Marine Option - Impact of Draw Down

[mgreen]

My son has applied for the 2016 NROTC MO Scholarship. We've heard the number of scholarships available have been greatly reduced due to budget cut and manpower reductions. If the scholarship doesn't happen, he plans to participate in NROTC as a college program Midshipman.

Does anyone know if college program students are getting picked up for side loaded scholarship or selected for advanced standing?

 

[rocatlin]

A little early to tell this year since sideloads aren't really taken up until the 2nd semester. My son enrolled as a college program mid. He had reapplied for the 4 year scholarship and picked it up during the first board in November. He wasn't notified until December and his portal didn't reflect anything until January.

If your son is a HS senior, he has at least these chances for picking up scholarship:
1) Current 4 year application
2) Reapply for 4 year next spring if he doesn't pick it up. (Provided he has less than 30 hours college credit. Some HS students pick up that much and effectively enroll as sophomores. They lose out on freshman scholarships)
3) Enroll as college programmer. Wait on option 2 (which is what my son did). Do well and possibly be picked up for option 4
4) Sideload scholarship -- 2 chances. 2nd semester freshman year, 2nd semester sophomore year. I.E. a 3 year and 2 year scholarship
5) Advanced standing -- no scholarship
6) PLC program

As far as what happens next year, one could infer that there will be fewer scholarships, but that depends on attrition as well as what accession rates are for next year.

 

[kinnem]

Just to clarify, sideload scholarships can be given to sophomores in the fall semester, unless something has changed fairly recently. The autumn of his sophomore year is when DS was awarded his scholarship, of course it didn't take effect until spring semester. Perhaps you meant when they take effect.

 

[rocatlin]

Just to clarify, sideload scholarships can be given to sophomores in the fall semester, unless something has changed fairly recently. The autumn of his sophomore year is when DS was awarded his scholarship, of course it didn't take effect until spring semester. Perhaps you meant when they take effect.

Yes. Sorry for the confusion.

A freshman college programmer would be essentially looked at for sideload the spring semester of freshman year -- and as you said, it would take effect the fall semester of the sophomore year.

A sophomore could pick it up in the fall, take it up in the spring. Essentially a 2.5 year scholarship.

Of course, I think the overall question was around how many available scholarships due to draw down, and then backup plans. Even then, the backup plans could have fewer allocated slots as well. It's like trying to predict a future's market. "2016 lean Jarheads are down 1/4 and holding steady at..."