<p>Wow! A bit of news at last. Our local NROTC officer left a message on the phone today and my son was awarded a 4 year NROTC scholarship to University of San Diego. He is going to be so excited when he gets home from school.</p>
<p>Congratulations that's a great accomplishment!</p>
<p>Yes! Much congrats to your son! :-)</p>
<p>What does the 4 year NROTC scholarship include? Tuition, room & board, books, $$</p>
<p>Congratulations...you have to be proud</p>
<p>Tuition, book allowance and a monthly stipend. My son's school kicked in the room and board fee. Thus he would have had everything covered. He was lucky enough that the choice was his to make, and chose USNA.
CM</p>
<p>Apparently at U of San Diego, the school will pay for room and board for him if he does work/study for 8 hours per week. Such a deal! He is one relieved kid! He would be happy at USD if the Academy doesn't accept him because he will still be able to achieve his goal. It looks like a gorgeous campus with fabulous weather. However, he still wants the Academy.</p>
<p>with "oregonmom" as the moniker...are you from SD? We live 40 miles from the campus and can vouch for the weather and the beautiful campus!!!</p>
<p>Peskemom, we are from wet and wet Oregon. We haven't visited the campus but many millenium ago my husband and I were raised in the Bay area. California, we thought, could be a fun place to attend college.</p>
<p>HEY! I missed this! What truly great news! You can let half a breath out now! I know your nerves must be totally raw at this point. Now its - continue the wait game for the appointment. My advice? Nothing helps the anxiety better than chocolate. Congrats to your son & the whole family!</p>
<p>Don't forget to apply for admission...;)</p>
<p>A bit of personal experience -- to Dad2B's point (and as you probably know) NROTC scholarships are offered prior to admission to the college that the scholarship is designated for. If you get waitlisted for that school, you can contact the local NROTC unit and they might go to bat for you to get off the waitlist. If you don't get admitted to that school, you can transfer the scholarship to another school if 1) you've been admitted to that school and 2) the NROTC unit has an opening. Therefore, it pays to make sure you have applied to one or more backup schools with NROTC programs.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice. Fortunately, we have done all the applications to the schools and additional one just in case but I know that USD is actively recruiting males. In addition, they are looking to add to their men's choir, which Jake is in. They are actually offering scholarship re: choir. Hopefully, he will get into the academy though...</p>
<p>One question, can you transfter schools utilizing the scholarship if you transfer to another NROTC unit?</p>
<p>Jamzmom: Chocolate is always the solution. But See's is the most theraputic.</p>
<p>If I understand your question correctly, the answer is yes, but you have to work through the system and the school you are transfering to has to have a scholarship opening. </p>
<p>My kid received an NROTC scholarship and was admitted to School A, but decided for other reasons to attend School B. At the time, School B did not have a scholarship open, so she got put on a waitlist for a scholarship at School B. A few weeks later, after everyone's admissions, transfer and declination decisions were made, she was offered the scholarship spot.</p>
<p>I believe the process is very similar for someone transfering from one school to another after they begin their studies.</p>
<p>From what I have read, you can use the scholarship without any further paperwork at any cross-town affiliates of the main NROTC unit (USD in this case). So if Point Loma Nazarine U. or Univ of Calif @ SD are desireable options to USD, you should just apply.</p>
<p>It is important to do early action if available so that you have better odds of transferring your ROTC unit if you don't get admission to your first choice unit. Once the unit billets fill up, you'll have to go on a waiting list.</p>
<p>It sounds like you already have your bases covered. My son is in the same situation. Best of luck to both!!</p>
<p>This site was so helpful to our family last year that I wanted to provide some feedback for others in the class of 2006! My son is a midshipman at an Ivy League University on a NROTC Scholarship. It has been a great experience for him but not exactly what was expected or described. At this time last year he had applied to 7 schools and USNA. He was accepted to SS and CVW and participated in all of these events and received a nomination in December. Additionally, he received a NROTC Scholarship in early October last year. He was accepted to all of his schools with varying scholarships from partial to full ride with the exception of USNA where he did not gain an appointment. (He heard in April.) He appeared qualified but also needed an eye waiver. </p>
<p>When he visited USNA and talked to many the feeling was NROTC is easy, you wear uniforms once a week and take a naval science class and you can really relax and enjoy college life. For those considering it and hearing this know that this is very far from the truth. Make sure that you are making a decision based on your desire for a military career and know that you will be devoting a large amount of time to NROTC. We know several mids doing NROTC at different schools across the country and all are experiencing the same thing to some degree. I feel like we are in a good position to compare since we have friends and family that have done both.</p>
<p>The benefits of graduating from USNA are obvious and the first year plebe system is hard and 24 /7. The expectations of mids should be clear though and everyone is experiencing some version of the same thing. Classes, meals, etc are structured around USNA activities. Plebe summer is long and hard. Uniforms, washing, haircuts are within easy access at the Academy. Its hard and long and youre in it together.</p>
<p>The benefits of an Ivy League education are also obvious. There is no real plebe system and what does exist is not 24 /7. (No squaring your corners or chopping) Everyone is not experiencing the same thing and this can make doing Navy at a major university difficult. Some have roommates that are staying up until 2 or 3 am at night. When the alarm goes off at 4:45 for PT roommates can get very unhappy. Many universities are not set up around NROTC hours. Meals can be difficult when you are up hours before the rest of the university and in bed hours before. All laundry services including the military press of uniforms are done on your own and you only have one to start out. There are many extra events above and beyond navy classes (no credit provided for). They include community service, parades, drilling, sailing classes, overnight hikes, cleaning the unit etc and these are all done on the weekend and after other classes. Getting a haircut can be a major challenge as there are typically no facilities on the campus. There is no Plebe Summer but there is an O week and that is similar but obviously much shorter. The professors dont recognize the additional responsibilities and may throw up barriers to accomplishing ROTC activities without knowing it. </p>
<p>So, what has he learned? He really loves all the Navy activities and for him all the added activities have been a huge plus! The unit forms a small family in the big sea of the larger university. There is more ability to major in what ever you want to take and 3 of the classes he is taking are not available at USNA including his language. His suite mates have been very supportive and have left him notes in the early am to encourage him and he has learned to juggle many classes, uniform pressing, finding ways to eat, get haircuts etc. It is a great way to have the Navy career that you have always wanted! There has been more respect than he anticipated from students at a liberal university. It has been a great experience and it has been a hard experience. So our advice if you want to be USNA bound .work hard and if you dont get in or decide your major doesnt fit as well take the NROTC route but understand that it is much more than most anticipate! Best of Luck!</p>
<p>Juniormom...now Midshipman Mom</p>
<p>When one of our older children was at UCLA - one of her best friends was an NROTC young man. He turned down is Academy appointment to attend UCLA. Although we never dreamed 6 years later we would have one of our own children interested in a military officer career - I recall being so taken with this young man's intelligence, kindness, and 'bearing' ( didn't know the word then, but it certainly described how he stood out in the dorm amongst the typical UCLA freshman/sophomore) that I asked him an awful lot of questions about what he was doing, why he turned down his appt. at USNA and what he thought of NROTC.</p>
<p>4 years later I was there when both he and my daughter got their UCLA diplomas, and there he was, proudly holding his Commission as well. </p>
<p>He is now a sub officer in Connecticut and still in touch with us all. He has been a big encouragement to our daughter as she has applications in to both USNA and MROTC as we speak. He says there is a joke amongst the officers that all Academy people are too military and all ROTC people are too civilian - but in this man's view - it all helps to round out the military officers in our Armed Forces. Going ROTC never stopped him from having all the options he ever wanted, UCLA's unit was very 'tight' and he would recommend it to anyone who wanted both a real 'college life' and the opportunity to go straight to a military officer career.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for your input, juniormom!</p>
<p>much love and support to your son as well!</p>
<p>Can't send enough praise to the ROTC kids! What a great post juniorMIDmom. The kids in this program serve our country in the same way Academy kids do with the same comittment and hard work. A few of my son's friends are in AROTC & NROTC at their colleges and would agree with everything you've said. Its been tough. To keep the civilian college life and the military life apart from each other has been a challenge for them they say. They described it as living two different lives and the time management between the two very stressful. On the other hand, they are truly some bright kids knowing at the end of the day, their career options will be the saving grace to all of their hard work. Choosing the path to get that education and to serve your country is an awesome repsonsibility. I wish them all well!</p>
<p>juniormom: Excellent post. Thanks for sharing your son's experience with NROTC. Also thank him for agreeing to serve our country. Hope he continues to excel in his NROTC program.</p>
<p>I am constantly amazed by the number of people who think the driving force behind attending an academy or ROTC program is the "free tuition". When I tell them that our son wants to pursue a military career and that the academy was his path for pursuing that career, they appear sceptical as though they are thinking "You're just saying that because the academies want to hear that."</p>
<p>I often wonder why some people can accept that a young person aspires to be a doctor, teacher, musician or businessperson; but cannot accept that a rational young person would want to be a career military officer.</p>
<p>I hear you...aspen. Why do folks think that 17 & 18 year old Boys and Girls are totally unaware of how we got all these privileges and freedoms.</p>
<p>I work at a university that also hosts NROTC. My son absolutely does not "need" to go NROTC since his tuition would be free anyways by my employment (assuming he gets admitted...not a easy task for sure). Nevertheless, he chose that university as his first choice NROTC college (currently 2nd choice to USNA).</p>
<p>He just really wants to serve a career in the Navy or Marine Corps....period.</p>
<p>Of course...he could change his mind...Mom sure hopes so...;)</p>
<p>thank you so much juniormom! if i get into my other top school, that's going to be the decision: USNA or Ivy/MCROTC. thanks for the insight; there's a lot there i was wondering about.</p>