Chances for ROTC?

<p>Hi guys I am a 17 year old male from the New England region. I am highly interested in a ROTC scholarship and I was wondering what my chances were? I have a 3.42/4.0 GPA, a 1770 on the SAT, a 720 on the Biology Subject Test, and I am ranked 26/175 in my class. I will be taking the ACT this September and retaking the SAT in October. Also, I am a 3 year starter on the varsity football team, National Honor Society member, weight lifting club member, DECA member, and have outstanding community service. I like to consider myself more physically fit than others, but that really isn't for me to decide. I run a 7.30 mile, can do approximately 45 pushups in a minute and about 50 situps in a minute. I am interested in the Army, Air Force, and Navy to increase my chances. I come from a military background and would love to become a commissioned officer in the US military. </p>

<p>Also, I am in all AP and honors classes. </p>

<p>^and work two jobs</p>

<p>You didn’t mention what you plan to major in at college. Your major is an important consideration for the NROTC and AFROTC scholarships. The Army and the Marines…not so much.</p>

<p>Sorry. I am planning on majoring in either biomedical engineering or biochemistry/microbiology interdisciplinary major</p>

<p>I think you’d have a better chance applying for an AROTC scholarship with either of those majors. The Air Force and Navy really seem focused on engineering and certain language majors. Try to get your SAT/ACT scores up to around 1300 (Math/CR) or 29 for ACT. Good luck!</p>

<p>ROTC scholarships are competition based. In other words, it is based on how you compare with the other applicants. Plus each service has minimum standards (although usually barely meeting those standards will not get you the scholarship).</p>

<p>I would say that your chances are very good for an Army ROTC or Marine Option Naval ROTC scholarship, but chances for Air Force ROTC and normal Naval ROTC are more iffy.</p>

<p>The Army and Marines will love your varsity football (actually the Navy and Air Force will like it too). Your grades, SAT scores, and class ranking depend on how you compare to others, but you would have a very good chance.</p>

<p>The problem with the Air Force is that they do not appear at all interested in any biological fields. The Air Force seems the most picky about majors. See this webpage:
<a href=“http://www.afrotc.com/scholarships/schools”>http://www.afrotc.com/scholarships/schools&lt;/a&gt;
By the way, the Air Force almost certainly would restrict you to one of your in-state universities, if you did get a scholarship. They really do not want to pay for a private college (only about 20% are allowed to attend private schools)</p>

<p>For the Navy, your SAT score is a kind of on the average side, and your grades are perhaps a little low; although you class standing is very good and your AP courses should help. The Navy probably would let you major in biochem or BME, etc… unlike the Air Force. See the following webpage for NROTC requirements:
<a href=“Naval Education and Training Command - NETC”>Naval Education and Training Command - NETC;

<p>In Summary:
Army ROTC – high chance
Naval ROTC – good chance, but it would be better if you got the GPA above 3.5 and SAT above 1800
Air Force ROTC – consider changing your major, or take a pass (especially if you want to leave your home state for college).</p>

<p>Thank you for your input guys it really means a lot to me. AROTC is my first option due to their Corps of Veterinarians. This would allow me to become a fully accredited AVMA veterinarian and have a job working wclosely with large animals and Homeland Security. For an AROTC scholarship would it make a difference if i were to attend a public or private institution?</p>

<p>The Army gives out quite a few 3 year scholarships which sometimes are increased to 3 1/2 years once you demonstrate your commitment within your college’s AROTC program. That said…my opinion is that you will have a better chance of receiving a 4 year scholarship if you list your in-state public college first, and a greater chance of receiving a 3 year if you go with an OOS public or private at the top of your list.
Good Luck!</p>

<p>Army has the most locations in the world and is least prescriptive about your choice of major.</p>

<p>

Unlike the Air Force, the Army does not officially state their preference for state universities. Nonetheless, my guess is that the Army would also prefer to send you to a state school.</p>

<p>I was told by an Army ROTC recruiting officer that you can actually earn more than one scholarship. Weird, but… according to him each scholarships is locked to specific school and that he had personally seen cases where a student earned scholarships to three different colleges. In such a situation, you would pick which one you prefer. So, I agree with “aglages” that you have a better chance if you list your state school first; but don’t hesitate to list any private schools that you also happen to like. I see no reason to list more than one state university.</p>

<p>Another thing to consider is that even without an initial scholarship, you can ‘join’ ROTC as a non-scholarship student. You take the same classes and participate in the same training and events. At some point, you would either decide it is not for you or could do well enough that a scholarship would be available later. </p>

<p>Your stated goal was to be an officer, not really the scholarship (though I am fairly certain that like most, the scholarship would not be unwelcome). Not sure how much has changed in 30 years, but in the old days, all upper-classmen got scholarships which also committed them to service. </p>

<p>Many schools may not offer a particular ‘brand’ of ROTC, but may have the option to take it at a nearby college.</p>