What to do, NROTC has reached out [emoji848]

[justdoit19]

DS has accepted appointment already. Also holds a NROTC scholarship. He is keeping that as Plan B (not looking to debate this part). Until now, there hasn’t been any communication from his NROTC people that he has had to address. Yesterday the NROTC program at his assigned college did reach out to him.

My question: should he only answer the information they are asking about (basically a “hello, and have you been accepted to xxx”?), OR should he offer the information to them that he has accepted an appointment at this point?

He spent time with them, the officer he interviewed knows him. It is not an anonymous relationship. He could simply respond to the email outreach question from the HR tech, or he could respond and “let them know” he has accepted an appointment. I am thinking that only providing the information asked for at this point makes more sense since he desires to keep this option as a plan B. Of course, if he was asked point blank if he has an appointment he would not lie....

Anyone have experience with this? At what point does it make sense to let them know? If he does tell his college unit that he has accepted at this point, does his scholarship get pulled immediately?

Perhaps he should let them know he has been OFFERED an appointment ( bc u aren’t actually official until June 28th)? He also has a younger brother that may want to peruse NROTC and doesn’t want to burn any bridges. Opinions??

 

[Jeepman]

As a man of honor, he knows what to do. Hopefully he does not need your input. And remember, there are others waiting. Holding a spot hostage is ______ (fill in the blank--hint, begins with "w" ends with "g"). Just my two cents.....

 

[Zeus]

You will get different answers on the forum. He earned it. Period. Just like SAs, the school and the unit don’t always have 100% yield/showing up. That said, I’d recommend being honest with the unit. He is probably not the first case they have dealt with.

The real challenge IMHO is how to motivate DS keep charging forward when the going get tough during Plebe Summer when he knows he has a ROTC to fall back on?

 

[PlanAhead]

If he accepts his USNA appointment, does he automatically have to give up his NROTC scholarship? I know for DS, the AFROTC scholarship he was offered has to be accepted by May 31.

I'd be inclined to be honest with them that he's accepted the nomination, but because much can change between now and X date (May 31?), he wants to keep both offers on the table.

 

[Hopeful-Dad]

Congratulations on both the appointment and scholarship! That's a tough decision. DS received an ISR NROTC scholarship and is awaiting placement, so on the one hand, I can appreciate that if your DS is not going to use the spot at the NROTC unit, it'd be nice to free that up for others that are hoping to be placed at the same unit; but on the other, appreciate wanting to keep a fallback plan in place. But in our case, if DS also receives a USNA appointment, he will be either all-in with USNA, or all in with NROTC (latter depending upon placement) and turn down the other option to be fair to others on either waiting list.

 

[FMHS-79]

For what is is worth, my DS opted to respectfully decline his NROTC scholarship shortly after accepting his SA appointment. Since the NROTC offer would nullified as soon as he reported for induction and that any pre-reporting injury would likely impact both his SA and NROTC DoDMERB qualifications, he didn't feel that holding onto the NROTC scholarship as a Plan B option actually provided much additional protection. The side benefit was that it then allowed for NROTC scholarship to be reallocated sooner.

 

[kinnem]

I like the 'I've been offered an appointment and I'm still debating" option. I would hang onto the scholarship as long as possible. Any injury would have about 2.5 additional months to heal. Of course, answer the questions they are asking. Good luck to your DS.

 

[Humey]

Keep your options open. That is why they have deadlines. They enforce deadlines for applications and such, so you should be able to enforce the deadline for when you are supposed to answer. I wouldnt ignore the message and would definitely respond, but they dont need a final answer until you ready to do so.

 

[Old Navy BGO]

When in doubt ..tell the truth. Pretty easy.

 

[USMCGrunt]

There is never a wrong time to do the right thing.

That said, the OP states the email is from a HR rep and is a generic question on acceptance status at the university. I recommend responding with the answer as requested.

At some future point, your DS can call and speak live to the Officer and explain the situation if so inclined.

He is not the first nor the last to be in this situation and I do not feel the Officer would be vindictive on siblings.

The selection process for the Academy and NROTC are independent but both have expectations for a certain amount of this situation built into them.

 

[justdoit19]

Good points, thanks everyone. To be clear, he is not looking to lie or be dishonest. I was wondering how much to share beyond what was asked at this point. At some point it will all be addressed.

It makes sense to meet their deadlines as required and answer their questions when asked. He will feel comfortable calling and discussing in person at a future time. In all actuality, he IS still debating as he isn’t yet on the yard.

I do understand the programs have been at this a long time, and expect that some will ultimately turn down and I believe they allow for this in their number of scholarships offered.