school strategy

brandons

5-Year Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2013
Messages
28
Hi quick question. My son completed his AROTC application and we await a decision in the next couple of months. His unweighted GPA is 3.6. He has a 31 ACT superscore with 36 in Science and 34 in Math. He is an Eagle Scout as well. A little light, however, in leadership positions and sports - he participates in track but hss not lettered. He has a great Marching Band resume.
His school selections are Mizzou (we are from Missouri), OK State, Kansas, Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, and Arkansas. I have recommended subtracting one of these and adding a safety school like SIU Edwardsville or other type schools. He seems to not like the safety school idea as they are not as appealing. What do you all recommend? What are his chances with the above mentioned schools (I know it is just an educated guess).
 
I think his scores are fine. what about his fitness test?
I would agree that the lack of athletics and leadership will probably hurt his chances at the large schools. He might have a better shot at a smaller, less expensive school.

However, he can always compete for a campus based scholarship once he gets there. Not too mention that with his ACT scores he should be able to get acedemic scholarships.

Based upon the discussions on other threads, make sure he goes to a school you can afford if he doesn't get a scholarship.

And above all, choose the school before you choose the ROTC program. He has to go to a school that he will enjoy, do well in, and be comfortable.

(PS, I am from Missouri also). DS is looking at possibly transferring to Mizzou for his junior and senior years.
 
I'd say to put schools he wants to attend. You only get 4 years of college, and you don't want to go somewhere you don't even like to try to "game" the Army scholarship system. If those 7 are where he wants to go, keep it the way it is.
 
With his good GPA and ACT scores, isn't he guaranteed admission to U of Missouri? Or are you applying the concept of safety school to getting the AROTC scholarship?

Since in-state Mizzou is cheaper than out-of-state SIU-Edwardsville, I expect Cadet Command would favor the lower cost school when comparing those two.

As long as he has decent PFT scores, I would think the Eagle Scout award would be a strong feature in his application.
 
Alabama

If he can get his composite ACT score up to a 32, I believe he gets full OOS tuition at Alabama. My son is there now and loves the Crimson Tide Battalion. Let me know if you have any questions. gojack also has a son there who has been an invaluable source of information and encouragement.

Best of luck!
 
If he can get his composite ACT score up to a 32, I believe he gets full OOS tuition at Alabama.
I was going to write the same thing! Academic scholarships are so much better (this is also true for athletes) b/c even if your son should become separated from ROTC for medical, fitness/weight, conduct or personal preference reasons, and his ROTC scholarship is terminated, with possible pay-back owed, college is still paid for by the Academic money as long as grades are above 3.0, if I recall. He would then participate as a non-scholarship college programmer. Another benefit to a non ROTC Sholarship is that his ADSO will be 3 years instead of 4, giving him flexibility once he's serving Active. He is commissioned as an O1 either way, and after than nobody asks or cares if college was paid for by ROTC, or an academic scholarship.

Don't forget: after the first year in ROTC, it isn't a "scholarship" any more so much as it is a "loan to be 100% forgiven upon successful fulfillment by the cadet of the Army 8 year service obligation". Failure to complete ROTC or the 8 year Service Obligation for non-medical reasons normally requires a complete payback of Tuition/Fees, Book and Stipend money that accumulated after day 1 of MSII year. In that sense I think calling it a "Scholarship" can be misleading, especially to parents who usually don't read the ROTC Scholarship Cadet Contract.
 
Last edited:
The only real plus of taking a 4 year scholarship if offered instead of the academic scholarship is that the cadet would be able to contract the beginning of their first year. As things slow down and become more competitive that early contract can be a real plus. Non scholarship cadets are not guaranteed a contract their junior year, they compete for the available slots. If the cadet is in a larger battalion there could easily be more cadets then available contracts.

A contracted cadet is also eligible for summer training the summer after their sophomore year, a non contacted cadet is not.

A lot of things to think about when making decisions.
 
If he can get his composite ACT score up to a 32, I believe he gets full OOS tuition at Alabama. My son is there now and loves the Crimson Tide Battalion. Let me know if you have any questions. gojack also has a son there who has been an invaluable source of information and encouragement.

Best of luck!

If he is going to major in engineering or computer science that 31 ACT and 3.6 gpa already qualifies him for full tuition +$2500/year at the University of Alabama.

As Jcleppe says, there is a lot to think about but so far as paying for school the academic scholarships are much safer.

http://eng.ua.edu/undergraduate/scholarships/
 
Last edited:
Actually the payback is for everything including the MS1 year.

Not really sure how or how much payback would be due if someone does not complete their service obligation. Not sure if it is prorated for the number of years served. If you are AD the last 4 year's are IRR, which is pretty easy to complete, just don't get into any trouble during that time.
 
Alabama does not superscore, so it would have to be a legit composite score of 31 for engineering majors or 32 for all other majors.
 
Clemson In State

Another consideration is that Clemson offers In-State Tuition rates to ROTC cadets. We looked into it as an alternative, but I don't recall the details. Its probably worth a call. Also, I don't know if CC would be aware of that program and count it as an In-State Public as opposed to the more expensive Out-of state public even though you are in Missouri.
 
Alabama does not superscore, so it would have to be a legit composite score of 31 for engineering majors or 32 for all other majors.
Right you are! I did not catch the "supescore" in the original post.
 
Yes, his best composite ACT is 29. His superscore ACT is 31. He plans to major in Mechanical Engineering. We are just a bit anxious and nervous like all of the prospective ROTC candidates. Thanks for some great information. We get his October ACT scores next week.
 
I was thinking that an ROTC scholarship would be better than an academic scholarship. For example, at Alabama, I believe the non-resident scholarships only cover a portion or all of the tuition (which is significant) but does not cover room and board which is approx. 14,000 per year. Do most ROTC scholarships cover room and board or is that a university decision?
 
ROTC scholarships covers tuition OR room and board.

In some schools the school will give a room and board scholarship if the ROTC scholarship is used for tuition.

Keep in mind tuition is not taxable. Room and board is taxable.
 
QA1517-

I'm sorry if I'm being obtuse but can you explain the taxability issue? I read through the room and board post and didn't see anything. Thanks!
 
QA1517-

I'm sorry if I'm being obtuse but can you explain the taxability issue? I read through the room and board post and didn't see anything. Thanks!

It's dictated by the federal tax code. Scholarships used for tuition are generally not considered taxable income, but those used for room/board are considered income for tax purposes. For your reading pleasure (or if you're looking for something to cure insomnia) you can reference IRS Publication 970 Tax Benefits for Education. You can find it on IRS.gov.
 
Back
Top