GWU PNS (emeritus)
George Washington University Capital Battalion
- Joined
- Nov 4, 2021
- Messages
- 1,612
The initial disclaimer up front is that this guidance is specific to Navy ROTC, as opposed to Marine Corps Options. We may have Marine Officer Instructors on the forums who can speak to the Marine side of the house.
Next comment I would make upfront is that if you asked each of the 62 NROTC leaders, you would likely get 62 slightly modified versions of what is most important during the Officer Interview for a scholarship. And they would all be correct since the scholarship boards consist of these same people.
To begin with, why should anyone care about this interview? There are many reasons, but I will give you the main one. Other than your SAT/ACT and your PT scores, there is nothing that is weighted as heavily. It changes year to year, but as of right now, it counts for 45% of your overall score. Translation: If you bomb the interview, it is very very hard to recover somewhere else. Ace it, and it can make up for a lot of areas where you otherwise are lacking.
I often hear and read about how applicants prepare rigorously for their fitness test, or SAT's........but when it comes to interview prep, I don't hear much. Some people are natural speakers and interview well. Others struggle quite a bit. Which one are you? How often have you let someone ask you tough questions, stare at you directly as you try to answer, and jot down notes which make you wonder what you said that made them start writing? Have you considered videotaping yourself as you are interviewed? Do you fidget in the seat, put your hands over your face, look all over the room, avoid contact, get flustered, or just start rambling? My advice would be to rehearse as much as you can, and learn to keep your poise even when you get a tough question. Do not make your answers appear robotic or "boiler plate" language.
This next point is as much for any potential interviewers as it is for those interviewed. The first thing on the officer interview form tells the interviewer to review the candidate's application and comment on any discrepancies found that would be relevant to the scholarship board. Your recruiters should know this already, but I will tell you that I am happy to review an application prior to the recruiter sending it off to NSTC. And to be clear, I will not tell you any magic words to put in there to guarantee your selection. That isn't my job. But I have seen applicants genuinely not understand a question or list things in their essay responses that were not listed in the awards or achievements blocks. During the scholarship boards, there just isn't enough time to crosswalk everything to make sure you are taking credit for your achievements. So review your package, have a friend review your package, and if possible, have a Navy officer review your package.
Final words on this......
One of the big things we look for is how you communicate your propensity to serve. Some people answer me that their parents served, or their grandparents served. I tend to think "ok, great, your parents or grandparents really wanted to serve their country in the Navy.......now how about you? Why do you want this?" When I interview, I am looking for responsorial consistency.....and by that I mean, did your answer to my interview questions sound something like the answer in your application? If so, you've ticked that box. If not, I start to wonder who wrote your essays for you if your interview answers sound nothing like the essays.
One more note before I end this. It is completely fair at the end of the interview to ask a question or two of the interviewer. And it actually shows your level of interest. Either a question about NROTC in general, or the university, or as to how the interviewer thinks you did. To be fair, no one is going to tell you that you definitely will get a scholarship or definitely will not. And some will say nice things to you so you don't feel badly. But you can definitely ask so that if necessary, you can do a better job on the next round.
Good Luck to All!
Next comment I would make upfront is that if you asked each of the 62 NROTC leaders, you would likely get 62 slightly modified versions of what is most important during the Officer Interview for a scholarship. And they would all be correct since the scholarship boards consist of these same people.
To begin with, why should anyone care about this interview? There are many reasons, but I will give you the main one. Other than your SAT/ACT and your PT scores, there is nothing that is weighted as heavily. It changes year to year, but as of right now, it counts for 45% of your overall score. Translation: If you bomb the interview, it is very very hard to recover somewhere else. Ace it, and it can make up for a lot of areas where you otherwise are lacking.
I often hear and read about how applicants prepare rigorously for their fitness test, or SAT's........but when it comes to interview prep, I don't hear much. Some people are natural speakers and interview well. Others struggle quite a bit. Which one are you? How often have you let someone ask you tough questions, stare at you directly as you try to answer, and jot down notes which make you wonder what you said that made them start writing? Have you considered videotaping yourself as you are interviewed? Do you fidget in the seat, put your hands over your face, look all over the room, avoid contact, get flustered, or just start rambling? My advice would be to rehearse as much as you can, and learn to keep your poise even when you get a tough question. Do not make your answers appear robotic or "boiler plate" language.
This next point is as much for any potential interviewers as it is for those interviewed. The first thing on the officer interview form tells the interviewer to review the candidate's application and comment on any discrepancies found that would be relevant to the scholarship board. Your recruiters should know this already, but I will tell you that I am happy to review an application prior to the recruiter sending it off to NSTC. And to be clear, I will not tell you any magic words to put in there to guarantee your selection. That isn't my job. But I have seen applicants genuinely not understand a question or list things in their essay responses that were not listed in the awards or achievements blocks. During the scholarship boards, there just isn't enough time to crosswalk everything to make sure you are taking credit for your achievements. So review your package, have a friend review your package, and if possible, have a Navy officer review your package.
Final words on this......
One of the big things we look for is how you communicate your propensity to serve. Some people answer me that their parents served, or their grandparents served. I tend to think "ok, great, your parents or grandparents really wanted to serve their country in the Navy.......now how about you? Why do you want this?" When I interview, I am looking for responsorial consistency.....and by that I mean, did your answer to my interview questions sound something like the answer in your application? If so, you've ticked that box. If not, I start to wonder who wrote your essays for you if your interview answers sound nothing like the essays.
One more note before I end this. It is completely fair at the end of the interview to ask a question or two of the interviewer. And it actually shows your level of interest. Either a question about NROTC in general, or the university, or as to how the interviewer thinks you did. To be fair, no one is going to tell you that you definitely will get a scholarship or definitely will not. And some will say nice things to you so you don't feel badly. But you can definitely ask so that if necessary, you can do a better job on the next round.
Good Luck to All!
