Parents - ask me your mom and dad questions

[TBVADAD]

My DD was recently contacted with an Army ROTC scholarship opportunity. Once everything is official, I am certain that I will have tons of questions! Thank you so much for offering to answer questions! We've been scrambling to learn the SA ins and outs and now we'll have to start from scratch with ROTC matters.

One quick question, did your DS do JROTC in HS? If so, did it help with the transition to ROTC?

I can hopefully help on this one. DS was the only one he in platoon with JROTC experience freshman and last year. It has really helped him compared to the new class from year he said. His HS was constantly at Nationals for Drill, so he started a Color guard at the school for Football and other sports and parades. So all in all I think that little edge has helped.
The other men and women are prior service or NG. I think its the best of both worlds for him. He gets an understanding of ROTC and can hear what some of the Army is like.

 

[Chip07]

Are required technology expenses covered? We had to acquire a pretty expensive engineering laptop and wondering if this will be covered.

 

[tgtl]

Are required technology expenses covered? We had to acquire a pretty expensive engineering laptop and wondering if this will be covered.

My son did not have his laptop covered, but any technology, lab fees, etc that were invoiced through his school were covered.

 

[PaRNmom]

I am the proud parent of a newly commissioned Army officer who had a very successful 4 years in ROTC. I was new to all of this 4 years ago and admittedly anxious, but I have learned a lot and am happy to answer any questions you may have (from a parent’s perspective).

Thank you for posting this! My son is an incoming HS senior looking to apply for an ROTC scholarship, and I have no idea where to start. We met with an AROTC recruiter at a university on a recent college visit (not son’s top choice) and I’m looking for an application timeline….does he apply for ROTC at the same time he applies for college? If he decides on early decision for a university does this impact an ROTC scholarship?

 

[EJF]

Thank you for posting this! My son is an incoming HS senior looking to apply for an ROTC scholarship, and I have no idea where to start. We met with an AROTC recruiter at a university on a recent college visit (not son’s top choice) and I’m looking for an application timeline….does he apply for ROTC at the same time he applies for college? If he decides on early decision for a university does this impact an ROTC scholarship?

There is a definite timeline on applying for ROTC Scholarships, and they are different for all the branches. Our experience is with Army. There are 3 boards where they review the applications. The first one for Army is in October, the last one is in March. There should be lots of information in this forum if you do some searching, and if he does some googling. The scholarships in Army are tied to specific schools, my son put his top 3 choices and was awarded a 3 year to all of them. I can't recall if you can put more than 3. If he does early decision and does not get his scholarship to that school then he'll have a problem. My son was not able to choose his school until early April last year because his award did not come out until late March. He applied for the second board, but was not picked up until the 3rd board. It's a long process and he should get started on figuring it all out and how to be most competitive on his application. There is also the process of getting cleared through DODMERB, the medical review board, no scholarships will begin until they are medically qualified. I don't think you can go through that process with ROTC until you have been awarded your scholarship. That can take some time too.

 

[tgtl]

Thank you for posting this! My son is an incoming HS senior looking to apply for an ROTC scholarship, and I have no idea where to start. We met with an AROTC recruiter at a university on a recent college visit (not son’s top choice) and I’m looking for an application timeline….does he apply for ROTC at the same time he applies for college? If he decides on early decision for a university does this impact an ROTC scholarship?

I was clueless when my son started, too. There is a lot of info on this forum that you can search for. There are deadlines and they are on the application which can be found on the GoArmy website. One of the most important pieces of info is your son should wait until he has his best application to apply - there is no advantage to putting an application in for the first board if he plans to retake the SAT/ACT or fitness test. Wait for his best scores. The first board is extremely competitive. Those who don’t get a scholarship on the first or second board do get reconsidered 3rd board. Again, there is a lot of info on this forum regarding how all that works. We didn’t go the early decision route so I can’t really comment on that. Your son can put down 6 or 7 schools (I’m not sure if the number) and the schools and order of preference can be changed as many times as he wants until just before a scholarship is issued. And if he gets a scholarship and it’s not to the school he wants to go to, it can usually be transferred.

 

[TBVADAD]

There is a definite timeline on applying for ROTC Scholarships, and they are different for all the branches. Our experience is with Army. There are 3 boards where they review the applications. The first one for Army is in October, the last one is in March. There should be lots of information in this forum if you do some searching, and if he does some googling. The scholarships in Army are tied to specific schools, my son put his top 3 choices and was awarded a 3 year to all of them. I can't recall if you can put more than 3. If he does early decision and does not get his scholarship to that school then he'll have a problem. My son was not able to choose his school until early April last year because his award did not come out until late March. He applied for the second board, but was not picked up until the 3rd board. It's a long process and he should get started on figuring it all out and how to be most competitive on his application. There is also the process of getting cleared through DODMERB, the medical review board, no scholarships will begin until they are medically qualified. I don't think you can go through that process with ROTC until you have been awarded your scholarship. That can take some time too.

+1 to this.

Here is the site for last year.

ROTC Scholarships

Apply for an ROTC scholarship in order for the Army to help you pay for college, all while gaining invaluable leadership skills.

www.goarmy.com

You can see the application deadlines and board dates.

My son as well wasn't picked until the 3rd board (2021) so it can be a long process. He wasn't ready for the 1st board as this was about the time he finally decided this was the direction he wanted to go.

At a local school the ROO is the best point of contact.

 

[clarksonarmy]

If you are interested in an Army ROTC scholarship, either through the national process or a campus based offer and you aren't talking to the ROO/enrollment officer/person who is the ROTC recruiter at your college of choice you are wrong. That is the person who should be helping you be as competitive as possible on the national process and the one who can explain how the campus based process works in their program. If you miss the national process you will have to compete and each program sets up their competition a little differently.

TALK TO THE ROO!!!!!!

 

[EJF]

Thank you for posting this! My son is an incoming HS senior looking to apply for an ROTC scholarship, and I have no idea where to start. We met with an AROTC recruiter at a university on a recent college visit (not son’s top choice) and I’m looking for an application timeline….does he apply for ROTC at the same time he applies for college? If he decides on early decision for a university does this impact an ROTC scholarship?

https://armyrotc.army.mil/ Loads of information here, and I just saw last night that the application portal opens today! Good luck! Feel free to reach out if you have more questions.

 

[FVNY]

If you are interested in an Army ROTC scholarship, either through the national process or a campus based offer and you aren't talking to the ROO/enrollment officer/person who is the ROTC recruiter at your college of choice you are wrong. That is the person who should be helping you be as competitive as possible on the national process and the one who can explain how the campus based process works in their program. If you miss the national process you will have to compete and each program sets up their competition a little differently.

TALK TO THE ROO!!!!!!

My daughter is applying AROTC and she her top choice schools are out of state private colleges. Does she need to talk to the ROTC recruiter at every college she intends to apply to?

 

[MidCakePa]

My daughter is applying AROTC and she her top choice schools are out of state private colleges. Does she need to talk to the ROTC recruiter at every college she intends to apply to?

When you say “applying AROTC,” do you mean:

For a national scholarship? If so, then no. Those scholarships are decided centrally. Your daughter is eligible to interview at any campus, with any detachment, but there’s really no advantage to doing so at one over the other. I believe it’s best to interview in person, even if that campus/detachment isn’t high on her list.

For entry into a particular battalion? If so, then no. Any student can join ROTC once they’re on campus.

 

[Capt MJ]

My daughter is applying AROTC and she her top choice schools are out of state private colleges. Does she need to talk to the ROTC recruiter at every college she intends to apply to?

If she is relying on earning AROTC scholarship money, she should be sure she can afford to attend those schools without a scholarship, or if she runs into a medical speed bump and can’t activate her scholarship or other situations where the scholarship money flow might be held up.

If she is not applying for a scholarship and plans to enroll as a “college programmer,” and if any of those schools are highly popular for AROTC scholarships, the unit might fill up with scholarship winners. Good communications with ROO is a great way to exercise adult communications skills.

Be strategic about choosing a range of “reach” to “safety” schools, keeping an eye on affordability. Apply for other scholarships as well.

Also, she should scour the AROTC site to see if the requirement to apply to some in-state and public schools still applies. See this older thread.

Post in thread 'Requirement to apply to public/in-state schools for ROTC'
https://www.serviceacademyforums.co...c-in-state-schools-for-rotc.49604/post-495155

 

[FVNY]

If she is relying on earning AROTC scholarship money, she should be sure she can afford to attend those schools without a scholarship, or if she runs into a medical speed bump and can’t activate her scholarship or other situations where the scholarship money flow might be held up.

If she is not applying for a scholarship and plans to enroll as a “college programmer,” and if any of those schools are highly popular for AROTC scholarships, the unit might fill up with scholarship winners. Good communications with ROO is a great way to exercise adult communications skills.

Be strategic about choosing a range of “reach” to “safety” schools, keeping an eye on affordability. Apply for other scholarships as well.

Also, she should scour the AROTC site to see if the requirement to apply to some in-state and public schools still applies. See this older thread.

Post in thread 'Requirement to apply to public/in-state schools for ROTC'
https://www.serviceacademyforums.co...c-in-state-schools-for-rotc.49604/post-495155

Yes, she is applying ROTC scholarships to make her attendance possible. She recently received a LOA from West Point and successfully passed the CFA and medical examinations. While West Point is her third or fourth-choice school, she would be more than happy to attend if she is not admitted to her preferred private schools or doesn't receive ROTC scholarships for them. She intends to apply to just two public schools, most likely following the requirement of applying to two public schools plus three private schools, and potentially 3 + 4 if she decides to expand her options. Thank you.

 

[banjoppd]

Yes, she is applying ROTC scholarships to make her attendance possible. She recently received a LOA from West Point and successfully passed the CFA and medical examinations. While West Point is her third or fourth-choice school, she would be more than happy to attend if she is not admitted to her preferred private schools or doesn't receive ROTC scholarships for them. She intends to apply to just two public schools, most likely following the requirement of applying to two public schools plus three private schools, and potentially 3 + 4 if she decides to expand her options. Thank you.

Fall 2023 scolarship applicants are all ready boarded the recipients have already been awarded.

 

[Sargon]

Not a parent, but I'll say this; book allowance covered all my books for class... the stipend covers everything you "need." Doesn't include the plane tickets, ski lift tickets, etc random things if you pay for any extra circulars. Not sure what it's like at VMI if they're more strict, but I'd say about 1 in 3 MIDN in my unit had an outside job.

No outside job at VMI, maybe in the summer.

 

[tgtl]

My daughter is applying AROTC and she her top choice schools are out of state private colleges. Does she need to talk to the ROTC recruiter at every college she intends to apply to?

First, Capt MJ always gives the best advice, so pay attention to those responses. My advice is although your daughter doesn’t need to talk to the AROTC rep at every college, my son did and it helped him order his college preferences. I would not recommend your daughter choose a school based on the AROTC program alone, but it could be helpful for her to get a feel for how the programs are run at each school, (whether they are a host school or not, what the time commitment expectations are, percentage of students enrolled in ROTC at the school, etc). For example, one school he spoke with was not a host school and had only one or 2 other cadets on campus. Academically it was similar to the other schools on his list but that wasn’t the environment he wanted, so that school moved to the bottom of his list. Another school moved to the top when he experienced how the ROTC community was supported on campus

 

[FVNY]

First, Capt MJ always gives the best advice, so pay attention to those responses. My advice is although your daughter doesn’t need to talk to the AROTC rep at every college, my son did and it helped him order his college preferences. I would not recommend your daughter choose a school based on the AROTC program alone, but it could be helpful for her to get a feel for how the programs are run at each school, (whether they are a host school or not, what the time commitment expectations are, percentage of students enrolled in ROTC at the school, etc). For example, one school he spoke with was not a host school and had only one or 2 other cadets on campus. Academically it was similar to the other schools on his list but that wasn’t the environment he wanted, so that school moved to the bottom of his list. Another school moved to the top when he experienced how the ROTC community was supported on campus

Without a doubt, Capt MJ always excels! Your advice has been remarkably valuable too! I will definitely encourage my daughter to take your input into account to make more informed decisions.

 

[Humey]

Congrats to your son. My son also had a scholarship. No, we didn’t have a JROTC program at our school. I don’t think any of his ROTC friends were in it either.

Most Rotc cadets werent in Jrotc. Those who did are told to downplay it and not bring it up very often. They joke about people who were part of n JROTC because some have a habit of bringing up the fact that they are experienced cadets who know what is going on when JROTC is nothing like Rotc. They sort of say the same thing to former enlisted who brag about what they know or how other cadets are doing things wrong. Former enlisted are encouraged to help others because of their experience but not using it to make themselves look better

 

[clarksonarmy]

My daughter is applying AROTC and she her top choice schools are out of state private colleges. Does she need to talk to the ROTC recruiter at every college she intends to apply to?

There is no requirement to talk to any ROO. She should talk to the ROOs at all of her schools to make sure she gets her questions answered and learns about the programs (each one is different). She should also talk to the ROOs, so that they know who she is and can help if she needs it. ROOs can help with admissions and can help make the scholarship applications process easier, and can help with the campus based scholarship process, which is a campus specific process and a little different at every program.

She can also do the process in stealth mode and hope for the best.

 

[TBVADAD]

Most Rotc cadets werent in Jrotc. Those who did are told to downplay it and not bring it up very often. They joke about people who were part of n JROTC because some have a habit of bringing up the fact that they are experienced cadets who know what is going on when JROTC is nothing like Rotc. They sort of say the same thing to former enlisted who brag about what they know or how other cadets are doing things wrong. Former enlisted are encouraged to help others because of their experience but not using it to make themselves look better

To some levels I would agree others I wouldn't.

You can have a ROTC unit that is tasked with organizing a Color guard (as an example) detail for their platoon for football and other sporting events.

You can rely on the "experienced" cadets (MS4) which have no idea other than what's discussion in a manual or a 4 yr JROTC cadet with 2 years Honor guard experience and (over 100 color guards) taught by a member of "The Old Guard".

I know DS has called upon by the cadre because of his JROTC experience since he was a freshman. I believe his Freshman year fall semester he was a grader for local JROTC HS competitions at due to the lack of knowledge in the battalion