ROTC Non-Selects Hub

Congrats on waitlists and vandy. We were looking at vandy as well. What were your stats if you don’t mind me asking ? It seemed like Yale was definitely interested.
 
kikibear said:
Nope. But I got waitlisted at Harvard and Princeton! I’m going to commit to Vanderbilt :) They have a great NROTC program and Nashville is supposed to be amazing.
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Congrats and good luck at vandy. What were your stats if you don’t mind me asking
 
metz09 said:
Congrats on waitlists and vandy. We were looking at vandy as well. What were your stats if you don’t mind me asking ? It seemed like Yale was definitely interested.
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My school is weird because its project based learning instead of traditional learning so everything is different. I couldn't take AP's but I took all honors, 5 college classes (the max), 4.3 GPA (the max, we also don't rank), no SAT/ACT. I'm a founding class member so I was able to take part/have a leadership role in every leadership club/association in my school. Varsity athlete + Young Marines (similar to JROTC) and then some regional/national awards. And yeah, I interviewed with Yale 3 times, twice with their NROTC staff. It sucked at first to get rejected but I'm excited for Vanderbilt and have started talking to the staff there, they seem like a great unit and I really like how they host multiple units.
 
serapis said:
Good Morning All,

I am starting this forum as a place for ROTC non-selects to declare perceived weaknesses in their application file so that future applicants may avoid similar mistakes. Feedback from ROTC Midshipman and Officers would also be appreciated.

For context, I was a 2/22 NROTC 4-year scholarship non-select. I have since applied for the Army ROTC scholarship. My stats are:
  • Academic: 36 ACT, 4.0 uw/4.23w GPA, 10 AP's (2 5’s, 4 4’s, 4 currently), National Honor Society Vice President
  • Physical: Varsity Swim Captain, Varsity Track participant, Naval Sea Cadet Corps Ribbon for Excellence in Physical Readiness Test, 2.5 years of work as swim coach/lifeguard
  • Military: Naval Sea Cadet Corps Petty Officer 1st Class, Naval Sea Cadet Corps Lead Petty Officer of division + Lead Petty Officer of recruit training honor company, West Point LOA w/Sen&Con Nominations

Perceived Strengths in NROTC Application:
  • Strong academic, physical and military pillars of character
  • Dedication to military career in Navy EOD corps (knowing what I want to do & unique choice)
  • Good interview & followup

Perceived weaknesses in application in NROTC Application:
  • Selecting 5 high-cost schools, with Yale (deferred) as #1
  • Having my mother sign off on Drug Statement, Debarment and Suspension, Statement of Understanding and Applicant Fitness Assessment (was recommended by NROTC Coordinator, but forbidden according to the document & portal)
  • Writing "does not apply" for "Live Abroad" and "Adversity" prompts
  • Did not ask my NROTC Coordinator if there were any perceivable weaknesses in my application before submitting
  • Submitted application on Nov 15, interview + sent to board on Dec 9th. According to my Coordinator, should've submitted earlier

I believe that if we build this forum up, we could paint a full picture for future applicants and re-applicants to learn from. Please feel free to contribute
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OMG! My stats are not even close to yours, I got rejected from all the Ivies and beyond that, got my NROTC scholarship in late and was awarded the National Scholarship, what is going on here?
 
PiperCherokee said:
OMG! My stats are not even close to yours, I got rejected from all the Ivies and beyond that, got my NROTC scholarship in late and was awarded the National Scholarship, what is going on here?
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There are intangibles that don't show up in statistics. Ability to communicate in writing and verbally, how you did in the interview, actual leadership ability, etc
 
One thing that came to mind on possible reason for non- select among candidates with strong academics and EC's, is intended major. The military is looking for more Tier 1 and Tier 2 than Tier 3. This is apparent looking at new guidelines for next year that Capt. Meyers posted. Not to say that the opportunities don't exit but but there are less.
 
Frigga said:
One thing that came to mind on possible reason for non- select among candidates with strong academics and EC's, is intended major. The military is looking for more Tier 1 and Tier 2 than Tier 3. This is apparent looking at new guidelines for next year that Capt. Meyers posted. Not to say that the opportunities don't exit but but there are less.
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My DS was told only about 15% come from tier 3 majors. He considered changing to increase his odds, but we're thankful it all worked out. Especially with the changes for next year.
 
kinnem said:
There are intangibles that don't show up in statistics. Ability to communicate in writing and verbally, how you did in the interview, actual leadership ability, etc
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We're convinced our DS's leadership earned him the scholarship. His class rank and test scores weren't great. He also has earned two PVSAs and started a business to fund his Eagle Scout project. We were told not to discount being well-rounded.
 
botello said:
My DS was told only about 15% come from tier 3 majors. He considered changing to increase his odds, but we're thankful it all worked out. Especially with the changes for next year.
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One thing I have not seen, but been curious about is the selection rate for tier 1/2 vs the selection rate for tier 3. Yes, only about 15% of the scholarships are going to tier 3 majors, but if there are significantly less people applying for those scholarships, your chances may not be impacted. Either way, I'd say it is not a good idea to apply as a as a tier 1/2 major if you would not be happy with a STEM course load. The chances of running into academics issues that could derail you are not worth it. And if you aren't happy with your classes, it can affect you in many ways. Better to select what you want to major in and fight for a sideload or Advanced Standing if you do not get the 4 year scholarship. At DS' unit, by the end of 3/c year, everyone in his class had been awarded a scholarship.
 
botello said:
My DS was told only about 15% come from tier 3 majors. He considered changing to increase his odds, but we're thankful it all worked out. Especially with the changes for next year.
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It depends on the program. For AFROTC and NROTC Navy Option this is true. For AROTC and NROTC Marine Option, not so much.
 
kikibear said:
Nope. But I got waitlisted at Harvard and Princeton! I’m going to commit to Vanderbilt :) They have a great NROTC program and Nashville is supposed to be amazing.
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Vanderbilt is lucky to have you! Whatever you choose to do, you will succeed!
 
I was fortunate to receive the NROTC national scholarship. However, these stats blow mine out of the water. I strongly believe that a big factor in the decisions is the items on the application that show who you are as a person and more importantly as a leader; rather than just the stuff that is on paper. This would be the interview, the essays, and even the fitness assessment. I was able to write solid essays for all of the prompts and I feel they can be a make or break an application. In my humble opinion, I would say that it would be frowned upon to leave any of the essay prompts as "does not apply." The experiences they ask for are applicable to most. The only one I see being different is the one about living abroad /in another culture. My recommendation for that is to talk about any times you've experienced another culture and the impact it made.
 
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