Passed on by NROTC

[CIY32]

After seeing some people on here say they heard back, I decided to check my portal and it still says “no decision has been made”. My portal changed to all items have been processed around the beginning of March so I’m assuming I was boarded during Feb 22-26 boards. Assuming this true, I was passed up as I have no new portal updates.

I’m confused because I will be attending (haven’t committed/ put down deposit yet, but likely will) Stanford next year and I was accepted on something academics. I’ve played high level sports my entire life and have had significant leadership experience. I had, what I felt, was a great interview. I’m not sure how I was passed up by ROTC but was able to be accepted by Stanford and received likely letters from Yale and other T20s.

Does anyone have any ideas as to why I was passed up on during these boards? This is just an incredibly stressful time as since serving as a commissioned officer had been a lifelong dream!!

 

[AFCGN2025]

Don’t worry! From what I’ve heard, most of the scholarships are offered during either of the two April boards that remain. Actually there is currently a board going on this week as well. Your not out of the running yet!

 

[CIY32]

Don’t worry! From what I’ve heard, most of the scholarships are offered during either of the two April boards that remain. Actually there is currently a board going on this week as well. Your not out of the running yet!

Thanks for the info! By any chance, do you know if portal updates are all released simultaneously?

I’m just very confused on how I got passed over in the first place - I thought I was a fairly strong candidate but who know...

 

[Capt MJ]

I am under the impression there are some more NROTC board dates through April, but I admit to not following ROTC issues regularly. It may be a matter of “not yet.” Have you looked up the 2020-2021 board dates? I don’t know why you are counting yourself out of the game until you are officially told you are done.

The NROTC scholarship is a national competition, with thousands of applicants similar to you competing for a limited number of 4-year scholarships.

If serving as a commissioned officer in the Navy is your lifelong dream, there are no barriers to you pursuing that per a normal schedule. Assuming you applied to and get accepted at schools with a NROTC unit or affiliate which you can afford without a 4-year scholarship, you are all set. You join the unit as a college programmer, kick butt as a high-performing midshipman, given your stated academic, athletic and leadership skills, and apply for a 3-year scholarship.

Don’t torture yourself over things you will never know the reason for. Focus on what you can actually do. The aspiring junior officer plans for the worst case scenario, and if that happens, cheerfully wades in to execute with a glad heart that there is at least one path open to the goal. If this is a matter of pride because you were thinking you’d get picked up right away, this is a good time to deal with that bit of human frailty.

 

[FA18SuperHornet]

I am in a similar situation. I submitted my package back in September and have not been awarded a scholarship at any of the boards. I was accepted by a T20 earlier this year and am confident that my application is well above average (ACT, GPA, Sports, etc...).

If I had to guess as to why I have not received an award yet it would be that I am going into a tier 3 major.

 

[CIY32]

I am in a similar situation. I submitted my package back in September and have not been awarded a scholarship at any of the boards. I was accepted by a T20 earlier this year and am confident that my application is well above average (ACT, GPA, Sports, etc...).

If I had to guess as to why I have not received an award yet it would be that I am going into a tier 3 major.

It’s very frustrating! I’m going into a tier 2 major so I wouldn’t think that would be too large of a hurdle in terms of actually receiving the scholarship.

I get that the scholarship is a national competition but if I can get accepted at schools with 3-5% acceptance rates and likely letter from HYP I’d think the scholarship would be likey. The officer even interviewing me mention that they thought I’d for sure receive a scholarship as soon as I was boarded! Just very confused

 

[FA18SuperHornet]

Yeah, it's certainly a confusing situation but like others have said, most of the scholarships are given out in the remaining boards.

On another topic, Stanford's NROTC is cross-town with Cal correct? I didn't end up applying due to the fact that the commute would be a constant hassle.

 

[dah19]

It’s very frustrating! I’m going into a tier 2 major so I wouldn’t think that would be too large of a hurdle in terms of actually receiving the scholarship.

I get that the scholarship is a national competition but if I can get accepted at schools with 3-5% acceptance rates and likely letter from HYP I’d think the scholarship would be likey. The officer even interviewing me mention that they thought I’d for sure receive a scholarship as soon as I was boarded! Just very confused

My son did not get a NROTC scholarship but was able to get into USAFA (also a small acceptance rate). You have to understand that most applicants have the same resume as you. The pot is rich with students with high academics and successful sports. There are more boards, so you have not yet been "passed up".

 

[pwell]

It’s very frustrating! I’m going into a tier 2 major so I wouldn’t think that would be too large of a hurdle in terms of actually receiving the scholarship.

I get that the scholarship is a national competition but if I can get accepted at schools with 3-5% acceptance rates and likely letter from HYP I’d think the scholarship would be likey. The officer even interviewing me mention that they thought I’d for sure receive a scholarship as soon as I was boarded! Just very confuse

Totally agree with @Capt MJ. I am not familiar with NROTC, but being accepted into Stanford, you are no doubt very competitive overall. Have you considered/submitted your application to AFROTC -- it has a clear point system which you can use to gauge your score:
Interview – 45%, Unweighted GPA – 20%, SAT/ACT – 30%, Physical Fitness Assessment – 5%.

 

[CIY32]

Totally agree with @Capt MJ. I am not familiar with NROTC, but being accepted into Stanford, you are no doubt very competitive overall. Have you considered/submitted your application to AFROTC -- it has a clear point system which you can use to gauge your score:
Interview – 45%, Unweighted GPA – 20%, SAT/ACT – 30%, Physical Fitness Assessment – 5%.

I unfortunately did not apply for the army scholarship. While I completely understand, and agree, that the Navy ROTC application pool is incredibly deep with competitive candidates, I think Stanford depth is on another level along with the rest of HYPSM. This is the reason why I’m so confused with this boards’ results

 

[CIY32]

Yeah, it's certainly a confusing situation but like others have said, most of the scholarships are given out in the remaining boards.

On another topic, Stanford's NROTC is cross-town with Cal correct? I didn't end up applying due to the fact that the commute would be a constant hassle.

Yes, it is a cross-town with UC Berkeley. The drive is definitely a massive hassle, but ultimately the opportunity to attend Stanford 100% offsets any commute inconveniences!

 

[pwell]

I unfortunately did not apply for the army scholarship. While I completely understand, and agree, that the Navy ROTC application pool is incredibly deep with competitive candidates, I think Stanford depth is on another level along with the rest of HYPSM. This is the reason why I’m so confused with this boards’ results

AFROTC : Air Force ROTC. Cross town attachment for Stanford students is San Jose State University, which might be a slightly shorter/less-congested commute. There is a AFROTC detachment on campus at Yale (likely NROTC as well), but likely Stanford is more appealing than Yale. You might want to check with NROTC technician on whehter your GPA, SAT/ACT and fitness test scores are recorded correctly.

 

[Boymomof3]

From your information, it sounds like your resume is quite extensive. Being so studious, my guess is you have read a lot of info on the SAF & recognize nothing is a “gimme” or guaranteed & at times to expect the unexpected. DS thought MoC nom was in the bag - in the interview, the Admiral loved him, like loved him - stopped
his questions early because he had “heard all he needed”. Guess what - he didn’t get the nom. It was a crush to the ego - but he picked himself up. He ended up getting one from a Senior Senator, which was a surprise & a bit confusing . As a result of all of this, he’s been pursuing Plans C-G ... the extra time & a slice of “humble pie” has gone a long way into looking ahead into all of the different options. I’m sure you know this - what HYPSM look for in students isn’t always what a SA or ROTC Board is looking for. HYPSM is not equivalent to SA/ROTC. Sometimes being thankful for what you have earned so far & some self-reflection go a long way. I know, as my DS awaits word on both fronts, keeping a positive attitude has helped him tremendously. As he told me yesterday: “Anything is still possible!”

 

[TheRightStuff]

@CIY32 - You no doubt have many positives going for you seeing that you were admitted to Stanford, and I hope you ultimately receive the scholarship you are looking for. However, the following statements made by you show you are a bit naive and perhaps a tad presumptuous:

"I’m not sure how I was passed up by ROTC but was able to be accepted by Stanford and received likely letters from Yale and other T20s"

"I’m going into a tier 2 major so I wouldn’t think that would be too large of a hurdle in terms of actually receiving the scholarship."

"I’m just very confused on how I got passed over in the first place"

"I think Stanford depth is on another level along with the rest of HYPSM. This is the reason why I’m so confused with this boards’ results"

As pointed out by @Capt MJ , this is a national competition and nothing is guaranteed - no matter where you were accepted for college. There are too many qualified applicants to count each year that do not receive the ROTC scholarships they expect to, as the slots/resources are generally far outpaced by the desire for them (especially at higher ranked and more expensive schools).

It is entirely possible that whatever your profile might be that was looked upon favorably by Stanford or any "HYPSM" schools may not be what the Board was looking for. The two goals, standards, etc. can obviously be mutually exclusive, and the fact that you were accepted at Stanford should not in your mind equate to a "given" that you would then receive a ROTC scholarship.

Also curious why you did not apply to (assuming you didn't) any service academies as you said "since serving as a commissioned officer had been a lifelong dream" in an earlier post?

 

[Percy]

After seeing some people on here say they heard back, I decided to check my portal and it still says “no decision has been made”. My portal changed to all items have been processed around the beginning of March so I’m assuming I was boarded during Feb 22-26 boards. Assuming this true, I was passed up as I have no new portal updates.

I’m confused because I will be attending (haven’t committed/ put down deposit yet, but likely will) Stanford next year and I was accepted on something academics. I’ve played high level sports my entire life and have had significant leadership experience. I had, what I felt, was a great interview. I’m not sure how I was passed up by ROTC but was able to be accepted by Stanford and received likely letters from Yale and other T20s.

Does anyone have any ideas as to why I was passed up on during these boards? This is just an incredibly stressful time as since serving as a commissioned officer had been a lifelong dream!!

Don't be so sure you were passed over. DS met the late Jan board, heard nothing after the early Feb board, and was awarded the week after the late Feb board. Another NROTC recipient today seemed to have about the same amount of spread between first board and award. So were they passed over for their first two boards or were they selected at the first board...and it just took a month to find out? Lots of scholarships coming out in late March and early April. Keep the faith (but have numerous plan Bs).

 

[TheRightStuff]

@CIY32- One other thought came to mind. Were you counting on the ROTC scholarship to pay for Stanford @ MSRP of $75k per year or did you already have it covered through other scholarships, grants or out of pocket?

 

[franknd]

Let me add another perspective. Stanford is every bit as impressive as you suggest, no doubt. And athletics on top is something. With that said, if I'm the Navy, why are you, as a Tier 2 major at a very expensive university, a more attractive candidate than a Tier 1 major going to, for example, Cal-Berkeley or UCLA? I'm not saying that's their calculus -- I have no idea -- but certainly you are bright enough to understand that economic decision from the Navy's perspective, right, as one possible and rational explanation?

Here's another angle, although even more speculative. Given that Stanford doesn't host its own NROTC program, what kind of relationship do they have with the Department of the Navy? I write that because I know, for example, that Notre Dame -- which isn't on Stanford's academic level, but it's not too far off -- has a strong and longstanding relationship with the Navy. I would suspect that that sort of thing counts when it's all said and done at the national scholarship board. In other words, a kid headed for ND might be looked more favorably on than a kid going to Stanford from the Navy's perspective.

Finally, I will reiterate what other posters have alluded to -- if your lifelong desire is to be a military officer, why didn't you at least apply to all of the services for an ROTC scholarship if not the service academies? That seems a little myopic.

 

[pwell]

@CIY32- One other thought came to mind. Were you counting on the ROTC scholarship to pay for Stanford @ MSRP of $75k per year or did you already have it covered through other scholarships, grants or out of pocket?

Stanford is extremely generous on "need-based" scholarship/financial-aid. All accepted students/families would be able to afford (including room and board cost) to attend through either family income or scholarship/financial-aid. Since pandemic start with remote learning, students from low income families have been given fund for out-of-campus housing and internet connection. One of my kids studies there (over Harvard). Unfortunately neither Stanford nor Harvard offers merit-based scholarship, but we are happy to pay the high tuition to lend some help to school to provide funding to low income students.

 

[TheRightStuff]

Stanford is very generous on "need-based" scholarship/financial-aid. All accepted students/families would be able to afford (including room and board cost) to attend through either family income or scholarship/financial-aid. Since pandemic start with remote learning, students from low income families have been given fund for out-of-campus housing and internet connection.

I am well aware of how Stanford's financial aid works. I was asking how he/she was planning on paying for it - which naturally would include Stanford grants as funding if they were being offered based upon family income.

 

[Navy09mom]

I think this original poster is being attacked a bit. It’s impossible to tell tone in a post and while it may come off as a bit elitist, I understand what they are saying. It can be frustrating to see candidates that on paper have stats much lower than you get picked up immediately and you are waiting wondering what the heck. Especially when other admissions committees from T20 schools and HYPS are loving you. It is a mind mess and in the middle of senior year where the stress level is crazy high, I think we need to keep in mind that the OP is likely 17-18 years old and navigating all of this in the middle of a weird pandemic year with the stress of college. How they will afford it otherwise? Who knows? Maybe they have the money but also had a desire to serve. So many answers. I think the speculation done above is good to look at all considerations. OP, I hope you get picked up and have a wonderful journey and become an amazing officer.