The NROTC boards meet just about monthly depending on the number of applications received. When the board members review records, there is a "pre-score" number which is a combination of SAT/ACT scores, physical fitness scores, GPA, class ranking if available, and a few other items. That score sits in front of the board and there isn't much chance of it changing unless there is an obvious clerical error which would then cause that record to be rescored or rescreened.
The board members then review the other items, which are generically referred to as the "whole person" score. Applicant essays, activities, the officer interview, the submission by the Math teacher, Guidance counselor, and any other letters of recommendation, those all get considered and scored.
Those records are scored, the scores combined with the pre-score, and then the rankings are stacked. The members give a sanity check and make sure there were no issues or concerns not addressed earlier. There is a target score that if met or exceeded, moves an applicant to selected status. We don't know that target score before hand. The selectees get notified via email, and the other applicant scores remain in the system as the various boards continue. When all the boards are completed, any applicants not previously selected may be selected as the target score is adjusted. We know how many scholarships are available, so the target score is adjusted downward to get to that number.
Then there is always a bit of back and forth since some applicants also applied to USNA, USMA, or other ROTC programs. If they select something other than NROTC, we just drop down the list to the next applicant.
People usually want to know the specific weighting of scores, but I don't put that gouge out as I don't want to mislead someone into thinking you just game the system and work hard on a couple items. I will offer this......we assume that the people who know you best in terms of your academic potential and your ability to work in groups are your teachers and guidance counselors. Some of these letters are very well done, and others, to be candid, don't help the applicants at all. I wish we had members of high school counselors in this forum so I could personally exhort them to think carefully and make thoughtful, cogent statements that would help a board decide. Statements such as "Pretty good guy who tries hard" or "Don't really know him/her that well but I think they would do well in the military" are not the type of laudations that make me want to max out a score.
The other trend I see sometimes is a vague reference to an award......such as "I received the order of the dandelion".......
If it isn't an obvious award, please spell out what it is or means....is it a school award, a county, city, state, national level or what?
Good luck out there!
