<p>What are some suggestions to work the overall application process concurrently to include all possible scenarios and avoid redundancies?</p>
<p>Plan A's objective,obviously, is admission to USNA.</p>
<p>Plan B would be if A fails, NROTC.</p>
<p>Plan C, the least desirable would be admission into a traditional college program after A and B were unsuccessful.</p>
<p>Don't want to be a pessimist, but it helps to know how to approach all options.</p>
<p>Pursue USNA with all of your energy. Take the coursework, EC, leadership opportunities, athletics, and community service opportunities. Position yourself to be the best you can be.</p>
<p>THEN, pursue NROTC with a similar enthusiasm. Find the schools which offer both the programs that would lead to the degree you want and offer NROTC, or are a cross-affiliate to a school that does. Make sure that you also have the coursework, SAT/ACT/SATII tests required for admission to all of the three (or four) schools you list for NROTC. It would be tough to get a NROTC scholarship to a school that didn't accept you!</p>
<p>You will have to do the DoDMERB thing for both, so get these done early by applying early.</p>
<p>Ideally, the civilian schools you select for the NROTC scholarship would be the same schools you would select if you did not get the scholarship. Add to the list non-NROTC schools where you would be happy. Visit and tour all choices before applying.</p>
<p>You should also select a plan D; in my son's case it was a local university, well respected, that did not offer NROTC but had the program he wanted to pursue, in case he failed the medical for both USNA and NROTC, and would not be considered for NROTC, even without the scholarship. The plan was for him to commute (least desirable option!) in case finances proved too insurmountable to consider plan C.</p>
<p>It was difficult for him to focus on Plan B, C, or D. That is where his counselors and parents played a pivotal role. As it turned out, he did not need his back-ups, but it was a long wait for USNA, and it was comforting to know that he had choices on his plate when his friends were hearing from theirs. Remember that many do not hear from USNA until April, while most universities notify in Jan and Feb. That is a very long wait.</p>
<p>Good Luck,
CM</p>
<p>Your questions are quite broad and you could easily use up many pages responding to them. I would suggest you start on the web with the USNA.edu site, the NROTC site as well as college review sites like Princeton review. </p>
<p>To you first question or concern, much of what you do will be applicable through the entire spectrum of choices you mention; the best advice I can give is start down that path now. </p>
<p>NROTC comes in many flavors, the main distinction being whether or not you obtain a scholarship and when that scholarship begins if at all. Assuming you are going for a 4-year scholarship that application will be concurrent with much of what you need to over the next 6-8 months. Scholarships aside, there is nothing to prevent you from enrolling in an ROTC program assuming it is offered at the college you attend. </p>
<p>If you seek a “military education”; that is an environment that differs from a typical college, you may want to consider schools such as VMI, The Citadel, Norwich, etc. There are also colleges that we referred to as the “in betweens” schools like Virginia Tech and Texas A&M that incorporate a Corps of Cadets program within a more traditional school. </p>
<p>A site like Princeton Review can help you determine the entrance requirements of each institution so that you can contrast your own situation with students already enrolled. </p>
<p>
[quote]
Don't want to be a pessimist, but it helps to know how to approach all options.
[/quote]
Having options or considering the potential that you may not reach your goal is not pessimistic in any way, if anything it demonstrates maturity and planning. There is much about the selection process that you have no control over, and as people have said on this board many times, lot's of great kids don't get in. If you search this site you will find a lot of advice on this subject, you will also find that not getting in the first time should not be the end of your dreams. Many successful applicants went through this more than once.</p>
<p>Welcome to MBMikeB, noticed this was indicated as your first post.</p>
<p>Read the threads from ALL of the Academies on here as well as the parents forum (can't tell from your post if you are a perspective student or the parent of one, encourage your parents to also jump on and ask questions if you are the perspective student or vice versa). You will find lots of great information and sometimes questions only appear on one of Academy forums, but still applies to all. Also check out all of the available 'official' Academy websites as they have answers to many of the obvious questions people typically have.</p>
<p>You didn't indicate your year in h.s. If you are going to be a senior, you are already somewhat behind the curve, but doesn't mean you can't still do it.</p>
<p>Good luck !!!</p>
<p>MBMikeB:</p>
<p>My daughter took the approach that you laid out.<br>
Plan A - service academy - USMA/USNA
Plan B - AROTC - she was awarded this in Oct.
Plan C - Civilian college in case she was not granted a medical waiver and her service career ended before it began. We did know going into this process that she had a medical history that was disqualifying.</p>
<p>Last summer - Started academy applications/nominations and Army ROTC scholarship. She was awarded this early and a school she would be happy attending - (with Army the scholarship comes from the Batallion)</p>
<p>She also applied and was accepted to an engineering school half way across the country - we flew her out there in Febuary - two weeks before she was granted her medical waiver by USMA! If only we had known..........</p>
<p>In late spring she was awarded a Civil prep scholarship for MMI - will hopefully be USMA Class of 2012.
It all worked out.</p>
<p>Yep, it was a crazy year - many irons in the fire - but it all worked out in the end and she had several great options from which to choose.</p>
<p>For many reasons not the least is financial - the school that one is awarded a ROTC scholarship may not be the school one would attend if a ROTC scholarship did not materialize or one is medically disqualified.</p>
<p>Sorry to not give better status description...I am the father of Jaybee9550. I realize a lot of these questions are probably answered somewhere here but I'm trying to bring myself up to speed as quickly as possible.Thanks for an awesome resource!</p>
<p>Just the fact that you have a plan- backed up by other options- is a terrific start. You will find a lot of what is applicable for one college will be applicable, with some tweaking, for all- </p>
<p>do make sure to take the SATII's- while not required by USNA, they are required by many other colleges/universities.</p>
<p>Best of luck,and welcome!</p>
<p>My son is applying for nominations to USNA and USAFA for the class of 2012. He has a similar plan:</p>
<p>Already completed most of the kits and taking physicals this week. </p>
<p>Has three "2nd choices" in mind and is in the process of getting his apps out. (that sounds weird, three 2nd choices) </p>
<p>Has two safeties - one with NROTC and one without but is w/in 35 minutes of a school which does have an ROTC program he likes. </p>
<p>Still, he is really praying hard for the Naval Academy. </p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>again, this is really great that your kids are being realistic and having back-up plans in place- so very important!</p>
<p>What we found particuarly helpful was having our kids do an "overnight" stay at their final choices.... for both, it went a long way in helping them decide between the offers they received.....just a thought.....</p>
<p>Go for USNA and go full force, but don't ignor back-ups. While my daughter has gotten into USNA she showed very little intrest elsewhere. After receiving USNA appointment we were shocked to have been waitlisted at both "back-up" and "safety" and in the letters it clearly stated that "applicant showed little intrest in school" so do the overnights and interviews for all top choices.</p>
<p>crickett- you bring up a very important point- </p>
<p>I would like to "second" that showing interest in whatever school you are applying is equally as important as the interest to your "top choice" school- no matter what that is. </p>
<p>I think the best advice given to our son was that "no school on your final list should be one that you would "settle for," but one that you would be happy to accept an offer from"....</p>
<p>that advice did several things-
it forced him to consider his "choices" carefully- helping to narrow down a moderate list to one that was more focused.
it also allowed him the time to focus on his "final five".... visits, information sessions, and those all-important "overnight stays".</p>
<p>Can't say enough about those overnights-
for both our daughter and son, having the opportunity to really spend time at the school they were considering, to see "inside" the dorms, classrooms, and student body, etc, gave them the chance to be able to really "compare and contrast" each experience..... what was a "top choice" for our daughter, for example, fell right off her "list" after her overnight- "not what I expected at all".... ditto for our son, who, in the end, struggled a bit with his final decision.</p>
<p>For both, the interest showed was genuine, as both said to us they would be "happy with any schools on their list,' even though there was an "ordering" no doubt.</p>
<p>I guess it all boils down to "not putting all your eggs in one basket"....especially if your basket is for a service academy....
if your dream school comes through, then great-
but if not, celebrate just as entheuastically- buy the sweatshirt and put the sticker on the car....</p>
<p>
[quote]
if your dream school comes through, then great-
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Also a "dream school can change over the course of one's senior year of high school. We have seen many a student who applies early admit, get accepted and by May it would not be their first choice anymore but they are locked in. In my sons class from high school - the kids that are all transferring this sophomore year were all early decision kids.</p>
<p>Make sure your back up schools are places you would be happy at. Even if the back up is ROTC - make sure you like the school, not just the ROTC program. If you can not afford that school without ROTC then make sure you have a back up to it also!</p>
<p>My Mid received his appointment in November. We did not let him accept the appointment until at least doing the CVW end of January and then strongly encouraged him to not accept the appointment or withdraw any of the other applications until he had all acceptances in hand. As of April 1st he was then in the position to make a truly informed decision about his education - he would never be able to wonder if he had made a decision without all of the information. He did question his dream - in the end turned down some very attractive admissions. To this day he knows he made an informed decision about his "life" and did not base his decision to attend USNA on a childhood dream that had been formed with nothing more than the wow factor - Top Gun so to speak.</p>
<p>I overlooked asking how NAPS fits into the options.</p>
<p>My S is in NROTC and I would advise a lot of investigation before going with a cross-town affiliate school for NROTC. After seeing everything my S has been required to do the last 2 years, I think it would be really difficult to live on another campus miles away from the unit.</p>
<p>I think NAPS is more for students whose grades aren't up to USNA's standards</p>
<p>I think... but correct me if I'm wrong</p>
<p>Hypothetical--Applied to USNA and ROTC at MIT.</p>
<p>Accepted at MIT ROTC only but without ROTC scholarship.</p>
<p>As a result, it appears wise decisions concerning seeking traditional financial aid were never made, since school selections were not as well thought out as most college-bound seniors as USNA was the main focus.</p>
<p>Result=can't afford college.</p>
<p>What's wrong with this picture?</p>
<p>ouch! </p>
<p>what's wrong with the picture is as you stated- poor planning.</p>
<p>USNA cannot be a "given"...
and if plans B, C and D are indeed there, they need to be followed....as if "they" are "the plan."</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>You need to be realistic and made sure that you apply to some schools that are definite slam dunks based on your stats. MIT is a crap shoot. USNA isn't a crap shoot but is highly selective.</p>
<p>You can check the admissions statistics for most schools at collegeboard.com or princeton review.</p>
<p>GA~</p>
<p>I assume in this context you mean crap shoot is the opposite of slam dunk?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>I suspect that's not GA's meaning. And I agree. :confused:</p>