What will it take?

Colleges & Universities A-Z Indiana University - Bloomington
1

<p>I’m wondering if a full Army ROTC scholarship will increase my chances of being admitted to IU? I had a less than desirable high school experience and had to withdraw for about a year, but I did graduate with my class of ’07.<br>
The “interruption” had a profound impact on my grades and did not allow me to engage in all the athletic and student government programs I would have liked. So I have little to show in that regard.</p>

<p>GPA: 2.6 (but I did take a number of excel and AP classes, also I have no class rank)</p>

<p>ACT scores: Composite 22, English 24, Math 18, Reading 23, Science 22 (not sent to any colleges)</p>

<p>SAT scores of: Critical reading 490, Math 460, Writing 540 (not sent to any colleges)</p>

<p>Extra-curricular activities:
• Science Olympiad member
• Health Occupations Students of America representative
• Softball manager
• Founder and former commander of a military simulation airsoft team
• Indiana Airsoft Association global moderator</p>

<p>Other tid-bits:
• I am a female minority and an Indiana resident.
• Prior work experience at FedEx as an aircraft offloader for six months.
• I’m very active in sports and outdoor recreation.
• I will be a first-generation college student in my family.</p>

<p>I know, I know…not very impressive.</p>

<p>I’m now 19 and in the Army National Guard. When I get back from Military Police school next year I would like to use my Army ROTC scholarship at Indiana University, but obviously have not been accepted yet. I have a strong desire to attend IU because:</p>

<p>• It’s a great school in an even better location (near Camp Atterbury and lots of state parks),
• IU has an outstanding ROTC and Ranger Challenge program,
• And IU is the only college in Indiana that offers the major I wish to pursue (Outdoor Recreation and Resource Management).</p>

<p>So I’m wondering what it will take for a seemingly average applicant like me to get admitted and would the scholarship increase my chances? </p>

<p>Also, I’m curious if I will have to jump through all the hoops recent high school graduates go through in the admission process? By the time the next school year rolls around I will be 20 years old and tracking down high school references and counselors may prove problematic. I’m not even sure if my ACT/SAT scores will be considered, but if they are I’ll mostly try to improve them beforehand.</p>

<p>I appreciate all responses. I really want to attend IU because I don’t think I’ll be very happy studying anything anywhere else. So do I have a chance, if so, what will it take?</p>

2

<p>IU will definitely consider your ACT or SAT scores. As you already know your scores and GPA are below the 25 %ile for IU admits. Not much you can do about the GPA now, but if your schedule permits I would STRONGLY encourage to study for the ACT or SAT independently and retake one of the tests. Study materials can be found in libraries or perhaps used on Amazon for a decent price. Your combination of scores and GPA would probably lead to a rejection IF you were still in HS. It might be slightly easier for you with your military background, etc. </p>

<p>Don’t worry about references. IU doesn’t use them. If in some way it would help, one of your NG instructors could be used for this purpose. You will need to have a high school transcript sent and probably a counselor signature form completed. I would recommend contacting the guidance department of your old HS. If your guidance counselor is no longer there, any counselor can sign it since you’re not a traditional freshman (you’ve been out of school for a year). They keep your records around for awhile. </p>

<p>IU does not require an essay, but there is an optional one on the application. USE IT! Don’t make excuses, but factually explain the interruption that lead to the grade decline. Explain what you have been doing since HS graduation. </p>

<p>IU does have several programs for first generation students, but I’m not sure if you would be eligible since you are no longer in HS. You might want to research the “Groups” program a bit. </p>

<p>Give the admissions office a call. Explain your military service, etc. They may recommend a way for this to happen. You might also contact the IUB ROTC office. See what advice they have for you. </p>

<p>Another thought, if it’s possible with your scholarship, is to begin your studies at one of the regional campuses with the goal of transferring to IUB in a year or two. The regional campuses are designed to admit students like you. </p>

<p>A final bit of advice: if you really want this, be willing to work for it. Don’t set up barriers for yourself and don’t make excuses about something being problematic.</p>

3

<p>My family splitting up after my parent’s divorce and the personal and financial issues thereafter was a difficult time for me. However, I’m not looking to make an excuse of it or expect anyone to feel sorry; I just want them to understand why I feel my grades are not reflective of my intelligence and not a good measure of how successful I would be in college.</p>

<p>When I did return to my high school nearly a year later, I was met with the challenge of acquiring ten additional credits in a single semester. No one had ever tried to get so many credits in a single semester and the school administrators weren’t even sure it was possible. After going to school day and night I proved to them that such a feat was not only possible, but I could do it with a single “C” being my lowest grade for that semester.</p>

<p>Anywise, I understand that my past isn’t pleasant and I cannot change it; but I can honestly say I have learned from it and believe I am a better, more determined person because of it. I’m doing everything in my power to amend for my past and secure a brighter future for myself. I’m pretty ambitious and that attitude motivates me to put forth the effort see my dreams realized no matter how seemingly distant or difficult. I have no doubt that I want to study military science and outdoor recreation / resource management; I am passionate about those subjects and I know I will excel in those programs given the slightest chance.</p>

<p>I will definitely retake the ACT and SAT. Though I won’t have as much time as I would like to prepare due to my schedule, I will take advantage of the training aids available. I will also take advantage of any essay opportunities to give admissions a better profile.</p>

<p>I recently emailed the admissions office and will follow-up with a phone call. No reply yet as I’m sure they’ve got their hands tied up with the incoming freshmen. </p>

<p>Any other advice is welcomed.</p>

4

<p>I would focus on either the SAT or the ACT. IU doesn’t require both and given the limited time it would seem wiser to only retake one test. Which one did you find easier?</p>

<p>The more I’ve thought about this, the more I think you should contact the ROTC officer. You might contact the NG liason or the scholarship officer.</p>

<p>[IUAROTC</a> Contact Info](<a href=“http://www.indiana.edu/~rotc/contact.html]IUAROTC”>http://www.indiana.edu/~rotc/contact.html)</p>

5

<p>From an IU admissions specialist:</p>

<p>“Thank you for your interest in Indiana University. We do not include scholarships in our admissions decision, but I can give a bit of guidance for how you should proceed. Based upon the information you provide here, you would not be a strong candidate for admission at this point. Your military training will give you some college credit, but we would most likely require some classroom work at a community college for 2 semesters before being able to consider you for admission as a transfer student. Generally, we require that students not admissible based on their high school record complete 26 credits before we will consider only their college record and not consider high school grades or test scores. I know this would delay your attendance at IU by a year, but at this point it is probably the best option at this point. If you have additional questions, you can write back or call me at 812-856-3967 and I can discuss your situation in more depth.”</p>

<p>Delaying college for yet another year (three years since high school) is not something I want to do because:</p>

<p>• I have a critical MOS and if I’m not in a ROTC program, I’ll likely get deployed which will certainly derail my plans of going to college and becoming an officer.
• I may lose my scholarship if I’m not going to use it for a year while I’m at some community college and I’m not sure if it is transferrable.
• I’m simply tired of waiting and watching my college friends grow more distant. </p>

<p>Before I joined the military I tried to acquire some college credits from Ivy Tech. Unfortunately, there was some error with my name and SSN not matching and my FASFA didn’t get corrected before classes started so I couldn’t attend.</p>

<p>I know IU is a servicemember opportunity college (SOC member) and recognizes CLEP and DANTES. I’m thinking that may be a way to help accumulate some needed credits. The admissions specialist also mentioned my military training would transfer into credits, but he probably meant I wouldn’t have to go through the first two years of military science in the ROTC. That would only grant me about four credits. I would rather do the first two years because I want to work myself up as a leader in the battalion, and those years are actually pretty fun.</p>

<p>I keep hearing the idea of transferring, but being a first-gen I really don’t understand how the process works. From the looks of things, I stand a better chance of being admitted to a university like Ball State or IUPUI. While neither have the major I wish to pursue, at least they both have ROTC programs. If only for a year, I could be involved in ROTC while taking core classes that would transfer to IU, then the idea doesn’t sound bad at all. However, I’m not sure how transfers work or if my scholarship would support it.</p>

<p>Contacting the ROTC staff, ARNG scholarship POC, and even my recruiter are on my to-do list. Perhaps by fate I received an email yesterday from Military.com titled “Guide to Using Your Military Education Benefits”. I remember some topics on “military adults going to college” that I would like to discuss with military personnel.</p>

6

<p>Transferring is generally just like applying, but timeframes and grades used are different. So is the application. </p>

<p>With IUPUI I imagine more of the general ed classes will easily transfer for credit than with Ball State. You’ll have to ask the NG or whomever if it’s an option for you to transfer the scholarship from one univ to another.</p>

7

<p>I would take at least one class at Ivy Tech this fall and spring to show that you are serious about getting into IU or IUPUI and to eliminate another year of not having taken any college courses at all, which is probably not good if you are trying to get into IU Bloomington. You probably would not have any trouble getting into IUPUI with your stats, but it is probably too late in the year to get in with your scholarship now (maybe not, I would check with them) and IUPUI is way more expensive than Ivy Tech. It is probably too late to get financial aid this year from any school. I would take ENG 111 (Elementary Composition) and something like PSY 101 (Intro to Psychology) at Ivy Tech. These courses will transfer for credit from Ivy Tech to any schools in the IU system and are about $325 each rather than $700 or so after fees they would cost at any IU campus.</p>

<p>Here is a website about transferring credit in state schools, including the IU system and Ivy Tech.
[Pages</a> - Home](<a href=“http://www.transferin.net/Pages/Home.aspx]Pages”>http://www.transferin.net/Pages/Home.aspx)</p>

<p>some info on transferring credit for military
[Home[/url</a>]</p>

<p>and which specific courses will transfer to Indiana state universities that participate in the TransferIn program
[url=<a href=“http://www.transferin.net/CTL/Pages/default.aspx]Indiana”>http://www.transferin.net/CTL/Pages/default.aspx]Indiana</a> Core Transfer Library (CTL)](<a href=“http://www.transferin.net/students/militaryinformation/Pages/default.aspx]Home[/url”>http://www.transferin.net/students/militaryinformation/Pages/default.aspx)</p>

<p>I had high school stats similar to yours and went straight into the army from high school but got A’s is a couple of college course I took while in Germany and got into IUPUI with ease and did masters at IU Bloomington. They like to see that you are committed to getting an education and at least take some college courses and show that you have the potential to be a good student even when your work or financial situation is not ideal for going to college.</p>

8

<p>bthomp–those are some great website links! I completely forgot about the move to make transferring between Ivy Tech and IU schools schools. I don’t know why. Ivy Tech in B-ton has already outgrown the building they finished in the last 5 years. Lots of people taking advantage of the cheaper Ivy Tech credits.</p>

9

<p>Ivy Tech is a GREAT option - you can essentially go there but hang out with all the people at Bloomington. The TransferIN program is great too, you know exactly what to take. I would highly recommend Ivy Tech for someone who wants to go to IU but has to transfer in.</p>