Multiple Offers

bdaMom

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Dec 17, 2009
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It appears many here have received multiples offers from the different branches, AROTC, AFROTC and NROTC. Congratulations! I'm curious though, what will be your deciding factor on which to choose? My son has always been ARMY, ARMY, ARMY, so he didn't even want to apply to the others. If he doesn't get the scholarship, he will go the SMP route.
 
In my daughter's case it was always Air Force, Air Force, Air Force. Then when she started the ROTC application process, it became very obvious to her that the AF did not value her career choice (nursing) as much as the Navy and Army. The AF seems mostly interested in engineers and want-to-be pilots. She was less likely to receive an AFROTC scholarship and if she did, it may have been one of the "types" that would not pay enough tuition for her to attend any of her top 3 colleges.

While the Navy is more generous with scholarships for nurses (and seems to want them), NROTC is not offered at some of my daughter's college choices. In addition, it is our understanding that the Navy may only approve one of the colleges on your "list". Until we see which college(s) is approved, we won't know if a NROTC scholarship will work for her.

The AROTC program was always my daughter's third choice. My wife thought that the AROTC offered a lot of additional training that the others did not, and more opportunities for adventure. After her interview with a PMS that was also Special Forces, it was clear the Army was not for her. She is not the outdoors, get up 5 days a week at 6am and run 5 miles before breakfast kind of girl. Nothing wrong with that, just not her. Add in longer deployments (more frequently) and a supposed lower quality of life..... I'm sure she will not accept the Army's very generous offer.

Bottom line for my daughter is that she may decide not to take any of the three ROTC scholarships she applied for (if she is accepted by all of them). She has been offered some very nice college scholarships and with loans we should be able to cover the cost of college. If she is still as enthusiastic about the AF after she graduates, she can join then. Most branches have bonuses and loan forgiveness programs for nurses so that door is still open to her.

Hope this helps.
 
Thanks for the all the info, it sounds like your daughter will have alot to choose from... which is a really nice problem to have. My son knows he wants to do Civil Engineering and the Army, so we'll get him there one way or another.
 
Good luck to you and your son bdaMom. It's great when our 17 and 18 year olds know what they want to do with their lives. I have a son that is a year behind (a HS junior) my daughter that isn't sure if he wants to do anything other than play sports and chase girls. The only thing I know for sure is that I'm not "parking" him in a college @ 30K a year while he discovers himself. He can do that in the workforce or enlisted military.
 
Our son is Navy, Navy, Navy. We talked a lot about the other branches, and thought he should also aply for the AF ROTC scholarship, but after doing his own research, he was set on just Navy, period. We respect that.

We were worried that if he did not get the Navy scholarship and no appointment to the USNA, he'd have to change his college priorities because his top 5 picks are either out of state or private, and we cannot afford those on our own. Thankfully, he received the Navy shcolarship to his first choice. Now he's just waiting to be accepted into engineering at the school, but we believe he will get in.
 
Our son is Navy, Navy, Navy. We talked a lot about the other branches, and thought he should also aply for the AF ROTC scholarship, but after doing his own research, he was set on just Navy, period. We respect that.

We were worried that if he did not get the Navy scholarship and no appointment to the USNA, he'd have to change his college priorities because his top 5 picks are either out of state or private, and we cannot afford those on our own. Thankfully, he received the Navy shcolarship to his first choice. Now he's just waiting to be accepted into engineering at the school, but we believe he will get in.
Congrats to you and your son, that's awesome! We're in a similar situation in that the out-of-state school is the #1 choice, but can't afford it without the scholarship. He's accepted there, but will have to wait and see if the scholarship comes through.

As aglages said, it's great these kids know what they want to do at this age. That's usually the hardest part!
 
We are thrilled our son has set his own path although this process of applying for the academy and shcolarship has been significantly more stressful on all of us than we ever imagined. I tend to worry about things I cannot control (bad mommy), so since he has not received admission to the college as of yet, I think about the "what if he does not get in" scenario a lot. Son is not worried which is a good thing. I wish I could be more like that.
 
I do believe that their *everything is under control* way of handling things will serve them well as officers in the military.
 
Before anyone thinks I'm talking disparagingly about their children, let me say that my daughter has the same "everything is under control" attitude. In my case I wonder if everything is actually under control or whether she is too young and naive to realize the gravity of the life altering decisions that she is making. I can still (barely) remember being 18 years old and believing that I could walk on water. Wonder where that attitude went? :rolleyes:
 
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aglages, agreed. I can remember the feeling at that age of going off to college somewhere across the country that I could be walking into a black hole and never come out, but the pull of the adventure was overwhelming. I lived though it all and in the end it was good.

I just have to have that same hope for my son's quest into the unknown.
 
Good luck to you and your son bdaMom. It's great when our 17 and 18 year olds know what they want to do with their lives. I have a son that is a year behind (a HS junior) my daughter that isn't sure if he wants to do anything other than play sports and chase girls. The only thing I know for sure is that I'm not "parking" him in a college @ 30K a year while he discovers himself. He can do that in the workforce or enlisted military.

LOL, we had the reverse situation, DS knew and DD didn't! She's starting to "get it" since being part of the work force now for a year! :thumb:
 
I think it's definitely - "too young and naive to realize the gravity of the live altering decisions they are making" for most of them!
 
I think it's definitely - "too young and naive to realize the gravity of the live altering decisions they are making" for most of them!
Even though you spelled "life" differently than I did in my post, "live" is equally applicable. :thumb: Thankfully most of them will do just fine. Probably better than their parents (at least in my case).
Happy Holidays!:beer1:
 
As one of those young people "who has everything under control" attitude, I am going to disagree. I know the gravity of the decisions coming up. I have stressed in the past, but now I know it is out of control. All I can do is keep my grades up, keep enjoying life, and wait. So I guess a correct statement would be that "I have everything I can control under control.":cool:


Or it could just be my relaxed, SoCal attitude...
 
Good luck OC Josh! Sounds as though whatever is ahead of you in life you are mentally prepared to handle it. Of course I could be mistaken and it is just your relaxed, SoCal attitude... :wink:
 
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