<p>DSL1990,</p>
<p>USNA Admissions is going to try to predict, as accurately as possible, your qualifications to become a MIDN. If you can demonstrate that you can handle an NCAA sport, the life of a military college, and maintain a decent GPA, you will have demonstrated a lot. Admissions is looking for candidates who challenge themselves. No doubt your days will be time consuming and involve time management…but guess what? When you get to USNA and eventually the fleet or FMF, the challenges will be about the same or greater! So it behooves you to go full steam ahead!</p>
<p>Remember, most college candidates will not have the same opportunities to challenge themselves, which might make your file considerably more competitive.</p>
<p>I was on an NCAA team during the year that I reapplied to USNA (though I was a redshirt…I still practiced with the team and competed unattached). I got involved with the Semper Fi Society (handful of guys going PLC/OCC). I took similar courses to a plebe (though I only took 15-16 credit hours), but I worked hard and did well.</p>
<p>My best advice is to challenge yourself and to take advantage of the opportunities you are presented…as I mentioned, not everyone gets to participate on an NCAA sports team!</p>
<p>Hello,</p>
<p>I got the thin letter on Monday. I was checking to see if NROTC had called up my DODMERB results yet, and saw the “Admissions Status Change Date” is still from back in November when I got the student aspects of the packet completed. I’m curious if anybody else who has gotten the thin letter has seen an ASCD update on the DODMERB site.</p>
<p>I know my NROTC file is before the board either last week or next week (the ROTC recruiters were given two dates and they didn’t know which one was accurate). The waiting game gets more stressful after you’re down to pretty much your last option. I’ll enlist if I have to in order to get into the Navy, but thats not my top pick.</p>
<p>Joe</p>
<p>aterblue, sorry to read about your rejection by usna. good luck on NROTC! i’m in the same boat there. the selection board is supposed to be meeting this week, and then in two weeks, and then in 4 weeks. and that’s it for fall 2008 scholarships. so it’s really the final stretch. those of us that haven’t heard yet only have 3 more chances (including this week).</p>
<p>you don’t have to enlist to get in the navy! if you want to be a naval officer, the best way is to do a naval officer type program. there is NROTC, which you can do even without a scholarship, and OCS which you can do with BDCP in college. if i don’t get a 4yr NROTC scholarship, i’m planning on going to a college with a NROTC unit and signing up for the NROTC “College Program”. then i can apply for a NROTC 3-yr scholarship in my freshman year, which i’ve heard is a lot easier to get.</p>
<p>DSL, </p>
<p>you have the right attitude, stick with it and you will get there, AterBlue, I assume you know as DSL has said you don’t have to be on scholarship to be a part of an NROTC detachment (obviously assuming you can afford it) </p>
<p>Pick a few colleges with programs you like and go for it. VMI and Virginia Tech with their Corps of Cadets programs were my son’s top two back up colleges. </p>
<p>Also AterBlue, please, please, please, be very careful about talking to recruiters and take what they tell you about opportunities to move from an enlisted program like Nuke Power School, into the Academy etc. They have a job to do and I respect that, but they also have a quota to fill, if you speak with them have someone with you that you can use as a sounding board to discuss your options with. If they put a stack of papers in front of you and suggest or pressure you sign now or risk loosing a slot, walk away. There is nothing wrong with going into an enlisted program if that is what you really want to do. Go enlisted for the right reasons. </p>
<p>You don’t have to resolve or define the course of your life in just the next fews months. You’re young and have plenty of time to put some effort into reaching your ultimate goal. </p>
<p>Good luck to you both.</p>
<p>It could be that AterBlue cannot afford college without the NROTC scholarship. Enlisting may or may not be the best choice.
Rjrzoom57 is correct - have a confidant that you can trust if you consider enlisting.</p>
<p>Hey don’t worry, I’m in the habit of educating my recruiters (still haven’t run into an enlisted recruiter that knew what he was talking about… I love dropping official Navy statements that directly contradict their most recent claims on their desks). I’m well aware of the dangers of enlisting… and fortunately I have a plethora of friends, enlisted and officer, in several branches. I’ve also figured out how to bounce the claims of the enlisted recruiters off of the NROTC recruiters, and the NROTC recruiters claims off of my BGO, and the claims of all of the above off of the SWC mentor, and then take it all with a grain of salt, run it by a few buddies, and end up with a believable scenario as compared to the “take this cakewalk and we’ll give you a million dollars” claims. I must say, the only “recruiter” that I have never found anything faulty with, and have never had any reason to distrust, was my BGO. </p>
<p>Congrats to those of you who made the cut!</p>
<p>Joe</p>