Should you notify all colleges of 4 year scholarship award?

[rotcmom2022]

Should a 4 yr scholarship recipient notify all colleges that she has not received a decision from, including ones that are not on her list for ROTC or that she would not want to do ROTC at if accepted? Would it look good to the schools in terms of admissions, or if they think you will be taking the ROTC scholarship would they possible reject you for yield protection? Her concern is if she doesn't pass the medical clearance for some reason, she would like to have other options as well.

 

[franknd]

At some schools, having been awarded a 4-year ROTC scholarship can help for admission purposes (presumably since the school knows that Uncle Sam will be paying full freight, among other reasons perhaps). But that assumes it's a school where she would be using the scholarship. In those situations, the ROTC cadre would be the place to start. And I wouldn't take a scattershot approach either. Focus on the most desired school where she would use the scholarship.

 

[Herman_Snerd]

Leveraging your ROTC scholarship with specific schools to get an admissions favorable edge when you actually want to use that scholarship at that school may help with admission in 2 ways.

1. As others noted, some admission decision makers favorably like ROTC students (think full paying from the US Government, and ROTC students *overall stay out of major trouble primarily are disciplined young adults, great future alumni, etc.). Some admission members are veterans or families of veterans and care. Schools like Notre Dame have a long tradition with the military and keep it going.
2. Some but not all ROTC units will go to bat with admissions to help greatly.

Keep in mind schools have a fixed pot of merit/ scholarships to award to some extent. If they know your child has a full ROTC scholarship, while the ROTC scholarship/ award may help with admissions, it may backfire in terms of who the school will award larger merit award/ alumni scholarships to as a recruitment tool. Guess it may help too from a family of a veteran on specific scholarships, etc. Overall, why award the big money scholarships to the person who already has a full ride if going there when they can possibly use it to attract other top talent? Who wins/ gains? If you want to preserve the non ROTC merit award/ scholarship in case she doesn’t pass DODMERB, then you may wish to pause on phoning the school about the ROTC scholarship. Up to you.

For yield protection, in my experience the universities do a pretty solid job at dialing in acceptances for the rock stars seniors who they know will have multiple other acceptances/ offers but still want them to go to their school. Having rock-star stats and scholarships from each ROTC branch didn’t count against my DS in the slightest with admissions in each school he applied to.

I will say - if your DD has zero intention of using that scholarship at a school that leveraging that scholarship award with admissions would be a distasteful move IMO. There are actual ROTC scholarship winners who WILL go there and who may need help and it’s hard for the school to discern the difference between those persons and any candidate just trying to “use” the scholarship for advantage but without sincere intention to train to be an officer through that program.

 

[osumansasu]

Leveraging your ROTC scholarship with specific schools to get an admissions favorable edge when you actually want to use that scholarship at that school may help with admission in 2 ways.

1. As others noted, some admission decision makers favorably like ROTC students (think full paying from the US Government, and ROTC students *overall stay out of major trouble primarily are disciplined young adults, great future alumni, etc.). Some admission members are veterans or families of veterans and care. Schools like Notre Dame have a long tradition with the military and keep it going.
2. Some but not all ROTC units will go to bat with admissions to help greatly.

Keep in mind schools have a fixed pot of merit/ scholarships to award to some extent. If they know your child has a full ROTC scholarship, while the ROTC scholarship/ award may help with admissions, it may backfire in terms of who the school will award larger merit award/ alumni scholarships to as a recruitment tool. Guess it may help too from a family of a veteran on specific scholarships, etc. Overall, why award the big money scholarships to the person who already has a full ride if going there when they can possibly use it to attract other top talent? Who wins/ gains? If you want to preserve the non ROTC merit award/ scholarship in case she doesn’t pass DODMERB, then you may wish to pause on phoning the school about the ROTC scholarship. Up to you.

For yield protection, in my experience the universities do a pretty solid job at dialing in acceptances for the rock stars seniors who they know will have multiple other acceptances/ offers but still want them to go to their school. Having rock-star stats and scholarships from each ROTC branch didn’t count against my DS in the slightest with admissions in each school he applied to.

I will say - if your DD has zero intention of using that scholarship at a school that leveraging that scholarship award with admissions would be a distasteful move IMO. There are actual ROTC scholarship winners who WILL go there and who may need help and it’s hard for the school to discern the difference between those persons and any candidate just trying to “use” the scholarship for advantage but without sincere intention to train to be an officer through that program.

Even if you weren't necessarily selected for a specific school for rotc should you still notify them?

 

[Herman_Snerd]

Even if you weren't necessarily selected for a specific school for rotc should you still notify them?

My recommendation is this - if you are planning or possibly using a scholarship at a specific university, then let them know you were awarded the scholarship.
If you are not planning on using a scholarship at a specific school, say THE Ohio State University - like if the OSU isn't one of the schools your (AROTC or NROTC) scholarship was offered to and you're not requesting a transfer to use it there, then I think it's disasteful to leverage the scholarship for favor with admissions and the unit to gain an admission advantage. Why? Because: It implies in you're notifying them that you would use it if admitted, when in fact you are not. That's also called being - misleading, less than fulsome in your replies.

as stated above "There are actual ROTC scholarship winners who WILL go to OSU or whatever and who may need help and it’s hard for the school to discern the difference between those persons and any candidate just trying to “use” the scholarship for advantage but without sincere intention to train to be an officer through that program."

 

[franknd]

Her concern is if she doesn't pass the medical clearance for some reason, she would like to have other options as well.

I didn't address this above, but the two concerns -- value of leveraging the ROTC scholarship for admission vs other options in case DODMERB falls through -- are basically the opposite of one another. But here are my thoughts:

1) Unless there's something particular medically that you have in mind that is of real concern (which you haven't identified in your post), I would start from the presumption that she'll be medically cleared. So I'd focus FIRST on leveraging the ROTC scholarship for admission to a single school where she would use it.

2) I don't know this for certain, but I don't think financial aid offers in the first instance are affected by ROTC scholarships. IOW, the school will make an offer without regard to whether you've been offered an ROTC scholarship. Typically that's based on FAFSA and/or CSS. Since the ROTC scholarship is a future consideration, that won't be included. At least I don't believe it will. Now . . . the award offer may have some stipulations about stacking with other scholarships, etc., which the ROTC scholarship could affect. But you weren't asking about that.

3) In the event that something medically happens, point #2 will cover you. In addition, if a medical bar arose, and she's already committed to the school, I would let the financial aid office know that. They want to keep your student either way, so I would think they'll do what they can to make that happen.

 

[osumansasu]

My recommendation is this - if you are planning or possibly using a scholarship at a specific university, then let them know you were awarded the scholarship.
If you are not planning on using a scholarship at a specific school, say THE Ohio State University - like if the OSU isn't one of the schools your (AROTC or NROTC) scholarship was offered to and you're not requesting a transfer to use it there, then I think it's disasteful to leverage the scholarship for favor with admissions and the unit to gain an admission advantage. Why? Because: It implies in you're notifying them that you would use it if admitted, when in fact you are not. That's also called being - misleading, less than fulsome in your replies.

as stated above "There are actual ROTC scholarship winners who WILL go to OSU or whatever and who may need help and it’s hard for the school to discern the difference between those persons and any candidate just trying to “use” the scholarship for advantage but without sincere intention to train to be an officer through that program."

thanks so much for the advice, I had got the scholarship for my #2 and was hoping to transfer it to my #1 if accepted

 

[rotcmom2022]

I didn't address this above, but the two concerns -- value of leveraging the ROTC scholarship for admission vs other options in case DODMERB falls through -- are basically the opposite of one another. But here are my thoughts:

1) Unless there's something particular medically that you have in mind that is of real concern (which you haven't identified in your post), I would start from the presumption that she'll be medically cleared. So I'd focus FIRST on leveraging the ROTC scholarship for admission to a single school where she would use it.

2) I don't know this for certain, but I don't think financial aid offers in the first instance are affected by ROTC scholarships. IOW, the school will make an offer without regard to whether you've been offered an ROTC scholarship. Typically that's based on FAFSA and/or CSS. Since the ROTC scholarship is a future consideration, that won't be included. At least I don't believe it will. Now . . . the award offer may have some stipulations about stacking with other scholarships, etc., which the ROTC scholarship could affect. But you weren't asking about that.

3) In the event that something medically happens, point #2 will cover you. In addition, if a medical bar arose, and she's already committed to the school, I would let the financial aid office know that. They want to keep your student either way, so I would think they'll do what they can to make that happen.

I meant more that it is an award that was received- so if she won another scholarship or award, would that look good for admissions?

 

[rotcmom2022]

Leveraging your ROTC scholarship with specific schools to get an admissions favorable edge when you actually want to use that scholarship at that school may help with admission in 2 ways.

1. As others noted, some admission decision makers favorably like ROTC students (think full paying from the US Government, and ROTC students *overall stay out of major trouble primarily are disciplined young adults, great future alumni, etc.). Some admission members are veterans or families of veterans and care. Schools like Notre Dame have a long tradition with the military and keep it going.
2. Some but not all ROTC units will go to bat with admissions to help greatly.

Keep in mind schools have a fixed pot of merit/ scholarships to award to some extent. If they know your child has a full ROTC scholarship, while the ROTC scholarship/ award may help with admissions, it may backfire in terms of who the school will award larger merit award/ alumni scholarships to as a recruitment tool. Guess it may help too from a family of a veteran on specific scholarships, etc. Overall, why award the big money scholarships to the person who already has a full ride if going there when they can possibly use it to attract other top talent? Who wins/ gains? If you want to preserve the non ROTC merit award/ scholarship in case she doesn’t pass DODMERB, then you may wish to pause on phoning the school about the ROTC scholarship. Up to you.

For yield protection, in my experience the universities do a pretty solid job at dialing in acceptances for the rock stars seniors who they know will have multiple other acceptances/ offers but still want them to go to their school. Having rock-star stats and scholarships from each ROTC branch didn’t count against my DS in the slightest with admissions in each school he applied to.

I will say - if your DD has zero intention of using that scholarship at a school that leveraging that scholarship award with admissions would be a distasteful move IMO. There are actual ROTC scholarship winners who WILL go there and who may need help and it’s hard for the school to discern the difference between those persons and any candidate just trying to “use” the scholarship for advantage but without sincere intention to train to be an officer through that program.

She was awarded it for 1,3,4 choice, but hasn't received admissions decisions from those schools and they are low acceptance rates, particularly for OOS. So not that she has zero intention of using, but may use at choice 5 or 6 if not admitted to 1,3,4. Thank you for your reply!

 

[rotcmom2022]

She was awarded it for 1,3,4 choice, but hasn't received admissions decisions from those schools and they are low acceptance rates, particularly for OOS. So not that she has zero intention of using, but may use at choice 5 or 6 if not admitted to 1,3,4. Thank you for your reply!

There are a few schools that she wouldn't use it at because they don't have on campus and that is a priority for her so she wouldn't notify them.

 

[franknd]

I meant more that it is an award that was received- so if she won another scholarship or award, would that look good for admissions?

I've never thought of it from that perspective. Honestly, admissions people may not know what to make of it as an "award," since many/most probably have little idea what is required to win it. Again, though, it can help with admissions to a particular school because they think you will use it at their school. But that leverage point ought to go through the respective ROTC department. Now if they seem reluctant to intervene, then I wouldn't hesitate to tell admissions myself.

And for that matter you could tell other schools' admissions that she won the award, but I'm not sure it will mean all that much coming from you/her as opposed to coming from the ROTC cadre. And no matter what, what you don't want to do is have two (or more) ROTC departments doing the same thing at different schools simultaneously. That would be a very bad look, at least IMO.