<p>I've been in NJROTC for 3 years now and I'm going on to my 4th year. What's it like applying for an NROTC scholarship. Does it increase you chances of getting into a college if your accepted into a program? How does it differ from High school ROTC? What are the pros and cons of ROTC in college? Is it difficult to get a ROTC scholarship? </p>
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I can answer this one. Yes it is. ROTC scholarships are highly competitive.</p>
<p>Getting a NROTC scholarship has no effect on your acceptance to universities. On the NROTC application you have to list 5 schools you would attend if you got the scholarship. One of those schools has to be a public univ. in your home state. The military is downsizing so getting a NROTC scholarship is more difficult now. 80% of the NROTC scholarships go to students who are majoring in Engineering or other hard science. </p>
<p>The college ROTC program requires you take an extra (NROTC) class each semester in addition your reg. class schedule. They wear uniforms to class once a week. They have early morning PT twice/week. </p>
<p>The application is fairly involved. You also have to have an interview at the Navy office nearest to your home.</p>
<p>PackMom is correct on all points… Also, I would point out that the NROTC scholarship obligates you to five years of active duty after college graduation. This obligation is incurred as soon as your sophomore year begins. So, you do get one year to explore and make sure it is what you want.</p>
<p>Yes, it is highly competitive but not nearly as competitive as the Naval Academy. Plus, academics are far and away the most important aspect, with physical fitness being second. I would say that you need to have at least a 3.5 GPA in high school, plus an ACT of 28 or higher, or SAT of 1900 or higher. Those are estimates.</p>
<p>No, getting the scholarship will not help you get admitted to college, but I will say that if you can get the scholarship you probably can get admitted to almost any state university with NROTC other than the possible exceptions of U.Michigan, Cal-Berkeley, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and perhaps the University of Texas at Austin. In other words, it will probably be harder to get the scholarship than to get admitted to a state school. Private universities, such as MIT and Yale, obviously are a different matter.</p>
<p>Definitely recommend that you apply. No obligation to accept if you decide it is not for you. Your activity in NJROTC will help you both with getting a scholarship and in getting used to being in NROTC in college.</p>
<p>Since the Navy requires you to list five schools on your application, I recommend that you seriously look at ten different colleges, including a couple of private universities depending on how good a student you are. Besides your state university, other state universities to consider might be Purdue, Miami of Ohio, North Carolina State, U.Florida, and U.Pittsburgh. Private universities might include Rice, Tulane, U.Rochester, and Boston University (not Boston College). If you happen to be Catholic, then Villanova and Marquette are good schools, but Notre Dame is really hard to get into.</p>
<p>Take a look at the following website for a listing of all NROTC colleges, sorted by state:</p>
<p><a href=“Naval Education and Training Command - NETC”>Naval Education and Training Command - NETC;
<p>Good Luck.</p>
<p>NROTCgrad gave you good advice. My S chose NC State as his number one choice for NROTC. NCSU has a very strong program. S1 and his roommate both got their first choice on Service
selection day. They both got EOD slots. NCSU was the only civilian university to get two in the same year. Also one of the first female submariners came out of the NCSU NROTC program.</p>
This is almost a year later, but in case any future applicants have questions, here you go. NROTCgrad gave a very good overall review of the expectations of the program and what will be expected of you if you wish to pursue the scholarship. However, I was on the “bottom end” of the spectrum in regard to receiving the NROTC Scholarship. I will give more detail about that towards the end.
Many people fail to mention the variations of the Scholarship in that what most people think of is the National NROTC Scholarship that can take you to any school in the country that accepts this scholarship. That is the most competitive version of the scholarship and usually reserved the most outstanding student-athletes planning on serving a career as a military officer. However, there are two more versions of the 4-Year NROTC scholarship that have slight limitations, yet officer the same benefits.
Frederick C. Branch Scholarship (2-4 Year Scholarships for Marine-Option NROTC Applicants, accepted at HBCUs)
This was the scholarship that I received just yesterday, January 8,2015. This Scholarship is still VERY COMPETITIVE. It is in honor of the first African-American Marine Officer in history. And to clarify any confusion, the award allows you to attend an NROTC Battalion at any Historical Black College/University. You DO NOT have to be of African American decent to receive this scholarship. Here is a link for more information.
http://www.nrotc.navy.mil/fcb.aspx
Pedro Del Valle (2-4 Year Scholarships for Marine-Option NROTC Applicants, accepted at: CSUSM, UNM, SDSU)
This scholarship is exactly like the Frederick C. Branch Scholarship, except for the selection of schools that you can go to. For more information, here is a link to find out about both the FCB and PDV versions of the NROTC Scholarship. APPLY TO ALL THREE VERSIONS, it only increases your chances of winning.
https://www.marines.com/becoming-a-marine/commissioning-programs/four-year-colleges/nrotc
Now, I had mentioned that I was on the “bottom end” of the Scholarship Selection Criteria. I was very athletic; Varsity Wrestling, Football, 4 Years of MCJROTC, and over 300 hours of Community Service. Unfortunately, I was the lazy/smart kid that did not apply himself to maintain a GPA that you would gloat about. I submitted my application with a 2.33 un-weighted GPA with no honors or A.P courses I was discouraged by this and I knew how big of an impact it would have on my chances of receiving a scholarship. However, I was very encouraged to apply and I did. When I met with my OSO and other Pre-Review Board Officers, I was able to explain why I had not performed well scholastically. HONESTY and INTEGRITY will get you a long way during your interviews. The officers will be blunt and tell you that your grades suck or you’re lacking in a certain requirement, but being an officer isn’t always about being the smartest or most fit, officers must be truthful and honest and demonstrate a personable attitude. I hope this helps those of you planning on pursuing this path.
My Submission of NROTC Application
Un-weighted GPA: 2.33
ACT Composite Score: 24
ASVAB Score: 83
Community Service: 316 Hours
4 Years of MCJROTC: Multiple Officer Billets
HONEST and TRUTHFUL Interview