Need ROTC Scholarship Tips and Recommendations

Rb147

New Member
Joined
Feb 1, 2017
Messages
9
Trying for AROTC or NROTC (Currently a Junior)

Aspiring Major: Aeronautical Engineering
GPA: 3.6/3.76
SAT: 1230 630M 600CR (Retaking)
ACT: Taking in June
Class Rank: Top 25%
Classes: Honors and AP

Sports: None which is my biggest weakness in the application. 1 Varsity Letter from Drill Team before transferring schools in which my new school doesn't offer them

EC:
NJROTC Drill Team 2+
NJROTC Color Guard 3+
Air Rifle Team 1
APS Member 1+
FBLA 1+
Advanced Band Member 2

Leadership:
NJROTC Staff 3 years
NJROTC Officer
Platoon Commander 2+
Applied for NHS!! Hopefully I make it

Volunteer:
NJROTC Volunteering 180+
Youth Aid at church 50+

Schools of Choice NROTC
1. University of Florida
2. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
3. Florida State University
4. University of North Florida
5. Florida A&M University

Schools of Choice AROTC
1. University of Florida
2. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
3. Florida State University
4. University of North Florida
5. University of Central Florida

Am I competitive? What can I do to improve? Also I would take an Ike Skelton or MSI scholarship if offered. <----- Competitiveness???? Am I NAPS potential???

Any tips and recommendations would mean a lot. Thank you!
 
I did a workshop with my NJROTC battalion and I'll try to share some advice I gave. Now let's see...
  1. Don't procrastinate on your essays.
  2. Go into the admissions process with back-ups. Don't place all of your bets down on the two ROTC scholarships as they are very competitive (they make some 4-year college admissions look like walks in the park). It's good to see you are considering NAPS, and the two year scholarships. I can't stress this enough since it's very easy to feel confident when you're competitive (which you are, I'd say for all of them). Don't let yourself down by being too cocky.
  3. Get feelers out for letters of rec from teachers for NROTC. I asked my teachers a bit late (i.e. August of the year I applied for the scholarship) and had to compete with other students for letters of rec.
  4. Train for your PFT. Get your body in shape and when you do take it, eat breakfast beforehand. I didn't do the latter and I ended up throwing up during my mile... Whoops
  5. Review old SAForum threads regarding the interviews and how to nail that. That particular aspect is very important, unlike most college admissions interviews.
  6. You already have the whole 'retake the SAT' thing down, but aim for the equivalent of a 31 ACT to be in the 'competitive' zone.
  7. End Junior year strong
  8. Make sure you apply to all of the colleges you plan on attending for xROTC
  9. Be positive FFS... I've heard/seen friends and others say a lot of stupid $hit after getting rejected by this school or that scholarship... It's not the end of the world or the end of your dream to serve if you don't land a scholarship...
Some other notes: You do have the option of listing your involvement within those NJROTC teams on your NROTC application. I think extra involvement in those kinds of activities help mitigate your lack of sports, but don't quote me on that.
 
Trying for AROTC or NROTC (Currently a Junior)

Aspiring Major: Aeronautical Engineering
GPA: 3.6/3.76
SAT: 1230 630M 600CR (Retaking)
ACT: Taking in June
Class Rank: Top 25%
Classes: Honors and AP

Sports: None which is my biggest weakness in the application. 1 Varsity Letter from Drill Team before transferring schools in which my new school doesn't offer them

EC:
NJROTC Drill Team 2+
NJROTC Color Guard 3+
Air Rifle Team 1
APS Member 1+
FBLA 1+
Advanced Band Member 2

Leadership:
NJROTC Staff 3 years
NJROTC Officer
Platoon Commander 2+
Applied for NHS!! Hopefully I make it

Volunteer:
NJROTC Volunteering 180+
Youth Aid at church 50+

Schools of Choice NROTC
1. University of Florida
2. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
3. Florida State University
4. University of North Florida
5. Florida A&M University

Schools of Choice AROTC
1. University of Florida
2. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
3. Florida State University
4. University of North Florida
5. University of Central Florida

Am I competitive? What can I do to improve? Also I would take an Ike Skelton or MSI scholarship if offered. <----- Competitiveness???? Am I NAPS potential???

Any tips and recommendations would mean a lot. Thank you!

Apply for the MSISR scholarship since you listed FAMU. Make SURE you can do very well on the fitness test. That way they can see you have athletic ability even if you aren't an athlete. The best advice I can give you is to finish your application as early as possible without sacrificing the quality of it. Try taking the ACT if you haven't, you could do better than on the SAT.
 
In general, how much of an effect does not having any sports the resume hurt the application for an A/N/AFROTC scholarship? (Could having strong academics/leadership/good PFT score compensate, or is not having sports a large disadvantage?)
 
Yes, as long as the rest of your application is undeniably strong. I never played a single sport in my high school career and a I still managed a 4 Year Scholarship. What I had going for me was that I invested my time to other productive activities.
 
In general, how much of an effect does not having any sports the resume hurt the application for an A/N/AFROTC scholarship?

This is really hard for anyone to answer since there are so many factors involved. Certainly having varsity sports, especially team captain, is better than not having sports but it's only one of many factors. It is possible to get into a SA or earn a ROTC scholarship without sports if other areas are strong. My DD had zero HS sports, but had other areas that demonstrated leadership, teamwork and athletic ability. She earned an NROTC 4yr scholarship which she turned down to accept her USNA appointment. So it can happen, but certainly having sports/team captain helps.
 
Since you want to be an engineering major, I would suggest taking physics or calculus next year if possible or already not done. I know for NROTC, they expected me to have an understanding of these subjects since I wanted to be a physics major, which is similar. When you retry fot the SATS, just remember that you can take prepcourses to get those scores to jump up considerably. I received an ISR 4 year nrotc and a 4 year afrotc scholarship with one varsity letter and a 1270 SAT. What is your schools GPA scale?
 
Hello, I was in the same boat as you... I had never played a sport, JV or V in my entire high school. My Extracurriculars were extensive; president of school, Vice President of NHS, and president of four other clubs. I also had a job, where I worked 25 hours a week. These activities showed that I cared about the things I was in, and had certain qualities that the NROTC board wanted. If you show commitment to your activities, and train for your fitness test, you will be fine. Here is some advice I have:

1) Take both the ACT and SAT, because that *one* right test will make you more competitive. I took my ACT three times.
2) If you train for the fitness test, and do well, you can prove that your lack of sports in school does not limit you.
3)Apply early action to all the NROTC schools in your top 5 list. (If they have it). That way, if you get rejected, you can quickly change your placement.

Last month, I was awarded a four year NRTOC scholarship. Let me know if you have any specific questions
 
We first heard about AROTC on a September college visit during senior year. My DD won a four-year on round 2 and we knew nothing about the process before applying. This forum helped us a great deal! I would suggest because you don't have team sports, to work out on your own and/or possibly join a non-scholastic sports program, such as a running club, (local fitness stores or gyms might offer this) recreational soccer, or community swim team. That may help. My daughter only had three years of one varsity sport, but emphasized in her essay her own fitness routine and the importance of that due to her lifeguard job.

Speaking of jobs, you're pretty busy with activities, but if you could squeeze in a p/t job, that may help, too.

My DD is very self-confident and personable, but we prepared a list of possible interview questions, based on the interview score card which you can find online easily. She rehearsed her answers to possible questions, with the goal of not just giving the desired answer, but to really sell herself and make points on each area of the interview! If you don't feel confident about the interview, practice until you do - its easy to score all the possible points in this area!

I have read a few sad stories on this forum from panicked students and parents after results came out, with students winning scholarships to schools they never even applied to, or are still waiting to hear from. Do yourself a favor - get geared up in September/October senior year and apply Early Action to every school that offers this option. There is no reason not to do this. My DD had all her acceptances well before round two results. No issues. Also, don't choose schools that are all "reach" schools for you - be realistic about your test scores and GPA and select at least some schools you stand a great chance of getting into. Its also a great idea to visit the schools and if you can, do an overnight with an ROTC cadet, attending classes and pt. This gives you a great feel for the school and battalion. Best wishes to you!
 
If you are wanting to major in Aeronautical engineering, why are you not considering AFROTC?
 
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