How competitive am I for an ROTC scholarship?

[Braves fan]

I will be a high school junior this upcoming year (class of 22) and have wanted to be an officer in the military for a long time. Right now I am looking at applying for both the Navy and Army scholarships. How competitive do I look and what should I do to improve?

Academics
Unweighted GPA- 3.8 (over a 4.0 weighted)
A few honors, including physical science, I will be taking precalc this year along with a couple AP’s. I will be in Spanish 4 this year. I have done well in my math and sciences (which I know are important for navy) I was planning on taking the ACT this summer, but it was cancelled due to COVID. I took a practice test and got a 24, but I am confident I can raise this to at least a 27-28 (I recognize this is low for Navy, and more realistic for Army) I haven’t taken the SAT either. Another point, I go to a small college prep school with very rigorous courses. (Will this help my chances at all?) My school also does not rank, but I would estimate to be top 25%of my class

Athletics
Varsity baseball every year, my team does not do captains or co captains, I am also considering joining cross country this fall. (If there is even a season. I am in good shape and am running everyday. I am confident I should be able to run a mile at about 6:00
I’m 5’8 160 if that matters.

Extra curriculars

guitar ensemble at my school for 2 years, I play guitar on my own time, I attend youth at my church, where I play guitar. I also play guitar for the main church services.
I went on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic for a week
I have been in Key Club, Beta Club, Model UN, Honors society
A good bit of community service, most of which I helped build wheelchair ramps for needy families
I worked all summer last year, helping an electrician
This summer I started my own carpentry business ( I make and sell wooden American Flags)
I have also been a leader as a counselor for 3 summers at a local baseball camp for little kids, I helped teach about 80 kids the basics of the game
I am involved in FCA (Fellowship of Christian athletes) where I have done some volunteer stuff

I admittedly did not realize how competitive these scholarships were until reading on here, and I feel like my lack of leadership positions force me to have little chance of receiving a scholarship. I will try to get a leadership position in a club at school, but I am unsure if we will have clubs due to COVID. If I don’t get a scholarship, how competitive is the college program process? Thank you guys.

 

[kinnem]

They are all competitive processes, but if you enter as a college programmer you are at least on a path to a commission, regardless of scholarship. Entering as a college programmer is not a competitive process as long as you meet entry requirements.

Don't sell yourself short. Having the discipline to hold a job, showing up on time every day, is a good thing. Leading (herding) kids is no small task either and helps demonstrate some leadership.

By all means shoot for more leadership. Cross country is always a good idea. Dont just put in miles while training, do intervals. DO the PSAT this year when and if its given. Its used to determine some merit scholarships for college (we missed that boat).

Good luck. Dont forget about the Marines who really don't care what your college major is, although you can only apply for Navy, or Marines, not both.

 

[justdoit19]

YESS.....dont give up. When one reads on here, it can be very intimidating. Both of my boys are not the top of the top of the tops that you see posted about...and both received first-round scholarships. My point is that you CANNOT know all the variables simply from reading on the forums. Had my boys compared themselves to these resumes, they perhaps would have thought the same. BUT, there are a lot of intangibles that cannot be measured on a resume. Not saying that the resume isn't important, but it is not the WHOLE THING. There are also intangibles.

Best advice is to go all in. 200 pct. Make a decision and present your best self! Good luck!!

 

[Braves fan]

They are all competitive processes, but if you enter as a college programmer you are at least on a path to a commission, regardless of scholarship. Entering as a college programmer is not a competitive process as long as you meet entry requirements.

Don't sell yourself short. Having the discipline to hold a job, showing up on time every day, is a good thing. Leading (herding) kids is no small task either and helps demonstrate some leadership.

By all means shoot for more leadership. Cross country is always a good idea. Dont just put in miles while training, do intervals. DO the PSAT this year when and if its given. Its used to determine some merit scholarships for college (we missed that boat).

Good luck. Dont forget about the Marines who really don't care what your college major is, although you can only apply for Navy, or Marines, not both.

Thank you! I will definitely at least enter as a college programmer if I don’t get a scholarship.

 

[Braves fan]

YESS.....dont give up. When one reads on here, it can be very intimidating. Both of my boys are not the top of the top of the tops that you see posted about...and both received first-round scholarships. My point is that you CANNOT know all the variables simply from reading on the forums. Had my boys compared themselves to these resumes, they perhaps would have thought the same. BUT, there are a lot of intangibles that cannot be measured on a resume. Not saying that the resume isn't important, but it is not the WHOLE THING. There are also intangibles.

Best advice is to go all in. 200 pct. Make a decision and present your best self! Good luck!!

Thanks for the advice!

 

[Braves fan]

They are all competitive processes, but if you enter as a college programmer you are at least on a path to a commission, regardless of scholarship. Entering as a college programmer is not a competitive process as long as you meet entry requirements.

Don't sell yourself short. Having the discipline to hold a job, showing up on time every day, is a good thing. Leading (herding) kids is no small task either and helps demonstrate some leadership.

By all means shoot for more leadership. Cross country is always a good idea. Dont just put in miles while training, do intervals. DO the PSAT this year when and if its given. Its used to determine some merit scholarships for college (we missed that boat).

Good luck. Dont forget about the Marines who really don't care what your college major is, although you can only apply for Navy, or Marines, not both.

Another question, If I join as a college programmer, how competitive is it to earn a scholarship once already in the program? What do they look for in rewarding the scholarships?

 

[kinnem]

Another question, If I join as a college programmer, how competitive is it to earn a scholarship once already in the program? What do they look for in rewarding the scholarships?

Its competitive, and they look for the same things as the HSSP. However, you under observation and you PNS will be writing an assessment to accompany your app. There are some posts on past statistics for college programmers by @Go Dores! (I think)