<p>My son has a 4 year AFROTC scholarship (to Texas A&M) and he is a non-tech major. His stats are similar to yours, murphyt. If it makes you feel any better, he did not get an appointment to the USAFA, though he had a nomination, went to summer seminar and did well, aced the PT test, etc. We know of cadets who didn't have nearly as good of stats as he had that received appointments. </p>
<p>As far as being non-tech, it's possible that not all non-tech majors are created equal. My son's major is International Studies. Perhaps they ranked that more highly than, for instance, an English major.</p>
<p>Also, some of the cadets we know of have received scholarships as tech majors and ended up changing their majors to non-tech (after getting permission from ROTC). They weren't trying to work the system or anything, they just couldn't hack the math & engineering courses.</p>
<p>I have a question for current USC ROTC cadets. Our younger son is interested in going Army ROTC at USC. He also wants to get into the film school. If he should get into the film school, how manageable would it be to balance the time requirements of ROTC with the extra time requirements that go along with filmmaking? Do you think it's possible?</p>
<p>It is true that asthma is disqualifying for military service and ROTC. Most kinds of hernias are also disqualifying along with many other less common conditions. It is always possible to receive a waiver, but if a person has a recent history of asthma, it probably won't be waivered. If you search on the web, you can find out about the specific medical conditions which are going to be a problem.</p>
<p>There are vision requirements for potential pilots, so that's something to be aware of.</p>
<p>In addition, there are height and weight requirements, and scholarship cadets must pass a physical training test consisting of running, pushups, situps, etc.</p>
<p>When you apply for an ROTC scholarship, you have to submit to a thorough physical exam by a Dept. of Defense approved physician.</p>
<p>That's really kind of funny, timely, becuase I'm an International Studies major too with Arabic ( a language they are SUPPOSEDLY desperately trying to get)... congrats to ur son, although, I'm not sure what set us apart then?
If you get a chance ask how difficult it is to get an incollege scholarship.. i'd like an unbiased opinion ( i normally only talk to recruting officers at my college)..
About USAFA, wow I'm surprised that he wasn't accepted.. my friend nicole actually just got back from her freshman year there.. i was telling her about ur sons similarity with my stats and that he wasn't accepted and I found out that she had a huge advantage over most of the other cadets due to the fact she was in Civil Air Patrol for 5 years..... they really favor it there. It's kind of unfortunate because I thought she wasnt even going to pass the PT test for a while...
It just goes to show..</p>
<p>anyway about that asthma thing..
when i was taking my DODMERB exam the doctor mentioned that asthma is 99% of the time a DQ... it kind of sucks.. there was some rare exception but not many people pass the exam with asthma same with ADHD
The vision requirements for the air force are actually pretty lenient I was very surprised...I have quite bad vision (although correctable.. a big thing to them) but I passed fine.
Going through your medical is very stressful, I remember it clearly, they are amazingly slow and very uncooperative.. but give it time and let the great machine do its thing and you'll probably be ok.. just dont expect anything quickly..
there are a lot of official sites out there, that are very helpful... a lot more helpful than the officials let me tell you..
my advice is to badger them often to get any answers, it's their job ... well i hope this helped someone out there!</p>
<p>I forgot about ADHD, murphyt. You are right; that's another big disqualifier. If I'm not mistaken, to get a waiver for ADHD, you must have been off meds for a year before your physical.</p>
<p>My "D" is in the process of obtaining the 4-year scholarship through the AROTC at USC. You can definitely major in any of the majors the college offers. You have to take the APFT, which is the physical requirement. You have to pass the following: Push-ups (2 minutes) miniumum 19, maximum 42. Sit-ups (2 minutes) minimum 53, maximum 78 and run 2 miles in 18:45 min/sec. You have to meet all the academic requirements (noted on-line) and pass an eye exam and physical. "D" will be majoring in Neuroscience and hopefully go onto medical school upon graduation. She will put in for a deferrment of employment to enter medical school. Obviously, she will have to have a competitive MCAT score to qualify.</p>
<p>momoney, will your d try to go to med school through the army? She should sure try, as it would be a free ride (except for that little detail about you owing them a longer service obligation).</p>
<p>You bet. She's a smart cookie. She doesn't want to incur any more debt than she possibly has to. We did not qualify for any financial aid from USC, and I explained to her she would have to incur half the debt. Once she read about the AROTC she felt the program not only offered tremendous benefits, but she really felt she would gain the leadership and management skills that the military is known for. As for the longer service time - she's up to it. In fact, knowing her, if all works out, she stay the 20 years in order to get her pension. She seriously respects this program - any of the military programs.</p>
<p>i know peopel that have asthma and were in the military with me... of course they didnt tell the doctors until they were in... but what you say about your medical history is up to you... theres a lot of ways around it...</p>
<p>You are right, raimius. If you should happen to have an asthma attack as a student, they will start researching your records. If they find a history of asthma, they can bill you for the full amount of money they have paid the university and you (stipend) for your education. </p>
<p>There is a thread that is, I believe, in the parent's section under military academies that describes just such a situation. A girl had migraine headaches, and I don't remember the whole story, but she wasn't trying to deceive anyone, but somehow it didn't make it into her records that she had them. Then at some point it showed up that she was having migraines, and all of a sudden she lost her scholarship and was being billed by the govt. for her education expenses. She was able eventually to have the charges against her cancelled, though she was not able to continue towards a military career.</p>
<p>It is important to provide full disclosure of your medical conditions, especially since a condition such as asthma can be life-threatening to the patient & during an attack you could also put the lives of others at risk. This is in addition to your legal & financial obligations.</p>