Looking for some guidance and input with the NROTC application

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wnsham96

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I know we're pretty late in the game ... my DS was focused on his USNA application until December and has now switched gears to focus on the NROTC process.

He's not terribly interested in STEM majors. He's been studying Chinese for 4 years and would like to continue in college. I know that foreign language majors are Tier 3 (just learned that!)

His #1 goal is to get into USNA. If he doesn't get in, he'll need scholarship money to go to a ROTC school, and then he'll reapply to the academy next year (and the year after that, if necessary)

Is it acceptable to express his intention to transfer to USNA in the future? Or is that frowned upon?

Will the foreign language major drastically reduce the chances of getting the scholarship?

Would it be better to pick a "general" STEM-based Tier 2 major and then add a Chinese minor?

Are NROTC graduates limited to their career choices after college? (He's interested in being a foreign area officer.)

Feeling a little lost ... and concerned about a lack of strategy :confused: Thanks for any help!
 
Ok I’m giving parent to parent advice here, as a mom of a candidate to USNA and applicant of the 4-year NROTC scholarship. And having a front row seat to his efforts and what’s he’s learned over more than a year at this point.

First, my son wants to serve as an officer in the Navy. That is first second and third on his list. It took our family a little bit to get that because we were focused on this aspect of college academics or that aspect of career path. We really didn’t “get it” right away but he did. Crystal clear: he wants to serve. That is the driver here. And his perspective is sure I’m interested in X career but the Navy will probably also have a say in where I’m most useful career wise! ;) So because it sounds more like your son has a very specific career in mind, I think it’s well worth exploring (quickly) how likely it is he could pursue that. I don’t know. It sounds amazing but it doesn’t really jive with all I’ve learned from my son about how this works — sure you can pick a major, but a career? Maybe maybe not.

Second, as I understand it, you can major in underwater basketweaving and you’re still taking a million very advanced STEM courses, whether in NROTC or at USNA. So just confirm that the lack of interest in STEM majors isn’t a lack of interest in STEM.

Along those lines, your question is if it’s better to pick a tier 2 major with a Chinese minor vs a Tier 3 (Chinese) major. I certainly can’t answer that but there are some facts at play. Tier 3 majors are capped at 15% of scholarships. So the math on going tier 3 isn’t good. BUT… again from what I understand that does not mean you just pick some tier 1 or tier 2 major to make your application look good. His application should reflect what he wants to do; I don’t think anyone would recommend trying to do otherwise. Clearly there is a need for some tier 3 majors or they wouldn’t have them. Maybe he’s a brilliant linguist with fluency in Mandarin. Maybe that is useful to the Navy. But whether they will see your son as having the potential for that isn’t something anyone knows. But if that’s his passion and goal, starting to mess around with throwing things in the application that aren’t really aligned with his interests isn’t something I’d recommend doing. He has to do that discernment and make that decision.

Finally, like all moms, I think my son is pretty amazing. :) He is a top student in a very tough district, with strong SAT scores, and has done a lot with leadership and service. He just got a senatorial nomination to USNA in a competitive state. And he STILL thinks his chances at both USNA and the NROTC scholarship require daily prayer! (I’m dead serious.) And he knows the men and women who are aiming for this are great and equally deserving. My point is he doesn’t think he’s a shoe in, doesn’t talk about it like that at all, in fact quite the opposite — since his apps are done he is working hard on plan C (college programming) and D (our state school’s honors program / engineering program). Why do I mention this? Well you said you need USNA or the NROTC scholarship to afford college. And that is very common and understandable these days. But these are highly *highly* competitive! So I would say, time to also develop a very good plan C or even D. Maybe a community college has a 2+2 program, maybe it’s a financial aid package (get that FAFSA in!), scholarship applications, work study, etc. Regional universities are wonderful places that typically cost less than even state schools. I guess I’m just saying, this is a terrible bet for affording college that only a few of a large number of probably very deserving men and women benefit from. Have a backup plan! Or two!

And one final piece of advice. There are a lot of components of the NROTC application that are out of your son’s direct control to get in. “Trust but verify” that they are all sent, complete, AND received by his recruiter before the deadline. My son had to do a whole lot more proactive tracking and emailing and pushing than I ever would have imagined. It’s all good experience but… wow. It takes a lot longer for guidance and teachers to send things in than you might think in some cases. And people are human and make mistakes. Plus it’s peak application time and flu season etc etc. So tell him to get it done ASAP!
 
wnsham96 said:
I know we're pretty late in the game ... my DS was focused on his USNA application until December and has now switched gears to focus on the NROTC process.

He's not terribly interested in STEM majors. He's been studying Chinese for 4 years and would like to continue in college. I know that foreign language majors are Tier 3 (just learned that!)

His #1 goal is to get into USNA. If he doesn't get in, he'll need scholarship money to go to a ROTC school, and then he'll reapply to the academy next year (and the year after that, if necessary)

Is it acceptable to express his intention to transfer to USNA in the future? Or is that frowned upon?

Will the foreign language major drastically reduce the chances of getting the scholarship?

Would it be better to pick a "general" STEM-based Tier 2 major and then add a Chinese minor?

Are NROTC graduates limited to their career choices after college? (He's interested in being a foreign area officer.)

Feeling a little lost ... and concerned about a lack of strategy :confused: Thanks for any help!
Click to expand...

I will take a quick stab here. And regret that my response is shorter than usual, but we start our spring semester soon, I have Mids roaming across campus and asking for access to our computers and copiers, and this month NROTC shifts to 2 boards for the next 3 months.

Is it acceptable to express his intention to transfer to USNA in the future? Or is that frowned upon? No issue whatsoever. Plenty of Midshipmen do it. That being said, I would not make this the very first topic of conversation. And for fair warning, because some universities are near USNA, there will sometimes be some gentle ribbing from the other Mids......"oh, there goes the Academy boy.....he's special" or words to that effect. But the senior staff is fully aware some people will want to try again for USNA.

Will the foreign language major drastically reduce the chances of getting the scholarship? It will not given the fact that LREC is one of those desired Tier 3 majors. By that I mean if someone declares they seek a Tier 3, the next check is if it is in a desirable foreign language. Chinese, Russian, Arabic, Farsi and a few others are desirable. French, Spanish, German, Italian......meh....not as much.

Would it be better to pick a "general" STEM-based Tier 2 major and then add a Chinese minor? Picking a random major in the hopes it will work out is akin to picking a random brain surgeon and hoping it works out. If you are miserable at studies, then it won't help you in the long run.

Are NROTC graduates limited to their career choices after college? Career choices can and often do change in the first four years. Some communities actually encourage people to broaden their horizons. SWO is one of those where people frequently shift gears into another career field.

Feeling a little lost ... and concerned about a lack of strategy :confused: Thanks for any help! People who feel lost typically over prepare, which is ok. People who think they have it all figured out are typically caught off guard and disappointed.
 
@Jabor3 Thank you so much for taking the time to offer your sincere and helpful advice! DS and I have talked a lot about how all of these steps ultimately leads to a life of service in the military (he's seriously considering making it his career). This isn't just about going to a really good school and having some great experiences. His desire to go to USNA started in the 8th grade when he visited the campus. He said "I found my people" :) and has never doubted it since. But, yes, he has come to the full realization that USNA is just one great experience on the way to life in the military.

By no means do we think this is a done deal. In fact, I also believe in the power of prayer and know there will need to be a little bit of miracle work to make this happen. He's met all of the qualifications for the academy, but (truth be told) I know there are applicants that look much better on paper than he does. NROTC is plan B. Then, we'll work on plan C. Then plan D. And thank you for those suggestions! I will look into those for sure as we progress. (My DS is the youngest of my 3 to go on to higher education, so this is all new to me.)

Yes, he is interested in continuing Chinese in college and becoming an FAO. He's also interested in becoming a naval flight officer. So, he's flexible and uncertain, which is fine. I'm just curious about which path has a good balance between increasing his chances and maximizing his interests and skills.

Your last paragraph was extremely helpful! Very important to know of the hiccups that can happen. Teens can sometimes think that a checklist is completed in a linear fashion. I'll make sure to let him know how important it is to be expedient and thorough with all components of the process!
 
@GWU PNS Thank you so much for your advice and encouragement! I'm so thankful for all of the generous information people offer on this forum.

Good to know about the possible transfer to USNA. Wasn't sure if this should be mentioned in the application or not.

I think between your input and the advice from @Jabor3 we have our answer with the major he'll declare on the application. In fact, last night his NROTC coordinator gave him practically the same feedback. By picking Chinese, he'll be at "the top" of the Tier 3 applicants. Your answer confirmed that for me.

The reason I ask about career choices is because we weren't sure how a Chinese major would fit in to those listed career areas on the NROTC website. My DS wanted to explain within the application how the Chinese language would enhance his service. It's easy to jump from Chinese to FAO, but not sure how to apply that to being a NFO or working on a submarine. Any suggestions? Or should this not be a concern?

[edit] I forgot to mention that my DS first choice is GWU!
 
wnsham96 said:
It's easy to jump from Chinese to FAO, but not sure how to apply that to being a NFO or working on a submarine. Any suggestions? Or should this not be a concern?
Click to expand...
Adding to the great advice you’ve already received:

First, know that major doesn’t necessarily play into MOS. There are many aviators with non-STEM degrees. And there are many STEM majors who don’t land pilot/NFO.

Second, FAO is not typically a role someone gets right out of school. These are highly specialized, highly demanding roles that go to experienced, accomplished officers. (Suggest your son read “Imperial Grunts” by Robert Kaplan.)

Third, beware choosing a college that’s affordable only because of an ROTC scholarship. ROTC has a surprisingly high attrition rate, even among scholarship winners. Not questioning your son’s motives or motivation. But know that mids/cadets, no matter how gung-ho about ROTC at the outset, do change their minds. So make sure he attends a school that’s still affordable without the ROTC scholarship.

Finally, encourage him to have an open mind if he ends up in ROTC. Many cadets/mids realize it’s a better fit than an SA, and they end up staying. (Or their application is declined again.) The grass isn’t always greener on the other side….
 
NROTC-Marine Option (MO) Major in whatever you want, there are NO Tiers. Just saying...Coming from a Marine. 👍
 
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