Wow, I didn't realize this was such a hot topic! When DD first began to look at schools and learn about AROTC, a PMS at a school she did not end up applying to told her very definitively that if one is fortunate enough to receive both a scholarship and an appointment, she should hold onto the scholarship until the first day of classes at the academy. I accepted at face value that's just how it is done and that the in-school scholarships are derived (at least in part) from the $ of those whose chose the academy instead. It never occurred to me that it was a sneaky loophole, double-dipping or questionable in any way, or that some might deem it as such, or that it could potentially deprive another deserving student. I am quite stunned and will be pondering this question. In our case, DD was offered her scholarship on the first board, before her college applications were even complete. Even so, she had to make an essentially blind choice of which school to accept. Talk about feeling punished for having gotten done early! The PMS at the school that she chose contacted her and strongly encouraged her to apply ED, which she still had time to do. She very honestly explained that she was also applying to USMA and felt that she needed to leave that option open for the time being. Since then, she rec'd her nominations and her appointment to USMA, but she STILL does not know if she has been accepted to ANY of the colleges to which she applied, including the one at which she has accepted the ROTC scholarship (not to mention the 2 she turned down, but still applied to). None of this seems very clear cut to me.
Sent you a PM
(and thank you for the congratulations)
