There's a bit more involved with participating as a College Program student. Contact the unit and get your required paperwork completed early. Participate in the Freshman Orientation, which usually takes place the week before school starts. Freshman Orientation is designed to get you all your uniforms and get you up to speed with all the other Midshipmen (How to march, how to wear your uniform and how to address your fellow/senior MIDN and officers).
Like others stated above, you are competing Nationally against all other college program students for a scholarship. What you did in High School has no bearing on your scholarship.
What your do IN COLLEGE and NROTC will help you get a scholarship.
There are 3 different scholarships in which you are competing at different times.
First Year:
First semester: 3.5 (PNS Leadership Scholarship..he only has one) and 3 year scholarship
Second semester: 3 year scholarship
Second Year: (first and second semester): 2 year scholarship.
If you do not get a scholarship (or advance standing*) prior to the beginning of your Junior year, you can no longer participate in the NROTC.
*Advance Standing: Get paid a monthly tax-free stipend all year long, but you continue to pay for school and books. This is a guarantee to get a commission when you graduate.
Several things go into your scholarship package:
1.
Academic Major: Technical majors get preferential selection over non-tech degrees. Does that mean that non-tech MIDN don't get scholarships? NO, non-tech major MUST get a much higher GPA (>3.8) then non-tech majors to be considered competitive.
2.
GPA: You need at least a 2.5 or better to be
nominated for a scholarship. You need a 3.0 or higher to be competitive. With GPA, the difficulty of classes taken are also reviewed. Am I saying you should take CALC, Physics, and Chemistry your first semester? NO. Take one hard class along with GEN ED courses. The NROTC recommends that you study 2 hours for every credit hour. If you are taking 15 credits, then you should be studying/completing homework for 30 hours per week to get good grades.
3.
Aptitude: These scores will come from your participation in the NROTC via your MIDN Fitness Report (FITREP). These FITREPS are submitted by your MIDN chain of command and finalized by your NROTC Advisor. Be involved, but not to the point where it affects your grades. Most of the NROTC activities your freshman year will add about 15 hours per week. This includes Physical Training (PT: all hands exercise), Drill/Lab, and clubs/groups.
PT will count as part of your Aptitude score, but if you cannot pass the PT test, then you cannot be submitted for a scholarship. Strive to get a Good High score or better.
4.
CO's Ranking: The CO will rank all his scholarship nominees and this will help the board break out the top students.
Bottom line is that college with NROTC is a FULL TIME JOB (60+ hours per week). Take it seriously if your really want it.
Hope this helps.
-ea6bflyr
