<p>After 15 mos on CC learning about the "regular" college app process I thought I was ready to coach Son toward his favorite schools. But now that he's pursuing ROTC, I feel totally unprepared. </p>
<p>And, on top of feeling lost in foreign territory, H and I are managing a bunch of new emotions that we never associated with the college search: fear, pride, worry, awe. (I imagine our reaction might be similar to what new parents feel like the first time they hear they're having multiples.) </p>
<p>It's taking a while to sink in. </p>
<p>What should we do? Are there any tips to navigating this process? (I'm especially worried because Son's "ROTC schools" all happen to be high match/reaches.) </p>
<p>ARGH! What if, what if, what if. I can't stop hearing those words in my head. </p>
<p>We're visiting the ROTC office at a local college soon. Son doesn't want to enroll there, but at least the major is willing to talk to us. </p>
<p>I would suggest trying to make as much contact with the officers in charge of each ROTC program. They are the ones who really can make a difference. My son, although he ended up at West Point, was admitted into three or four ROTC programs. He visited three of the schools and spent time with the ROTC senior officer. So, I would suggest identifying who the key officer is, have your son call him directly, tell them he’d like to come visit and find out more about the program, etc. As I remember some require interviews - I do know that you have to do one interview that gets posted in their system that all the schools have access to - make sure that your son really shines when he meets the local officer you mentioned - he’s likely to post his comments. If the ROTC officer wants you son, they can sometimes influence the admissions office (schools like ROTC kids because their tuiiton and room and board are covered by the Gov.t - frees up funds for other students)</p>
<p>Big Green- that is interesting. I did not know that rotc officers can sway the admission process. can you elaborate or can anyone confirm that statement?</p>
<p>“I did not know that ROTC officers can sway the admission process”</p>
<p>That was not our experience with Duke and Georgetown. Neither ROTC department made any mention of having influence with admissions. The feedback we received was that if our son was admitted to the school, A ROTC scholarship was almost a sure thing, but being admitted first was key. Our son received his West Point appointment early so did not follow up on the ROTC scholarship.</p>
<p>Well, we met with the local ROO today. On the topic of the last couple posts, he never said that the ROTC office could influence an addmission. However, he did say that - when the school and Army have a good relationship - the ROTC staff could request that app for addmission be expedited. In the best case, this could mean an applicant gets his RD decision well ahead of April 1.</p>
<p>Most of the stuff he shared we had come across on other discussion boards. Except for one thing: </p>
<p>He said the first board review of scholarship apps occurs in Feb. I thought it started as early as Sept. Need to dig more on this. He also said there’s the national scholarship process that’s done through Cadet Command. And there’s the campus scholarship process, which is handled locally at the college. Hmmm.</p>
<p>Yes, it was our experience that an ROTC officer who has a good relationship with the university admissions office can make a difference. They can’t dictate who gets in - like the football coach at Harvard can (this I’m sure of) - but they can play a role in highlighting candidate strengths that the admissions office might have missed. The ROTC officer at one school helped shepherd my son’s appeal for admission (after he was rejected) and my son ultimately was accepted. </p>
<p>As for the difference between Cadet command and local ROTC - I never quite figured it out except with Cadet Command you have to give them a list of the schools in which you’re interested. As in my earlier post, focus on the local ROTC officers - they are the ones who make a difference. </p>
<p>Of course if your son doesn’t get into Army ROTC - there’s always Annapolis.</p>
<p>The saying goes, “What do West Point cadets and Navy midshipmen have in common? They all got into West Point.” The reality is that NROTC scholarships are very competitive and Annapolis is more selective than USMA.</p>
<p>Just popping in, because someone I know was looking for a message board for ROTC parents. I don’t think there is one here?</p>
<p>It’s really splitting hairs over which is better – USNA or USMA. USMA is tied for #14 on the USNWR list for Top Liberal Arts Colleges, while USNA is tied for #19. USMA’s acceptance rate is around 16%, while USNA’s is around 14%. The mid 50% SAT score range for USMA is CR 560-670 and M 590-680, while for USNA the mid 50% SAT score range is CR 560-670 and 600-700 M. (Note – both places have mid-50% SAT score ranges that are lower than similarly-ranked schools on the Top Liberal Arts Colleges list, but that is because the military academies are looking far beyond these things for admission.) The USMA’s retention rate for sophomore year is 91% and for USNA it is
96%. [Note – all info gotten from stats on Collegeboard.com.] They are both great schools, if that is your (your kid’s) cup of tea, so to speak. Dh and his brother had ROTC scholarship years ago, and his brother’s son just graduated from college which was financed with a ROTC scholarship. Another great way to finance college!</p>
<p>“It’s really splitting hairs over which is better – USNA or USMA.”</p>
<p>With both being Service Academies they are very similar when compared to civilian schools. That being said, as Academies, they are also very different from one another. In my opinion which one is “best” depends on the career one wants to follow.</p>
<p>I was just kidding around about Annapolis. Clearly USMA and USNA are both good schools and USNA does get slightly more applicants, certainly attributable to a larger number of applicants who want an air-conditioned barracks and don’t want to learn how to march.</p>
<p>^^^
Good natured kidding. IMHO - is always welcome and not unusual around most military discussions. Most people know that ALL the military academies attract our best and brightest and the differences between them has more to do with individual preferences than which is actually “better”. After all, if you can’t get into the Air Force Academy what difference does it make whether you go to West Point or Annapolis anyway?</p>
<p>Most Navy families feel a strong kinship with the other service academies, military branches, and Coast Guard. Personally, we love y’all except during athletic competitions when your team is our opponent! One example is that Navy parents are in fact voting for the Army and Air Force fight songs (after casting their vote for Anchors Aweigh, Navy’s classic fight song) in a competition on:
[Best</a> College Fight Song | Prep Ticket](<a href=“GameDay Content Brands - Video Production & Digital… | GameDay”>GameDay Content Brands - Video Production & Digital… | GameDay)</p>
<p>You don’t have to register with prepticket to vote, only if you want to make a comment. Sorry, Air Force didn’t make it to the second round of voting, but Navy and Army (with a little help from Navy families…) both made it to the next round of voting. Of course, this sense of altruism may shift if Navy and Army make it to the last rounds… ;)</p>
The reality is that NROTC scholarships are very competitive and Annapolis is more selective than USMA.</p>