ROTC Scholarships in college easier?

harqur

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Hello,

I have posted before and I am applying to NROTC, AROTC, and AFROTC. In the event that I am declined a scholarship, I know I can earn one in college. I saw a youtube video and it was talking about how one cadet and his whole group were on scholarship by the end of their 2nd year in college. Is it easier to get one in college? Will it be harder for me if I am denied in high school?
 
Can only address the Marine Option and to some degree the NROTC scholarships in general.

Not sure "easier" is the right word in that scholarships are just as competitive (or maybe more so) for college programmers.

My son didn't get the 4 year Marine Option scholarship out of high school, but reapplied. He joined the unit as a college program Marine Option. He was set up for competing for the 4 year "outside" scholarship as well as competing for a side load scholarship. He ended up getting selected for the 4year scholarship in the Marine Option early board (they only have 2 boards). One advantage is that college program midshipmen may have more people working for them in a way, but even then a lot of deserving ones don't pick it up during their freshman year. A couple of my son's friends did pick up Navy scholarships, but several didn't.

Regardless of when, put together the best package you can -- and be persistent if you don't make it the first time.
 
Regarding AROTC. I'd say it's a bit harder for in-college vs high school

The criteria of which you are assessed on isn't too different. It's based on your grades, PT score, extra-curricular activities - alot like that in the high school scholarship program.

The big difference lies within the environment with which you study in. In high school, pretty much everything is stream lined for you. Classes are scheduled, you probably have an after school sport to play, and homework probably comes shortly afterward.

In college, things are a lot different. For starters - you now have new-found freedom. There's no one there to tell you to go to class, do homework, play a sport, etc. If you really wanted to, you could literally just putz around ... at the expense of your grades of course.

My point is, in college, there are a lot more distractions present. Parties/socials, clubs, sports, and a whole lot of other things you'll find out.

And because of this, it can be a little harder to keep your grades up.

Regarding "said cadet + whole graduating class on scholarship," take that with a grain of salt. For all you know it could be some small school with a class of 40 cadets, with 10 kids per graduating class, with that program being allotted 10 scholarships per year. So yeah, easy for them.

Then you compare it to a Big 10 school. 300+ cadets, probably 40-60 cadets per class. You get 30+ students competing for 10 scholarships ... not so easy now is it?

OP, at this point there's nothing you can do to control your fate, as to whether you will get a high school scholarship. Stop worrying about it. Enjoy the rest of high school, and finish it out strong. Control what you can, not what you can't.
 
Like Thompson said about AROTC, the unit that I'm going to is a smaller unit (There's going to be 28 in our class, with around 18 of us with a 4 or 3 year, if I recall the stats correctly). From what I recall hearing, it would've been very likely for me to earn an in-house scholarship if I didn't win the national one. Larger units aren't as fortunate.

The National Scholarships have no bearing on the in-house ones. Actually, going through the process might be beneficial to you if you're doing things like your interview at the school you plan on attending, assuming your stats are well, since you'll be on their radar. The downside to having a small unit is that it is much harder to get in, so things are very competitive (thus, you're much more likely to get in if they know more about you beforehand). With a larger unit, they've got more slots, so you would be able to get in easier, but the in-house opportunities wouldn't be as prospective.

Regardless, remember why you're doing this program. The end game is for you to serve your country in her armed forces. Although the scholarship's nice, don't try joining just because of it.

Oh, another thing which I do partially agree that Thompson said: College is a whole other world. Some might enjoy the freedom and be able to put it to good use, while others don't know what to do with it and waste it all (the more common of the two). Yes there are bountiful more distractions, but they're only 'distractions' if you let them be ;). Like life itself, the phrase "It is what you make it" aptly applies.
 
I don't think being denied in HS will impact you being able to obtain a scholarship in college. I doubt it is the DENIAL that matters, it is the info at the heart of that decision and going into the program gives you time to improve upon that. They will look at your stats, how you do within your current ROTC unit, physical abilities, leadership abilities, etc. However, your college major may impact that greatly. STEM vs non-STEM. My DS started out AFROTC without ever applying for a scholarship. He didn't have the stats and he wasn't going for a tech degree. He could have commissioned without ever getting one. And from his impression, very few were given out once in the program, especially to someone like him. He wasn't even expecting one and that wasn't why he was there. His sophomore year, he switched to NROTC, Marine option as a "college programmer" because he felt it was his calling. He could not have progressed into his junior year if he had not earned a scholarship or what they call "advanced standing" The Capt who interviewed him told my DS they were all set to reject him, thinking it would be too difficult to pick up and succeed having missed the freshman year. But my DS impressed them enough with his interview that they did accept him, though they said the chances of him earning a scholarship were slim because of competitiveness and that he might want to consider doing PLC instead. He took his chances because he wanted the ROTC environment and he is currently starting his 6 weeks at Office Candidate School.

So, my point is, so much of it depends on the person, your major, the branch you want, and your field of study, mainly that for the AFROTC and NROTC (not including Marine option). If you really want/need that scholarship, I would suggest you look at your strengths and weaknesses, your intended degree, and the focus of the various branches. And, if you go into one branch and decide it isn't the fit for you, there is the possibility of switching though that may not be easy. Good luck!
 
Ok so thanks for the replies guys,
I was told I am competitve for AROTC and I have somewhat of a chance at NROTC.
Stats :
3.6 UW GPA, 4.6 W (schools are different, I know - it will go down a bit if the navy recalculates it), weight lifting at school and swim recreationally, 1250 CRM SAT, I have leadership positions and also lots of EC, and my PFT went well. It was on the "good" level for all of the events with a 7:30 run time
I am trying to go for the University of Houston ROTC Programs. UH is not a very hard-to-get-into school, and I already have guaranteed acceptance. Due to this, landing a spot in the ROTC programs there would be a goldmine for me. I wanted to do UT but that is hard to get into, considering that 75% of its spots are reserved for the top 10% of classmen.
 
I would think that your SAT needs to come up for the NROTC scholarship. NROTC is viewed by most as the hardest scholarship to get. I know for AFROTC the lowest type (7) has scores that average 1280 (best sitting, not superscore). Type 1 and 2s average over 1300. Since NROTC superscores, plus 85% go STEM, I would think their avg will be over the 1300 marker, probably mid 1300.

I would also try to get that run time down to a 7 minute marker.

Finally, I do not see any athletics, unless you are saying that at your school weightlifting is considered a sport or you are on a league that competes for swimming. IE., a travel swim team where you compete to get on it and on a state/national level.
 
As for AFROTC ICSP, it really depends. HQ AFROTC has X amount of dollars for scholarships. This is how it has been explained to me.

Just throwing numbers out as an example. HQ awards 900 scholarships out there, but they expect between SA appointments and other ROTC scholarships only 700 will contract in the fall. Their true budget is 800. Now that means they have 100 available for ICSP. However, if 800 do contract in the fall than there is no money left in the pot for that year group and they will cancel the board.
~~ I have seen them cancel the board twice in the past 5 years.

Also remember for AFROTC and NROTC they have a unique make or break system as a sophomore.
~ AFROTC requires all cadets to attend Summer Field Training. You will meet a board, the board does not know if a cadet is on scholarship. If not selected you will most likely be disenrolled and lose your scholarship.
~~ This is why most posters call the AFROTC scholarship a 2+2. Guaranteed for 2, will be extended for 2 more if selected.
~NROTC also has a board, but it is for those that are not on scholarship. The mids not contracted, must be selected to remain in the program.

Both AF/NROTC guarantee AD upon commissioning, thus the need to whittle down the field based on the numbers HQ personnel has set for incoming O1s in your year group. AFROTC has seen selection for SFT range anywhere from 55-93%. HQ can control the number of scholarships awarded, but not the number of walk ons, thus the selection rate can vary widely.
 
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