Emailing ROTC Battalions

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CavSon

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Nov 13, 2016
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Hello all, I recently asked for some advice on whether or not to email admissions and you guys were super helpful and I cant thank you enough. I emailed admission to update my file and that worked well however when I emailed the ROTC battalion I got no response. On their website faculty page I saw no ROO just an enrollment officer, which I wasn't sure if that was the same thing. Instead I sent an email to their general email for questions, concerns, and thing like that. Basically I told them I won a four year scholarship, would be excited to go to that school, etc. But like I said I received no reply in over two weeks.

Now I'm just curious as steps to take next. One thing that scares me about emailing them again is getting off on the wrong foot or messing up admissions somehow (ED ones come out real soon). Of course they might also help with admissions so again I'm not sure. I think just waiting until Wednesday for when I hear back to determine next steps might be my best course of action. Any advice as to options/what to do would be much appreciated though.
 
ROO (Recruiting Operations Officer) is a term used by Army ROTC but enrollment officer is a general term that refers to the same position.

I would recommend emailing the enrollment officer, or picking up the phone and calling the number on the xROTC website.
 
This may or may not be the issue with your situation, so take it as a grain of salt. My daughter had amazing luck with getting a response from schools that had a ROO in place, meaning they were the host school of the battalion. She did not have any luck with getting the "enrollment officer", usually a Captain, or some other member of the cadre, not a civil servant like the ROO, to email her back. Meaning at a "non-host" school, so a satellite or affiliated school. After she received her scholarship, she received a call from the ROO from the host school of the satellite that was her number 1 school. She wishes she would of known to contact him months earlier when we flew to that state to visit the school and had a hard time meeting with anyone at her preferred school. He didn't even know she had visited or met with a Captain at the school, so no communication went to him. IF, this is the issue that it is not a host school, figure out what school is the host school and try contacting the ROO at that school. If this is not the situation, then I apologize for having such a lengthy response!!! By the way, she ended up choosing a different school, and I think the lack of a relationship with the school's ROTC department was partly to blame.
 
Hi Cavson,
I'm echoing AROTC-dad - shift from email to a phone call (or 2). It sounds like you're trying to introduce yourself to the ROTC Battalion....if you've just been offered a 4 year on the 1st Board, you're basically a 1st Round draft pick.....the Battalion will be thrilled you're coming, and they'll be happy to talk with you! Frankly, I'd contact the PMS directly (given that they have no ROO), via phone call and/or direct email if you have it. If you haven't visited the Battalion, ask for an opportunity to come meet the PMS, and see the unit - it's basic recruiting stuff, but if you take the initiative and ask for a visit, I think that will actually set you up on the right foot, and make a very good impression with the PMS/cadre.

Side note: my DS was offered a 4 year last month (1st board). He has had direct/personal contact with each PMS at his 3 top choices, and they were each gently but firmly recruiting him to attend their Battalion. We visited all three over the last month, it was great to see the units face-to-face, and the PMS and his cadre really appreciated his effort to travel/visit. Just letting you know this, and that the recommendation above is based on experience, not just theoretical.
 
AggieWill said:
Hi Cavson,
I'm echoing AROTC-dad - shift from email to a phone call (or 2). It sounds like you're trying to introduce yourself to the ROTC Battalion....if you've just been offered a 4 year on the 1st Board, you're basically a 1st Round draft pick.....the Battalion will be thrilled you're coming, and they'll be happy to talk with you! Frankly, I'd contact the PMS directly (given that they have no ROO), via phone call and/or direct email if you have it. If you haven't visited the Battalion, ask for an opportunity to come meet the PMS, and see the unit - it's basic recruiting stuff, but if you take the initiative and ask for a visit, I think that will actually set you up on the right foot, and make a very good impression with the PMS/cadre.

Side note: my DS was offered a 4 year last month (1st board). He has had direct/personal contact with each PMS at his 3 top choices, and they were each gently but firmly recruiting him to attend their Battalion. We visited all three over the last month, it was great to see the units face-to-face, and the PMS and his cadre really appreciated his effort to travel/visit. Just letting you know this, and that the recommendation above is based on experience, not just theoretical.
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Just to make my comments above simpler and add to advice @AggieWill gave, which is very good, whether phone or email, if the school you are contacting is not a host school, they might not only not have a ROO, they also might not have a PMS, you would have to contact the host school. If the school is a host school, then my advice is not valid. Once my daughter received her scholarship, all communication with her number one choice was with a completely different school, because that school was the host, and therefore the ROO and the Cadre were ultimately who she needed to communicate with. Good luck with your choice!

And by the way, my daughter had tried to call the number on the website for the satellite school at least 5 times and left messages, it wasn't until the host school contacted her that she had any luck. Being an hour away from each other, and not having information on the satellite school's website, we didn't have a clue.

And you are not a nuisance, do not be afraid to keep trying to contact.
 
Dckc88 said:
Just to make my comments above simpler and add to advice @AggieWill gave, which is very good, whether phone or email, if the school you are contacting is not a host school, they might not only not have a ROO, they also might not have a PMS, you would have to contact the host school. If the school is a host school, then my advice is not valid. Once my daughter received her scholarship, all communication with her number one choice was with a completely different school, because that school was the host, and therefore the ROO and the Cadre were ultimately who she needed to communicate with. Good luck with your choice!

And by the way, my daughter had tried to call the number on the website for the satellite school at least 5 times and left messages, it wasn't until the host school contacted her that she had any luck. Being an hour away from each other, and not having information on the satellite school's website, we didn't have a clue.

And you are not a nuisance, do not be afraid to keep trying to contact.
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Thank you guys both for the advice and sorry for the late reply, pre finals week at school is busy.

The school in question is Duke, fortunately I've met with their ROTC Battalion when I visited the school and I also did my PMS interview with the PMS at Duke, so I certainly hope they know they are my number one. Duke itself is absolutely my number one pick too and I applied ED (hear back Wednesday).

The ROTC Battalion is hosted on campus but still no ROO. I also haven't heard from my other top three that I got a four year from (NC State and Princeton ) so I'm not sure what's up there. The two schools I have heard from are USC and Duke NROTC (funnily enough).

I guess I'll send the PMS an email I just wasn't sure on the protocol of that. I guess college admissions and everything intimidates me a little too much haha. I'm just going to tell her I won the scholarship, am excited at the prospect of attending Duke, and ask her if there is anything else i need to do and see where it goes from there.

Seriously love this forum thanks everyone.
 
AggieWill said:
Hi Cavson,
I'm echoing AROTC-dad - shift from email to a phone call (or 2). It sounds like you're trying to introduce yourself to the ROTC Battalion....if you've just been offered a 4 year on the 1st Board, you're basically a 1st Round draft pick.....the Battalion will be thrilled you're coming, and they'll be happy to talk with you! Frankly, I'd contact the PMS directly (given that they have no ROO), via phone call and/or direct email if you have it. If you haven't visited the Battalion, ask for an opportunity to come meet the PMS, and see the unit - it's basic recruiting stuff, but if you take the initiative and ask for a visit, I think that will actually set you up on the right foot, and make a very good impression with the PMS/cadre.

Side note: my DS was offered a 4 year last month (1st board). He has had direct/personal contact with each PMS at his 3 top choices, and they were each gently but firmly recruiting him to attend their Battalion. We visited all three over the last month, it was great to see the units face-to-face, and the PMS and his cadre really appreciated his effort to travel/visit. Just letting you know this, and that the recommendation above is based on experience, not just theoretical.
Click to expand...
Just read your side note too. I absolutely agree. When my dad and I toured colleges this summer we made sure to talk to their ROTC Battalions. It honestly made me feel even better about Duke, turned me away from UNC (no offense to the school just didn't feel right for me), and really opened my eyes to Wake Forest (their battalion intro and talk was awesome). So I wholeheartedly agree on getting to know the Battalions.
 
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Congratulations on the scholarship. One thing to consider - it is the end of the semester at most schools so cadre might be trying to wrap up a lot of loose ends for newly contract cadets, summer program deadlines, December grads, etc. - that might be affecting the timeliness of the responses
 
CavSon said:
Thank you guys both for the advice and sorry for the late reply, pre finals week at school is busy.

The school in question is Duke, fortunately I've met with their ROTC Battalion when I visited the school and I also did my PMS interview with the PMS at Duke, so I certainly hope they know they are my number one. Duke itself is absolutely my number one pick too and I applied ED (hear back Wednesday).

The ROTC Battalion is hosted on campus but still no ROO. I also haven't heard from my other top three that I got a four year from (NC State and Princeton ) so I'm not sure what's up there. The two schools I have heard from are USC and Duke NROTC (funnily enough).

I guess I'll send the PMS an email I just wasn't sure on the protocol of that. I guess college admissions and everything intimidates me a little too much haha. I'm just going to tell her I won the scholarship, am excited at the prospect of attending Duke, and ask her if there is anything else i need to do and see where it goes from there.

Seriously love this forum thanks everyone.
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I agree with all the great advise above. I do think at this point the holidays are going to make communication more difficult. I would look at Duke's winter break calendar and call after everyone is back from break. The cadre def have you on their list, you have earned your spot, now wait for paperwork and go to your DODMERB appointments. It really is all very exciting and I totally understand your wanting to connect with them. You have just been given a great gift for great schools!! It is kind of surreal! Congratulations!!
 
As a ROO, I don't really start bugging/pumping info to my winners until after the results of the third board. Then I know who's in and who's out. Focused on campus operations and taking some time off between semesters right now.
 
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