My chances of an AFROTC or AROTC scholarship??

A

abby.ruby

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Dec 24, 2014
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Hi, I'm a junior living in Maryland. I am planning on entering ROTC (not sure what branch yet) and wanted to know my chances of a scholarship. So far I have:
-A 3.95 UW GPA, 4.1 Weighted
-11 AP classes throughout all of high school and 6 honors
-I've been on varsity track for 4 years, varsity vball for two
-Top 10% of class
-1980 SAT score
-5 on AP World History exam
-I'm in three honor societies, treasurer of one VP of two
-Treasurer of Junior class office
-50+ hours of community service per semester
-additional ECs
With these credentials as well as around a 30 on the ACT I would like to know my chances of a Type 1 or Type 2 scholarship based on how I compare. I've gotten in touch with recruiters at various colleges as well and they say I "have a really good chance" but I'm not sure if this is a generic statement for everyone interested. I plan to apply to UNCCH, USC, Clemson, UMD, and Penn State; even though the college I attend doesn't affect my chances of receiving the scholarship (I'm pretty sure this is what the recruiter told me) I was wondering my chances at these schools as well. Any additional info or help regarding any of this or what else I could do would be great, thank you!
 
For AFROTC your intended major matters. Please understand that nobody can answer your question. We can give you insight, but that is about it. A 30 best sitting is on the avg marker for a type 2. @ 5000 candidates will be boarded and out of that @900 will receive scholarships. Out of that 5% will get a Type 1. 15% will get a Type 2 or @ 175. 80-85% go to STEM aka tech majors. If you intend to major in nontech, such as govt or communications only about 20 will get either a 1 or 2.

I would also tell you UNCCH is considered a Public Ivy. I would think it will probably be a reach school.

Also for AFROTC it is considered a 2+2 scholarship. It is guaranteed for 2 years. If not selected your sophomore year for summer field training (SFT) than they can disenroll you and lose your scholarship. So if you need the scholarship for fiscal reasons realize that it really is not guaranteed 4 years.
 
Do well on the PMS interview and the fitness exam, and have the right colleges in your selection list. If you cover all those bases, I'd say you look promising for an AROTC scholarship.

Don't bank on it though. Keep working hard. Apply early. Have several back up plans in place.

Good luck!
 
Your major matters for NROTC as well. 85% of scholarship recipients are in a STEM major.
I agree with Pima that UNCCH will be very much a reach school. It's definitely tough to get into, especially for out of state students.
I assume USC means University of South Carolina in your case. My son attended there. They seek out of state students and have some scholarships available only for them. My son won one and was able to attend there while participating in NROTC as a college programmer (without a scholarship). I can't speak to the other schools other than to say UMD is probably your best shot at acceptance if only because you live in MD.
 
Sorry I forgot to mention I plan to major in Physics! And okay thank you for the insight
 
I agree with kinnem. UMDCP is a match for them as an IS student.PSU might also be a match.

I would also state another reason why many do not like chancing is for AFROTC they will use their own algorithm for your grades. The reason why is there are over 2000 HSs in the nation. HQ AFROTC needs to equalize it out. Your GC will submit a school profile with your transcript. The profile tells them your class rank, and it will also state the grading scale/weight. It will also tell them how the AP curriculum works (can you take std, honors or AP. Or do you have to take a prereq before you can take an AP).

They do this for many reasons. Using your post as an example, you seem great on paper, but with that many APs, the question becomes why the wcgpa is so close to the uwcgpa. Viewing the school profile may say APs are only weighted at 4.25. They may use 4.5 as their scale, in your scenario you wcgpa would bump up. They also look at the scale. Let's say your school uses a 7 point scale. A B would be a 92 for you, but for another candidate that would be an A. It is also why they look at rank and school profile. Top 10% is strong, but if0% go Ivy it is than different to the candidate with a lower cgpa, but same rank and 25% go Ivy. They view the HS as more academically rigorous/competitive.

Finally, 2 things to understand for AFROTC scholarships
1. It is best sitting SAT/ACT. No super scoring. A/NROTC will super score
2. Your academic and ECs will not be placed into the equation after your junior year in HS.
~ IOWS I am assuming the 4 years track means you included senior year too. If so they will not take that into account. Same is true if any of the 11 APs will be your senior year.

The only thing you can update will be your SAT/ACT.

As a physics major you will have a higher chance of getting a scholarship, however also remember that once on scholarship as a tech major, if you choose to switch to a nontech major you will need HQs approval. Chances are very slim they will approve it. How slim, think close to 0 slim. If awarded nontech and you want to go tech once there, chances of HQ approving it would be close to 100%. Just food for thought when you start the process.

Also, remember receiving the scholarship is only 1 part. Medical clearance is another. If you have anything major in your records get on top of it now because waivers can take as little as a few weeks to months. Major is not a broken bone or a one time concussion. Long term prescriptions will usually raise the red flag. Vision can be an issue. Allergies can be an issue. A well meaning doctor could have prescribed an inhaler when you were 12. You have never usedit, but well meaning parents empty refilling it. You have to report it,and now that can trigger a remedial.

PS go on Naviance and see for your HS how you rack and stack for the colleges you have chosen.

Go through the old threads for interview advice.

If your name is Abby Ruby ask the mods to allow you to chance your moniker. This is an anonymous forum.
 
It also depends on the year and the fiscal situation of the military at that point. Some years, when they have lots of money, they give out scholarships like hot cakes. When they don't have money, a scholarship is next to impossible unless you're valedictorian or something.

For comparison, my details, and what I got into.
Grades: 4.2 weighted (I forget the UW - something like 3.:cool:
ACT: 34
SAT: 2190
Top 8% (I think)
5 on 5 AP tests
12 total AP
two honor societies
President's Volunteer Service Award (gold level) - lots of community service.

Where I was accepted:
UCLA
UC Berkeley
(other UC's as well)
Cornell University
(a bunch of other no-name uni's with free apps)

Scholarships:
NROTC: full tuition, UC Berkeley - for Chemistry major
AFROTC: Type 7, UCLA - for Applied Mathematics major

So I figured that I was solid enough for a Type 1 scholarship for the AF, but evidently not. Type 7 is the lowest tier of AF, and even with everything I did I still got the lowest level - restricted to an in-state public school. This was two years ago.

HOWEVER:
My brother, also in AFROTC, received a Type 1 scholarship, with lower grades, lower test scores, less APs, less everything, and a major in Chinese. This was 4 years ago.

THEN:
A friend of mine, formerly in AFROTC, applied for the in-college scholarship. He had a 3.8 college GPA, and a Russian/PoliSci major. Was not granted scholarship, so he jumped ship to AROTC, and got a full scholarship literally by the next week. This was last year.

ALSO:
A current cadet in AFROTC, with a 3.4 college GPA and a major in Chinese (not double major), was granted a scholarship. This was this year.

So it honestly really depends on the year and fiscal situation, I would think. STEM majors are typically a good bet, but sometimes, a language major will get you farther, oddly enough.

If you want the almost-certainly guaranteed money, however, from my experience, Army ROTC can, quite literally, make it rain.
 
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