On AFROTC scholarship and not selected for EA??

kinnem,

This is also why AFROTC cadets accept the scholarships. They are told in writing you need this as a cadet.

Fail to meet it and you void the contract.

That gpa does not exist as a gee gollly bench mark try to hit it. It exists as a legal standard to cut you loose.

Again read the contract. It gives more power to them than to your child/candidate.

The loop holes for a cadet/mid to escape are much more stringent than for an A/AF/NROTC to cut that same cadet/mid.
 
( I reposted this from the Stalker thread as it seems to have info that might be helpful on this thread as well)

Hi everyone. I was right where you now this time last year. DS had applied to only two programs...USAFA and Virginia Tech Corp of Cadets/AFROTC. Unlike many on this forum who are very familiar with the application process, nomination process etc., we were totally in the dark. So much so that DS only applied for one nomination! However, he did receive a nom from that Congressman. This congressman selects a principal and then the other 9 are "alternates". This congressman also always selects a principal nom who is currently IN ROTC and a freshman in college. So DS only had a chance at being the prin nom if there were no current ROTC college freshmen in the mix. Of course that did not happen, and the prin nom was a college freshman, ROTC student. As DS had not applied for a nom from any other source, he was pretty much out of the running for a slot at USAFA. But we held out hope, until the day arrived that brought the QNV letter to our home. DS was disappointed to not have been selected but was VERY excited about his admission to VT and into the Aerospace Engineering program there. Then, a funny thing happened. We learned that the prin nom had been REJECTED by the USAFA on academic grounds. It seems that his first semester grades were WAY below par and he was out. So we thought "maybe" for DS. As luck would have it, there was one other candidate who received a nom from our Congressman who was ALSO a college freshman in ROTC, so that individual took the prin nom place of the disqualified prin nom. Oh well! However, DS was told that he was next in line and that if he reapplied his freshman year, as a member of the Corp and AFROTC, that there was a STRONG possibility that he would be the prin nom. And that became the plan for DS.

Well, a funny thing has happened. DS became infatuated with VT, the Corp and loves his AFROTC detachment at VT. He busted his butt, made the Commandants List for Academic Excellence taking 18 hours, was appointed to the AFROTC Community Liaison Committee and excelled in PT. He knew after a month or so that he would not be reapplying to the USAFA, even though his chances of being the prin nom were VERY high. Instead, he was put in the "rack and stack" nomination list by the AFROTC detachment for an in-college AFROTC scholarship. He just learned this week that he was selected by the USAFROTC HQ to receive a Type 2 AFROTC scholarship, which will cover him for the next three years...tuition, books and a monthly stipend.

When DS received the QNV letter, I will admit that I was WAY more upset than he. I thought "excellent SAT, Eagle Scout, numerous awards, a NASA Internship, etc.....are these people crazy?". However, as cliche as it sounds, things really DO happen for a reason. I know that DS is THRIVING in his current situation, and is enjoying the normalcy of a large, "normal" college situation while still being able to pursue his goal of serving his country and qualifying for Pilot.

I know that this is VERY long post, but I want to encourage the Stalker/Reapply Club to think about all of the wonderful options that exist outside of the academy. Our son chose not to pursue that path again, even with an "almost" guaranteed prin nom because he found his calling elsewhere.

I got through my range of emotions last year with the help of a very savvy member of this group, PIMA. What a blessing and voice of reason she was and I see still continues to be. I made a promise to her that I would return to this site this year and share my "story" so that others might benefit from our experience. I hope that I have honored that commitment. If anyone has any questions that I can answer, feel free to ask on this site or in a PM. I don't know a lot about the process of reapplying since DS did not choose that path, but I know a LOT about how embracing other options can and do turn out to be the best outcome. My final word of advice? LISTEN TO PIMA and heed her messages and advice. She knows of what she speaks. And good luck to all of you as you stalk, reapply or follow another path.
 
Great story!

P.S. "A" grades are pretty tough to come by in Engineering at Virginia Tech, even "B" grades are tough, so your DS must be both very smart, and a very hard worker.
 
Thank you dunninla! Yes, he has worked hard! He knew that the decision not to reapply to the USAFA (after being told that he was a "highly likely prin nom) has a financial impact on our family so he was determined to do his best to be considered for an in-college Type 2. Our bank account thanks him from the bottom of it's heart (we have a DD who is a junior in college also!).
 
vamom is way too kind in her compliments.

I love this story because right now many people are feeling the exact same emotions she did last yr.

Helplessness, frustration, fear of the mailbox. That for some reason they believed it was over.

When you are on the roller coaster your perspective is different from those that got off the roller coaster.

That is where she is now. Her perspective has changed.

TWE are coming out now. Nobody wants that in their mailbox, but remember that only 900 scholarships exist from a national perspective. 900 for 5000 cadets. Non tech, it comes down to @150 on a good day!

Do not beat yourself up or 2nd guess anything. The reality is for now this is your path and nothing will change the results. Move on, and start your plan for the future.

DS as you all know will commission in May with a UPT slot along with 8 other AFROTC cadets, (rated is 8, non-rated is not included), he is the minority when it comes to scholarship. It is not and will not be over until the cadet determines to call it.

Plan A for AFROTC cadets may be scholarship, and Plan B is non-scholarship.

vamom's DS had to go Plan B, but now after 1 semester completed he has a scholarship in hand.

Fate is funny.
 
Pima, I mean it when I strongly suggest that folks listen to your advice! One piece of advice you gave on a thread last year was to retake the SAT as many times as possible as they add up the best score in each section. DS's SAT scores were VERY VERY high on his second try, and there were no plans at ALL for him to retake. But due to your wisdom, he squeaked in one final SAT session (the last session they offered before he graduated). Due to a "little higher here and a little higher there", his score rose 30 points! Since SAT is a factor in the in-college scholarship selection process, who knows if not having those extra 30 points would have ranked him such that he was "below the line". So as I said, LISTEN TO PIMA!!! :thumb:
 
Thank you dunninla! Yes, he has worked hard! He knew that the decision not to reapply to the USAFA (after being told that he was a "highly likely prin nom) has a financial impact on our family so he was determined to do his best to be considered for an in-college Type 2. Our bank account thanks him from the bottom of it's heart (we have a DD who is a junior in college also!).
You're welcome.

Re: your second child in college, when you fill out FAFSA, does the ROTC scholarship money count as income? I had the impression it does not. I will need to deal with this a year from now with our 2nd goes off to college.
 
You just read my mind! We will need to find that out asap. BTW....DD is at W&M....you neighbor! :)

I will let you know when we find out about the FAFSA implications. There is never a time that there is not SOMETHING to have to think about! But there are worse things than finding out scholarship implications! :smile:
 
OK, beat you to it. This subject has come up before, and the answer is always that ROTC tuition and stipend are not counted as either student or family income on FAFSA. Here is the technical link, Q4 and A4:

http://ifap.ed.gov/eannouncements/081309GuidFedVeteransEdBenefits.html

I haven't filled out FAFSA for a year so I don't know exactly on the form one MIGHT think about listing that money... but bottom line is you don't put it anywhere.
 
Well that is the SECOND best news I've had this week! Thanks dunninla! I've been back on this site for just a few hours since about a year ago and already am getting awesome info from the team!
 
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