ROTC vs. SA

[liblady]

Hello all. I've been reading Exar Ganis' (??) posts about ROTC versus Service Academies and have a question myself.

First off, my son recently received his nomination from our Senator; he interviews with our Rep. this Sat. We're thrilled and excited he's made it thus far and are very proud of him. USMA is his first and foremost choice. He passed his Dodmerb and his CFA. His grades and SATs/ACTs are right up there within the requirements. Things are looking strong.

However, he did apply for and receive a full 4 yr. ROTC scholarship for a very good school in the mid-Atlantic region on an early action application. He was honest and forthright and told the major that USMA was his first choice. The major congratulated him on his hard work and drive to get into the SA and encouraged him to sign the offer letter stating he'd use the scholarship at the mid-Atlantic school anyway. (Thus Plan B).

Perhaps this helps to answer Exar Ganis' question.

My question is more of a request for confirmation of what I believe is true. My son signed the ROTC offer, but if he gets into USMA he can legally turn down the ROTC offer, correct? The major told us that they offered the scholarships on a quarterly basis and that another applicant would still have time to receive it offer if my son ended up turning it down.

Thanks for all of the wonderful information you all provide.

 

[Just_A_Mom]

My question is more of a request for confirmation of what I believe is true. My son signed the ROTC offer, but if he gets into USMA he can legally turn down the ROTC offer, correct?

Absolutely! An appointment to USMA superceds all other orders in the Army.

That is great your son has a terrific Plan B - Good luck on his quest toward USMA!
Glad we could help!

Even if your son receives a very late appointment the scholarship will be used if there is a qualified cadet. Some cadets don't learn of their scholarships until the summer or even the fall as the Battalions get more money from unused scholarships.

 

[LineInTheSand]

Yes, I got a NROTC scholarship. It's a GREAT deal. I ended up going to CGA, and was able to inform the PO2 that I would not need the scholarship, but really appreciated it. My friend used his NROTC scholarship. Not everyone gets it, but informing them once you know could free up a spot for another qualified applicant. To tell you the truth, I didn't apply for the scholarship, I was approach because of test scores, however going through the process, I was very impressed and it really is a good deal.

Getting past DoDMERB is ALWAYS exciting.

Good luck with all your wishes.

 

[WAMom68]

Liblady,
I thought I would throw in my 2 cents.

My son, now a plebe at USMA, also had a 4 year AROTC scholarship offer from a large in state college. From the beginning he told the ROTC officer at the college that his first choice was USMA. While waiting to hear from USMA he accepted the scholarship. After accepting the scholarship he was offered an AOG civil prep scholarship. He accepted the AOG offer because he wanted to do whatever he needed to do to get into USMA. As soon as he accepted the AOG offer he wrote to cadet command explaining the circumstances and turning down the scholarship. He also called the ROTC officer at the college and let him know that he was now turning down the scholarship. He wanted to let them know right away so that they could award the money to someone else. The officer at the college was not happy about losing my son to USMA and tried to talk him into coming there instead of accepting the civil prep offer, but my son had made up his mind.

There was no penalty for turning down the AROTC scholarship after the fact, but you may run into a bit of flack from the college ROTC officer. It just depends upon the personality of the officer involved.

Good luck to your son on his nomination interviews!

 

[momoftwins]

And here's my 2 cents.

Daughter received the 4-year AROTC scholarship at the only Big 10 school she applied to. She was completely honest about the fact that she was applying to WP. They were also completely honest with her and never tried to talk her out of it. They presented ROTC as a viable option. When she informed the ROTC officer that she had accepted her appointment to WP, he told her that she will be welcomed into their program at any time - with a scholarship - if WP didn't work out.

liblady, good luck to your son!!

 

[justawife]

My S has an AFROTC scholarship to UF, when he went to the Det. to figure out if UF was the right school for him. The unit officer told my S that if he wanted to reapply to USAFA that they would support him. They often get kids who go to USAFA after a year, they also get many ex-cadets who leave USAFA. The day before we went to UF he had gotten his thin letter from USAFA.

That is the beauty of AFROTC, the schools don't give out the money --HQ AFROTC gives out the money. This way they don't upset an officer by turning it down and going to USAFA.

 

[liblady]

Thanks

Thank you all for some sound advice.

I am still a bit confused about scholarships being offered each "round" and that applicants can accept more than one scholarship offer, just as long as it's not within the same "round."

Can someone explain further.

Thanks again.