Weak PFA First Board Chances?

[skierstonks25]

Hello! I am a current female, applying for the ROTC scholarship by the first board. (I am aware this board is EXTREMELY competitive). My current PFA scores are extremely weak, (25 pushups, 31 situps, 7:58 run), yet everything else on my application is pretty solid. (32 ACT, maxed out S,A,L, great interview, etc.) do I have a shot at all for the first board with this really poor PFA? my local ROO told me he'd be shocked if I don't get a scholarship by the 3rd board, and I will continue to work on my PFA with the expectation that I will get pushed to the second and third boards, but do I even have a shot at the first with this poor PFA? thank you!

 

[Academician]

Welcome to the forum. And, yes, you have a chance. No one here on the forum can tell you definitively; but, you will find out soon enough when the AFROTC selection board meets later this month. Good news is you will meet the 'next' board in Feb/Mar 2025 if you are not selected. I recommend to my students to continue to provide any and all 'good news' to the AFROTC admissions team prior to the next selection board. Good luck!

 

[creation123]

Hello! I am a current female, applying for the ROTC scholarship by the first board. (I am aware this board is EXTREMELY competitive). My current PFA scores are extremely weak, (25 pushups, 31 situps, 7:58 run), yet everything else on my application is pretty solid. (32 ACT, maxed out S,A,L, great interview, etc.) do I have a shot at all for the first board with this really poor PFA? my local ROO told me he'd be shocked if I don't get a scholarship by the 3rd board, and I will continue to work on my PFA with the expectation that I will get pushed to the second and third boards, but do I even have a shot at the first with this poor PFA? thank you!

May as well submit now, I'm submitting for the 1st board too! good luck

 

[Herman_Snerd]

I'll offer one perspective - if you were one of my children or a family close friend I would recommend - try to put your best application forward. Once your application is reviewed/ scored, it's scored, so if say in 4 weeks your application will be strongest since you're aggressively working on ____ awaiting an ACT/ SAT result, your PFA score improvement, etc, then you could opt to wait to finalize it, and submit your application when it's strongest, even if that means skipping the opportunity for the first boards. Also, not all filed applications will be reviewed in each branch in the first board necessarily (volume). I wouldn't put too much stock in seeking a first board scholarship, except to say that for Army there are more 4 year scholarships typically offered through the first board, for what that's worth.

I'm not sure if you're applying to multiple SAs/ ROTC branches, but consider doing so for any path you have a sincere interest in, and seeing which branch(es) offer you a spot. Continue to learn about the mission of Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard (last one not ROTC), and continue to learn about the specific ways you can serve in that branch. I do remember for my son and friends, it's a great feeling as a HS senior to have one option to train to serve/ with a scholarship in-hand while you confirm all other college acceptance/ paths to become an officer offers. However, like the person who graduates last from med school (What do you call them? Doctor!) in the end it's about getting the opportunity vs getting it first.

Thank you for your willingness and interest to serve - best of luck to you.

 

[evcl2]

Hello! I am a current female, applying for the ROTC scholarship by the first board. (I am aware this board is EXTREMELY competitive). My current PFA scores are extremely weak, (25 pushups, 31 situps, 7:58 run), yet everything else on my application is pretty solid. (32 ACT, maxed out S,A,L, great interview, etc.) do I have a shot at all for the first board with this really poor PFA? my local ROO told me he'd be shocked if I don't get a scholarship by the 3rd board, and I will continue to work on my PFA with the expectation that I will get pushed to the second and third boards, but do I even have a shot at the first with this poor PFA? thank you!

I did this process last year and here is what I would recommend. The Air Force is one of the hardest scholarships to receive. I did very well on the PFA (got a 295/300, or a 98 in their standards) a 29 ACT, multiple extracurriculars, multiple leadership positions, etc etc and did not receive a scholarship. I understand that you want to submit your package, however if there is something you deem as "weaker" the board will too.

I would recommend working on the PFA score and getting it higher before submitting the package. Because they will keep looking at you throughout all three boards, but if they say no once, they will not reconsider. I submitted my navy and Air Force scholarship packages about a week before the last board was due and still received a scholarship from navy.

 

[kinnem]

There is no rush to submit. There are two more boards. Work to improve your scores.

 

[creation123]

Just a point of clarity: I'm pretty sure OP is talking about the Army ROTC scholarship given the PFT (AFROTC does a 1.5 mile run if I recall correctly, and a 7:58 1.5 miler is EXTREMELY fast for women and I don't think OP considers herself a D1 runner).

I do think that 50 total points out of 1400 isn't too bad (I calculated 99.25/150 for her PFT), which should be enough to get her on the 2nd board regardless.

 

[skierstonks25]

Just a point of clarity: I'm pretty sure OP is talking about the Army ROTC scholarship given the PFT (AFROTC does a 1.5 mile run if I recall correctly, and a 7:58 1.5 miler is EXTREMELY fast for women and I don't think OP considers herself a D1 runner).

I do think that 50 total points out of 1400 isn't too bad (I calculated 99.25/150 for her PFT), which should be enough to get her on the 2nd board regardless.

hi, yes this is for Army ROTC sorry i should’ve clarified. If i submit for the first board with these scores, can i improve my PFT for the second board and have an updated file? like can i submit updated PFT scores if i work very hard for january?

 

[Academician]

Check with your admissions counselors at AROTC (Ft Knox). From my understanding, you cannot update them -- but double check. None of my students have ever updated their scores.

 

[KatieFromTX]

I did this process last year and here is what I would recommend. The Air Force is one of the hardest scholarships to receive. I did very well on the PFA (got a 295/300, or a 98 in their standards) a 29 ACT, multiple extracurriculars, multiple leadership positions, etc etc and did not receive a scholarship. I understand that you want to submit your package, however if there is something you deem as "weaker" the board will too.

I would recommend working on the PFA score and getting it higher before submitting the package. Because they will keep looking at you throughout all three boards, but if they say no once, they will not reconsider. I submitted my navy and Air Force scholarship packages about a week before the last board was due and still received a scholarship from navy.

Can you please clarify how you received 295/300 or a 98? Isn’t the Air Force PFA a max score of 50 points?

 

[clarksonarmy]

hi, yes this is for Army ROTC sorry i should’ve clarified. If i submit for the first board with these scores, can i improve my PFT for the second board and have an updated file? like can i submit updated PFT scores if i work very hard for january?

You can always submit better PFA or SAT/ACT scores after you have been boarded, but keep in mind you don't get reboarded. Your PMS interview and Board score won't change, but a better PFA score will increase your overall "whole person score" a little bit. And every little bit helps. Hope that makes sense.