 
Based on my two kids' experiences, I don't think the school choices play a role at all because you can take your AFROTC scholarship award to any school that participates in AFROTC.
 
You can take and AFROTC scholarship to any college you want as long as it meets the restrictions of the scholarship type. The type of scholarship awarded is not based on any schools you list. It's merely to give folks an idea of what you're thinking. There is no need to change the list because
1. it doesn't matter, and
2. when you are awarded a scholarship you will inform them of the school you plan to attend.
 
FYI -- when I had my AFA ALO interview, he was incredibly surprised when I mentioned I had a type 7 AFROTC scholarship (he said he expected type 1, or at the very least, type 2, for my academics and activities). The first thing he asked to try to figure out why was "What schools did you select on your list, Stanford?!". The answer was yes...
So he, at least, thought it would have definitely had an impact.

He's not an AFROTC interviewer, of course, but he went through AFROTC to commission and had 20 years in the military afterwards so I assume he knows what he's talking about. And I'm sort of bummed, because this is the 2nd Air Force-affiliated interviewer I've had that's been really surprised I only got a type 7.

I'm a CA resident, and the schools I listed were Embry-Riddle, WPI, Purdue, Georgia Tech, Case Western, Carnegie Mellon, UC Berkeley, UCLA, UCSD, U Michigan, U Rochester, Caltech, MIT, and Stanford.
 
Schools do not play any impact at all. AFROTC scholarships are nationally based unlike AFA appointments that start on a state level. HQ AFROTC could not care less if 100% of the recipients all come from one state or not. Nor do they care if one school has 0 cadets on scholarship while the other has 100%. As stated before the scholarship is tied to the cadet and their major, not the school.
They ask about the schools for another purpose than just where you want to attend college...it is also for them from a manpower aspect. For example, let's say Timbucktoo U has been highly sought after for years, but for the last two years their enrollment has been decreasing along with the det. Now come June they have 2 officers pcsing, do they replace both, or just 1 now? By asking what college you want and them plugging it into their mathematical algorithm they can can determine if they should replace both, afterall these are 3 or 4 year tours, so it is important to have those numbers right.

Additionally, unlike USAFA, AFROTC cares about your intended major. There are many candidates that have amazing stats, but because they intend to major in a non-tech degree it makes them more likely to earn a type 7 than a type 1 or 2.
~ Type 1 is 5% of all scholarships awarded, or about 50 nationally. Out of that only 5% go to non-tech.
~ Type 2 is 15%, and @15% go to non-tech.
Thus, as you can see very few non-tech will get a type 2 or 1, probably less than 30 nationally. In total only @200 will receive a type 1 or 2. Now, ask yourself do you think you are 1 of the 200 nationally from their pool. Please realize that they typically will have over 5000 applicants, and on avg @18% will be given a scholarship. Extrapolate that further and you are looking at the top 1% of the nation will get a type 1.

In the end I doubt that your college selection choice will be a factor regarding the type, however, sometimes it can make an impact on whether you get accepted to that college. NOTE: not always, and more than likely it is rare. It is what I call the push-pull method. Sometimes the ROTC CoC will set on the admission board, if they know that you are holding in your pocket an AFROTC scholarship and are a match to their school it may sway the admissions dept.
~ My DS did not apply to UNCCH, or NYU Sterns. In Feb., he received a congrats letter from both of these schools. I thought it was a scam, something akin to pay us $75 and we will.... I called the admissions office to inform them that I thought some company was running a scam with their name. They told me the rudimentary PLEASE HOLD. Came back a few minutes later and said, Mrs. Pima, no there is no mistake your DS was offered admission to the school. HUH? He never applied. Oh, we know that, but the AFROTC CoC sat on the board and stated he has an AFROTC scholarship, showed his AFROTC application packet and we realized that he would be a good fit. We are also willing to pay his R & B, so it will be a free ride in the end when you add in his scholarship.
~~ And no he did not attend UNCCH.

Good luck. Aim High Above All
 
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