ROTC Forum

MarinCrops

MarinCrops

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Joined
Jan 3, 2017
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6
Correct me if I'm wrong but I've been reading this forum for a couple years now, just under different user names, and I don't ever remember a time when the baseline questions were, "I smoked this once, what next?" Or even the one "Chance me?". I would think that after a few of those threads these kids would get the hint to not be stupid, but that's just me. Any thoughts on this?
 
There are a zillion of those threads, not only on ROTC, but also the SAs and DoDMERB for marijuana and alcohol. Typically those threads will die within days because it basically goes like this:
OP: I have a 4.87 cgpa, 5 APs, 1280 SAT superscore, Capt of the Basketball team, NHS member and 200 volunteer hrs. What are my chances for a 4 yr AROTC scholarship, or if on the SA side what are my appointment chances/nom.
Respondent 1: Your cgpa is going to be re-calculated because they do not use a wcpa over 4.5. Otherwise you look good.
Respondent 2: What is your major, and which ROTC. AF and NROTC want STEM/tech.
Respondent 3: What are you PFA scores? Which schools
Respondent 4: You have 0% chance if you don't apply.
Respondent 5: Nobody here knows what the candidate pool will be for this yr., thus we cannot chance you. Apply.

OP: Thanks, and responds to all of the questions.

From there it typically goes silent. The respondents replied to the OP and have moved on. No need to respond again, hence the thread now dies.

That being stated in the next few weeks until Oct or so you will constantly see the chance me threads, and on top of that you will see multiple threads of....what should I wear for the interview? When is the 1st boards? Will I meet the 1st board if I submit now? I see everyone is getting notified for scholarships, but mine hasn't changed, what does that mean? I got the scholarship, but not accepted to the school, what's next? When will I go for DoDMERB? etc etc etc.

I have been here for eons, and I can tell you impho that every kid/parent thinks their situation is unique. They are nervous, scared, not use to this rollercoaster. They look for any glimpse of hope that they can get.
 
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Having just been through it...

I was an Army Reserve nurse (commissioned in my mid-30s, only reserve service, but 10 years of it). DH enlisted in the Navy a few days after his 18th birthday and patrolled the Persian Gulf during Desert Storm (12 years active). Even so, we knew about 50% of what we should have going in. It was only after DS had sent in all the apps that I discovered this site, and I wish I'd found it sooner. Like Pima says, it's a roller coaster and in general it feels like there is much and more riding on your applications. DS did his initial apps in January of 2016 when he applied for AIM, SLE and NASS. Then the military teaches the potential recruit the universal military command "Hurry up and wait." There are ups - he was accepted at NASS! they want to schedule the DODMERB appointment! - downs - the Senator didn't even allow him to interview and there was a B minus in calculus - and more ups - he got a Congressional nomination! It was 15 months - early April 2017 - when he was (finally) notified he had been awarded an AFROTC 4 year scholarship. As a parent, it's been an exhausting ride, and having the forum to read and bounce ideas off has meant that my worries didn't ruin his satisfaction in successfully navigating senior year.

While certain things are similar between the SAs and all the ROTCs (good grades are a must and a fitness evaluation will be done), the devil is in the details, and the recent discussions of Minor in Possession tickets is a good example. From the board, it looks like a first time offence means AROTC gives a warning, NROTC (and MO) institute a formal disciplinary action, and AFROTC immediately cuts you loose. If you are foolish enough to drink when you are underage, I doubt you are going to consider if you will lose your scholarship - but as a parent with a son about to start AFROTC, I assume the one-and-done philosophy extends to grades and coursework as well. So maybe we won't be encouraging him to get a part-time job at school and we'll ask him to work a little harder on his push-ups.

TLDR: Having dropped your apps into the black hole of admissions boards, feedback of any kind is a welcome thing.
 
why under different names??? You aren't that NAS/repatriot guy from the Military College page are you? Lets face it, people want instant gratification and easy answers, parents and applicants want to hear they are a "sure thing" acceptee but there is no such animal, folks with skeletons in the closet want assurance it wont come back to haunt them. Rules change and clear answers aren't easy to find with the military, I guess the only stupid question is the one that isn't asked.
 
Most people rarely search through old posts that don't show up on page one, even if they find a similar post they don't feel it answers the question of their exact situation.

Most people are just looking for information, anything they can, a large percentage have never been through something like this and do not have anyone else that understands the process to talk to or ask questions. Once an application is completed and submitted the wait can be long and stressful for many. Posting questions here is simply a way to find some support from those that have either gone through the process or are going through it now.

While the questions may seem redundant to those that have been on this forum for a while, to the OP it's the most important thing on their mind and a way to share their stress while they wait, no real harm in that.
 
Took another look at the OP's name.....MarinCrops? Is that a new branch I haven't heard of?
 
MarinCrops said:
Correct me if I'm wrong but I've been reading this forum for a couple years now, just under different user names, and I don't ever remember a time when the baseline questions were, "I smoked this once, what next?" Or even the one "Chance me?". I would think that after a few of those threads these kids would get the hint to not be stupid, but that's just me. Any thoughts on this?
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Well, more and more states are ignoring federal law and legalizing pot. DoD still demands adherence to the law though.
As for the "chance me," that's been a thing as long as I've been around here. Some years more applicants ask, other years they figure it out sooner.
 
I guess answering the chance me question with something like "You're chances would be better if you were out running or studying instead of rolling a doobie and wasting time asking questions that have already been asked and answered before looking them up" might be considered a little harsh then? :confused:
 
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