Scholarships for ROTC

[Steve Wilkins]

I just read an article in Proceedings that outlines an unofficial Naval Education and Training Command (NETC) policy about giving 3-year and 2-year scholarships only to Mids who are pursuing a techical major. Officially, NETC's policy is that outstanding MIDN pursuing non-technical majors can win the scholarship. The author of this piece says that this hardly ever happens though and that NETC has essentially been preventing non-tech majors from getting scholarships for the last few years. BTW, the author was an EP-3 pilot and NTROTC instructor at The Citatdel. He's now out of the navy and attending Yale Law School.

I'm curious how many of you out there have heard of this happening and/or if it has happened to you?

On the flip side, how may non-technical majors out there have received these 3 and 2-year scholarships? Note: none of this has anything to do with the 4-year scholarship bubbas.

 

[Fezz CB]

Yea, I heard about this as well. I know that on the AF side of the house, my buddy was booted out of the AFROTC prog because he swtiched from tech to non-tech major. He was on a 4-yr scholarship and would have commissioned next May.

Does the type of major really matter?? I mean, everyone takes the calc and physics req. so we qualify for every community (speaking for the rotc folks). I dunno. I was under the impression that the Navy will provide the training regardless of the major. As my unit XO so tactfully put it, "Getting a degree is like telling the Navy that you can be taught and educated."

Am I wrong?

 

[vanity]

Well I was looking at a local college that had nrotc. Out of the mids who got a 3-year, 10 were tech and 2 were non-tech. I'm not so sure its that they aren't giving them to non-techs, but they arent giving many to them.

 

[MIDNJAC]

I don't know how much truth there is to that......of the guys in my class who picked up their 2-yr scholarships in the last 6 months, 100% were non-tech majors. Maybe this is true overall, but it certainly wasn't the case at my unit. (And my school is a big technical school too)

 

[nrotcbruin]

I've heard a few things to that nature. I think NETC wants to push the whole tech major thing as we are in a transition to a more technical navy...I've heard they might increase stipend for tech majors to give more incentive...the 3 and 2 year scholarships are hard to get, we had several guys from my unit not get selected for advanced standing

 

[Jolly Roger]

I don't know how much truth there is to that......of the guys in my class who picked up their 2-yr scholarships in the last 6 months, 100% were non-tech majors. Maybe this is true overall, but it certainly wasn't the case at my unit. (And my school is a big technical school too)

If you know, can you give a rough estimate of their GPAs and PRT scores? I go up for advanced standing and a 2 year scholarship in February. There are three of us from the Rice unit up for scholarship and advanced standing. I am just trying to get an idea what the competition is like.

 

[MIDNJAC]

If you know, can you give a rough estimate of their GPAs and PRT scores? I go up for advanced standing and a 2 year scholarship in February. There are three of us from the Rice unit up for scholarship and advanced standing. I am just trying to get an idea what the competition is like.

They all had GPA's in the 3.5 range, mostly excellent to outstanding low PRT scores, and upper half class standing. Another thing that helped these guys was that their Calculus req's were completed by the time they applied, and they were already part way through the physics classes too.....this will help. Otherwise, I wouldn't worry too much about it....if your grades are good I would guess that you and your friends will probably make it if you have decent class standing and everything else. Don't count on advanced standing...this year there were none nationwide, and it's hard saying if there will be any next round. Just some food for thought...if all else fails and you don't get picked up for anything, and you have to drop (which happened to a couple ppl in my class this last year), don't think that it's the end of the world. There is still OCS, and you'll have a few years to work yourself up to that point....not saying that you aren't already qualified or anything. Good luck! My guess is that things will work out for you

 

[Jolly Roger]

They all had GPA's in the 3.5 range, mostly excellent to outstanding low PRT scores, and upper half class standing. Another thing that helped these guys was that their Calculus req's were completed by the time they applied, and they were already part way through the physics classes too.....this will help. Otherwise, I wouldn't worry too much about it....if your grades are good I would guess that you and your friends will probably make it if you have decent class standing and everything else. Don't count on advanced standing...this year there were none nationwide, and it's hard saying if there will be any next round. Just some food for thought...if all else fails and you don't get picked up for anything, and you have to drop (which happened to a couple ppl in my class this last year), don't think that it's the end of the world. There is still OCS, and you'll have a few years to work yourself up to that point....not saying that you aren't already qualified or anything. Good luck! My guess is that things will work out for you

I am in that ballpark. I should end up with a ~3.1 at the end of the semester (stupid calculus). I am majoring in physics so, hopefully that will count for something. I am nominally in the good med- good high range, but I blew the run on our inventory PRT. So I have been busting my hump to get my PRT scores up for our PRT in few weeks. No matter how well my scores are, I want to take another PRT before my package goes before the board (you know, best foot forward and all that). So, we will see.

 

[illinijoe05]

I am in that ballpark. I should end up with a ~3.1 at the end of the semester (stupid calculus). I am majoring in physics so...

Wait you are a physics major and are complaining about calc?!?! Dude i hate to break it to you but you aint gonna make it through your upper level classes unless you learn to love calc.

 

[purduenavy]

I was in NROTC and now I'm going for BDCP because not only are they not giving scholarships to non-techinical majors, the navy has decided to do away with advanced standing. So if you want my advice, even if your GPA isn't that high (just above a 2.5) in a techincal major, are you still better off than a non-techinical major with a 3.5. Even if are on the top of the scholarship list, the technical majors WILL get picked ahead of you. And you will end up scrambiling for a OCS/BDCP slot.

 

[mules83]

the navy has decided to do away with advanced standing.

The navy hasnt done away with advanced standing, just last year was the bad year. It might be the same next year or not. Keep those grades up and hope for the best. I got advanced standing the year before last and I would be doing the same thing purduenavy would be doing if it happened to me.

Got to love the needs of the navy.

 

[Jolly Roger]

I hear you fellas, I will be doing the samething if I do not get picked up. The math is not the problem, I do well in the physics classes. The class itself is the problem. Anyhoo....best of luck to all.

 

[vanity]

how exactly do you define a tech major anyway? what exactly makes it a tech major?

 

[DanMa1156]

how exactly do you define a tech major anyway? what exactly makes it a tech major?

Something technical: Think Engineering or Science Technologies; a major that will require alot of math and science. Not liberal arts or business.

The Naval Academy Groups its majors in 3 Categories:

Engineering/Tech, Math/Science, Liberal Arts/Humanties

They want (and sometimes have forced) people in the Engineering or Math and Science ones... Only a certain percentage of each class can be non science I believe.

 

[gaijin6423]

You're essentially correct on the majors grouping at USNA (Group I = Engineering; II = Math/science; III = Humanities), but they've recently added another category revolving around IT. The last I'd heard, that program was still very much in flux. However, there is no fixed number of spots for engineering v. humanities majors. Granted, USNA is primarily an engineering-centric school, but they don't limit the number of humanities students. They do, however, pile on an ass load of math, science, and engineering courses, which is why they award a BS, vice a BA degree. So, as a poli sci major, I had to take quite a few technical courses, and was subsequently awarded a BS in, well, BS.