School Choice

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elwha22

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Joined
Oct 10, 2019
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23
Hi all,

Hoping to get some help with school decision for DD. She is applying to NROTC and is trying to pick the number 1 school of choice.

  • Choice A - Out of state school. She has a very good shot for this school but its not actually her number one choice
  • Choice B - In state private school. This is a longer shot for admittance but its actually her favorite of all her choices.
Here are the open questions:
1) Does the Navy take price of the school into consideration when choosing whether to give a scholarship and the level of scholarship.
2) What happens if the Navy gives her a scholarship for her first choice but she doesn't get into the first choice school. Can she then use the scholarship for other choices.
3) What is the Navy's purpose for having the students rank the schools. What is the impact of selecting a school for the number one slot vs any other slot.

Thanks for your help.
 
elwha22 said:
Hi all,

Hoping to get some help with school decision for DD. She is applying to NROTC and is trying to pick the number 1 school of choice.

  • Choice A - Out of state school. She has a very good shot for this school but its not actually her number one choice
  • Choice B - In state private school. This is a longer shot for admittance but its actually her favorite of all her choices.
Here are the open questions:
1) Does the Navy take price of the school into consideration when choosing whether to give a scholarship and the level of scholarship.
2) What happens if the Navy gives her a scholarship for her first choice but she doesn't get into the first choice school. Can she then use the scholarship for other choices.
3) What is the Navy's purpose for having the students rank the schools. What is the impact of selecting a school for the number one slot vs any other slot.

Thanks for your help.
Click to expand...
Individual NROTC units often post FAQs, see example below. This one happens to have the link to the primary source, where your daughter can go to research the process for transfer.

 
I believe NROTC gives you your first choice. You still rank but it’s irrelevant as you get your 1st choice. Maybe someone else can comment to confirm.
 
+1 to @KB7801 . They'll give you your first choice and if you change your mind about it, you can transfer. Even before this was the case I always recommended you list schools in your actual order of preference, back in the day when people tried to game the system.
 
Price of a school does not factor into the scholarship decision. Up until a couple years ago each school had a cap on the number of scholarship recipients they could take in each year. At that time, if an applicants #1 choice was maxed out on the number they could take, the scholarship placement would move down the list until they came to a school on the list with an open slot. Those caps have now been removed any all scholarship recipients are assigned to their first choice. If the applicant is not admitted to the school where the scholarship is assigned, it's a pretty simple process to move it. And it can be moved to any school with an NROTC unit. You are not limited to your original 5. Not sure why they still ask you to list 5 schools.
 
elwha22 said:
Hi all,

Hoping to get some help with school decision for DD. She is applying to NROTC and is trying to pick the number 1 school of choice.

  • Choice A - Out of state school. She has a very good shot for this school but its not actually her number one choice
  • Choice B - In state private school. This is a longer shot for admittance but its actually her favorite of all her choices.
Here are the open questions:
1) Does the Navy take price of the school into consideration when choosing whether to give a scholarship and the level of scholarship.
2) What happens if the Navy gives her a scholarship for her first choice but she doesn't get into the first choice school. Can she then use the scholarship for other choices.
3) What is the Navy's purpose for having the students rank the schools. What is the impact of selecting a school for the number one slot vs any other slot.

Thanks for your help.
Click to expand...
CaptMJ posted an excellent resource for your DD to review.

However, I'm just going to throw in 2 cents' worth as a parent myself.
What is the reason your DD likes one school over the other? I would suggest she make her own list of pros and cons both now, over winter break, and again in April. Many kids change their mind over the course of their senior year, so if you can visit the schools again, I would encourage you both to do that. Another thing to consider is whether you can afford either school without the scholarship. In the event your DD receives a scholarship, there are many other students in that position who, for whatever reason, either decided nrtoc was not for them, or they unfortunately lose the scholarship during their time at the school (whether it is academics, physical fitness, failed drug test, etc.). No one starts thinking it will be them. But, it is important to ask yourselves if you do not have the scholarship, would this school be a good fit, and can you afford it. Lastly, you mention one of the schools is a 'reach' school, so if she is accepted, will it be too much for her to maintain the needed academic level competing with other students at that school? I am certain your DD is very bright- as are all the nrotc kids imho- but sometimes if a school is a 'reach,' there are others at the school who may make it feel very academically competitive for her as a student which makes for a not-so-pleasant college experience. Would she want that type of pressure on top of her other responsibilities? Only she can really assess that when considering both schools' student body make-up. Again, I just offer up these things for you to consider in choosing the best school for her.
Best of luck to your DD and I wish her the best as she navigates a difficult year with so many unknowns!
 
Perfect opportunity @elwha22 for me to make a shameless plug for my alma mater as well as the school of choice for my daughter's NROTC scholarship - MIAMI UNIVERSITY (OH)!!! Good Luck!
 
Thank you everyone for your thoughtful replies. It was very helpful to have these insights. :)
 
Hi all, The above question was about NROTC. Does the same apply for AROTC? Does the applicant always get the scholarship for the number one school of choice and can transfer it to any other school they got into if they are not accepted into their number 1 choice? Is the ranking below number 1 also not very important?
 
No
AROTC attempts some equality on the distribution of scholarships. Not unheard of to get #4 and 7 choice on the last board. However the transfer process is pretty easy and we’ve never seen anyone be denied on their transfer. Put your #1 choice first
 
The fact that this topic keeps coming up so often on this forum is an indication that the services web sites need to post a better explanation of the process.
 
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