<p>My son applied for and received an NROTC scholarship last year. All turned out beautifully in the end -- he is now MIDN 4/c at his chosen University and, so far, has survived his INDOC (the military acronym for a demanding orientation) with enthusiasm intact. But getting there was a long and fairly bumpy ride that required a whole lot of patience. </p>
<p>My son got his application in a bit later than you did, sometime in late September. The first thing that happened after that was an interview in October with a Navy recruiter who came to our home. We thought this was "THE" big interview but it wasn't -- it turned out to be a brief, preliminary kind of thing that was intended, I think, to make sure he met all the basic screening requirements. It took some scheduling and rescheduling to get that done because the recruiter's time was limited. </p>
<p>Then came the real interview, which took place at a Naval recruiting office and similarly required some scheduling and rescheduling. By the time that was done, we were into late November. Meanwhile my son had been scaring up the recommendation letters and transcripts and test reports and such that had to be provided. There is a website where you will be able to log in to keep up with the status of your application, so you will know what they have received and what they haven't. Of course, during this time, he was also getting his college application together since, as you know, that's a separate process. He applied ED and was lucky enough to get in in early December, so that turned out to be a lot easier than the NROTC application process! </p>
<p>We did not hear anything from DODMERB in this time. We had gotten the impression, as you apparently also have, that DODMERB would contact us during the application process. When it got to be December and we had not heard from DODMERB, I finally called the Naval officer whose name we had been given as the coordinator for NROTC applicants in our region. He explained that in different years, the DODMERB requirement can be handled differently. In some years the physical is a preliminary to the board's decision; in other years it comes afterward, and only those selected for scholarships go through the DODMERB process. Our son's year was of the second type -- no DODMERB until after selection.</p>
<p>We were told that he would be reviewed in the December boards and that we might hear something around New Years', but in fact he did not hear until late February. Great joy when the status finally showed up on the website, followed a few days later by a letter: he was selected! </p>
<p>But the process wasn't over. He returned the form saying he wanted the scholarship, waited a few more weeks, and got a card from DODMERB, followed by a letter from the contractor that sets up the appointments. Then there was another wait for the actual appointments, which were in early April. We do not live near one of the military sites where this is done, so he was seen in the offices of two different civilian doctors who have contracts with the military (eyes and general physical -- both must be done on the same day, eyes first.)</p>
<p>Then we waited some more to get the results. After a few weeks -- sometime in May -- we received a request from DODMERB for more information. We had to send all his lifetime medical records on four different medical issues they had found in his history -- old injuries and potential health questions. That meant another wait, since it takes doctors and hospitals a few weeks to get the records to you after a request. In June, we got the required records together and mailed them. </p>
<p>In July they turned him down. He was medically disqualified for flat feet. (He is, BTW, a varsity athlete who played several sports and had recently completed an undefeated season as a starter on a championship soccer team.) </p>
<p>BUT that wasn't the end. Every disqualified NROTC applicant gets an automatic appeal to BUMED for a waiver. The waiver process had already been started, as soon as they mailed the disqualification letter. We called the very helpful and kind people at DODMERB to ask if there was anything we could do to aid in getting a waiver and they said yes -- if we had any medical information that would support a waiver, by all means send it in. So he went to see his orthopedist, who examined his undeniably flat, but benign, feet, and wrote an excellent letter and report. We mailed that in . . . and in late July, he got his waiver, and he started filling out a whole NEW stack of paperwork for the NROTC battalion at his college. </p>
<p>So, as you can see, it may be quite a long time before you know whether or not you will be rolling out of your dorm bed at 0500 for PT at this time next year. Looking back, I think that's a good thing -- it's a good introduction to the military bureaucracy and an excellent test of just how committed you really are to the whole undertaking. Information about what to expect as you go along is much harder to come by than we thought it would be. It is not like applying to college where information is everywhere. Each of the ROTC service branches has slightly different processes and requirements, and it is hard to find anybody who has a good handle on the big picture. To some degree you just have to take it as it comes and try to be patient. You also have to be vigilant about the details of your own application -- make sure everything gets done, make sure everything is received, don't be afraid to ask questions. I wish you the best of luck with it!</p>