Second Board Chances?

Joined
Nov 8, 2017
Messages
41
I did not get in on the first board and am a little discouraged. Was wondering what my chances are for the second board?
ACT/30
GPA/3.5
1000 hours+ of volunteer service
Spartan Race team captain
No varsity sports, and my PFA didn't go very well

Any input is appreciated!!!
 
I did not get in on the first board and am a little discouraged. Was wondering what my chances are for the second board?
ACT/30
GPA/3.5
1000 hours+ of volunteer service
Spartan Race team captain
No varsity sports, and my PFA didn't go very well

Any input is appreciated!!!
Don't be discouraged. First board awardees are mainly no-brainer rockstar types. Like 4.5 goa, 34 ACT, multiple varsity sports with team captain, NHS President, Class President, mission trip volunteer leader, top 3% class rank, etc. Only about 200 or 10% of this year's scholarships are awarded 1st board. All 4 yr scholarships. Your selected school's play a big role also. No way to now how others have stacked their selected schools.

2nd Board passes out a lot more scholarships, like 900 give or take, and many of those are 3 yr ADs. Then 3rd board another 900 or so, mostly 3 yr ADs. Total 2000 scholarships. Top 1000 get 4 yrs, next 1000 get 3 yr ADs.

My DS was awarded a 3 yr AD by second board last year. Then he fortunately was upgraded to a 4 yr after the 3rd board convened. Now he's an MS 1 at VT in the Corps of Cadets, engineering major, and loving it.

Hold your head high, think positively and good luck! This is far from over. The majority of scholarships have not been handed out, not by a long shot.
 
I did not get in on the first board and am a little discouraged. Was wondering what my chances are for the second board?
ACT/30
GPA/3.5
1000 hours+ of volunteer service
Spartan Race team captain
No varsity sports, and my PFA didn't go very well

Any input is appreciated!!!
Don't be discouraged. First board awardees are mainly no-brainer rockstar types. Like 4.5 goa, 34 ACT, multiple varsity sports with team captain, NHS President, Class President, mission trip volunteer leader, top 3% class rank, etc. Only about 200 or 10% of this year's scholarships are awarded 1st board. All 4 yr scholarships. Your selected school's play a big role also. No way to now how others have stacked their selected schools.

2nd Board passes out a lot more scholarships, like 900 give or take, and many of those are 3 yr ADs. Then 3rd board another 900 or so, mostly 3 yr ADs. Total 2000 scholarships. Top 1000 get 4 yrs, next 1000 get 3 yr ADs.

My DS was awarded a 3 yr AD by second board last year. Then he fortunately was upgraded to a 4 yr after the 3rd board convened. Now he's an MS 1 at VT in the Corps of Cadets, engineering major, and loving it.

Hold your head high, think positively and good luck! This is far from over. The majority of scholarships have not been handed out, not by a long shot.
Ok, I was pretty concerned, thanks for your experience, hopefully it will go well!
 
I didn't get first board, the main reason probably being i never played sports in high school
 
I did not get in on the first board and am a little discouraged. Was wondering what my chances are for the second board?
ACT/30
GPA/3.5
1000 hours+ of volunteer service
Spartan Race team captain
No varsity sports, and my PFA didn't go very well

Any input is appreciated!!!

Don't be discouraged and don't get hung up on your GPA and ACT scores, they are fine and would give you the max points on the academic section of your interview sheet. As it was mentioned above there are many factors that go into a first board selection, school selection can play a big part. Another thing to remember is that not everyone has completed their application. There are a large number of applicants that do not get reviewed until the second board, by the time the second board meets they will have a larger pool of applicants to select from and they will award a larger number of scholarships. If they are slated to give out around 2000 scholarships this year it means they have at least 1683 left to award.

One other thing to remember, don't be discouraged if you are not selected on the second board either. Consider how the OML works, right now you have been reviewed by the first board and are ranked along with other applicants. By the time the second board meets there will be a lot more new applicants, it's very likely some of those new applicants will be ranked above you, moving you down the list. If you are not selected by the second board you move to the third. The third board will have much fewer new applicants and your position on the OML will be more stable and your chance of being selected gets higher.

Schools/Battalions have a set number of slots for 4 year and 3 year scholarship, once filled they do not offer awards for that school, this is why they have you list several schools on your application. If an applicant only lists highly competitive schools then their chance at a scholarship from the National Board is lower, Example: School A has slots for 7 scholarships and 300 applicants list that school, the percentage is low. School B has 4 slots and 30 applicants list that school, the percentage is much higher. There is also the Big Fish in a Little Pond scenario, an applicant with stats like yours lists a school that is not one of the more competitive schools and has a lower number of applicants that list that school, they may offer a scholarship on the first board for that school to try and lock that applicant into the program. This is why people say that school selection can play a part in scholarship selection and which board they are awarded.

Best of luck to you, you seem to have a good packet, now as hard as it is, you just have to play the waiting game.
 
I did not get in on the first board and am a little discouraged. Was wondering what my chances are for the second board?
ACT/30
GPA/3.5
1000 hours+ of volunteer service
Spartan Race team captain
No varsity sports, and my PFA didn't go very well

Any input is appreciated!!!

Don't be discouraged and don't get hung up on your GPA and ACT scores, they are fine and would give you the max points on the academic section of your interview sheet. As it was mentioned above there are many factors that go into a first board selection, school selection can play a big part. Another thing to remember is that not everyone has completed their application. There are a large number of applicants that do not get reviewed until the second board, by the time the second board meets they will have a larger pool of applicants to select from and they will award a larger number of scholarships. If they are slated to give out around 2000 scholarships this year it means they have at least 1683 left to award.

One other thing to remember, don't be discouraged if you are not selected on the second board either. Consider how the OML works, right now you have been reviewed by the first board and are ranked along with other applicants. By the time the second board meets there will be a lot more new applicants, it's very likely some of those new applicants will be ranked above you, moving you down the list. If you are not selected by the second board you move to the third. The third board will have much fewer new applicants and your position on the OML will be more stable and your chance of being selected gets higher.

Schools/Battalions have a set number of slots for 4 year and 3 year scholarship, once filled they do not offer awards for that school, this is why they have you list several schools on your application. If an applicant only lists highly competitive schools then their chance at a scholarship from the National Board is lower, Example: School A has slots for 7 scholarships and 300 applicants list that school, the percentage is low. School B has 4 slots and 30 applicants list that school, the percentage is much higher. There is also the Big Fish in a Little Pond scenario, an applicant with stats like yours lists a school that is not one of the more competitive schools and has a lower number of applicants that list that school, they may offer a scholarship on the first board for that school to try and lock that applicant into the program. This is why people say that school selection can play a part in scholarship selection and which board they are awarded.

Best of luck to you, you seem to have a good packet, now as hard as it is, you just have to play the waiting game.
Thank you!!! That helps a lot!
 
I did not get in on the first board and am a little discouraged. Was wondering what my chances are for the second board?
ACT/30
GPA/3.5
1000 hours+ of volunteer service
Spartan Race team captain
No varsity sports, and my PFA didn't go very well

Any input is appreciated!!!

Hang in there and keep the faith! If you are able, take the ACT again and try to improve your score, even a one point increase on your Math or Verbal will help. Get with a high school coach or PE teacher and work on your PFA...a slight improvement in just one area will help your chances.

“We do not require merely A-students with impressive recommendations, but perhaps more often scrappers who have been overlooked amid the order and routine of the past—the more eager and desperate, the better—who know opportunity and fate are not ordained but fleeting and of the moment.” Victor Davis Hanson
 
Back
Top