Advanced Standing Question

[Jolly Roger]

Quick question. I am transfering from SFA to the University of Houston, in the fall, to participate in NROTC Houston based at Rice. UH is a cross town affliate. My question is this: How competitive is it to recieve advanced standing? I will be starting as a Sophmore, so I will have two semesters to make the best grades I can before I apply for advanced standing, correct? Thanks in advance.

 

[SlickAg]

It's pretty competitive right now. I'm not sure of the exact numbers, but I do know that the drop this past fall was not as good as people had hoped. If your grades transfer to U of H and not just the credit, then your cum GPA would be impacted. If not, then it's only your grades at U of H that the board will see. To help make yourself competitive, consider taking calc and physics, and really smoke the PRT.

 

[Jolly Roger]

It's pretty competitive right now. I'm not sure of the exact numbers, but I do know that the drop this past fall was not as good as people had hoped. If your grades transfer to U of H and not just the credit, then your cum GPA would be impacted. If not, then it's only your grades at U of H that the board will see. To help make yourself competitive, consider taking calc and physics, and really smoke the PRT.

Just my credits will transfer. I am a physics major so calc and physics are a must. Freshman Advisor, that I talked to at Rice, said that if I applied for a scholarship, which I will, that only my UH grades will go on the app., so I'd imagine that it would be the same for an advanced standing app.

Will it help that I have already taken the ASTB and scored 9/7/9 with an OAR of 50?

 

[etnuclearsailor]

I'm just a little curious about how advanced standing works....
So...
...How does it work?

 

[flynsail]

I'm just a little curious about how advanced standing works....
So...
...How does it work?

From the NROTC website:

NROTC COLLEGE PROGRAM
• Two- or Four-year programs
• Applicants selected from students already attending or accepted by colleges with NROTC programs
• Pays for uniforms and instructional fees for naval science courses
• College Program students selected for "advanced standing" receive a stipend for maximum of 20 months. Advance standing is only available starting the junior year of college. Stipend per academic month is $350 junior year and $400 senior year.
• Students will complete naval science and other university courses, a few specific university courses, and attend one summer training session
o Normally at sea for Navy officers
o Normally at Quantico, VA for Marine Corps-option midshipmen
• Four-year applicants apply through professors of naval science upon commencement of freshman year
• Two-year applicants apply before spring of sophomore year
• When accepted, two-year applicants will attend six-and-a-half week Naval Science Institute program in Newport, RI during summer between sophomore and junior years
o On graduation, two- and four-year College Program midshipmen may be commissioned ensigns in the Naval Reserve or second lieutenants in the Marine Corps Reserves
o Obligation of eight years commissioned service, at least three of which must be active duty

As a sidenote, you do not need to take calc or physics, and college programmers do service select with all the other scholarship MIDN.

 

[bch]

If you want some solid answers, give the NROTC unit's recruiting officer (usually their 4/C advisor) a call. He/she will be able to answer all your ?'s with current and accurate info as to the competiveness of advanced standing.

 

[Jolly Roger]

Don't you still have to send them transcripts which would mean they will see your g.p.a. from other schools? Maybe becuase it's an affiliate that doesn't apply but I had to give up my transcripts from the previous school I attended. just curious, that would suck if I had and wasn't actually required to.

Talking to the advisor over the phone and through e-mail. He never said anything about seeing my transcript from SFA or for that matter he did not say that my app would require it. He did say, however, that if I transfer any later than as a first semester sophomore, I would have to submit my SFA transcript and apply to NSI.

Not to piss anyone off, but I did ask him about competitiveness of getting advanced standing. He told me that as long as I maintained a 3.0 when I applied, I would be good. I just wanted to make sure that he is shooting straight and not making it seem easier than what it really is.

 

[bch]

not pissed man, but as you have already seen on this site, you have a bunch of subject matter experts who will give differing, if not contradicting advice. I was just trying to stear you towards the person who could give you 100% correct gouge.

That was in no way meant as a "get the info yourself" remark

 

[Jolly Roger]

not pissed man, but as you have already seen on this site, you have a bunch of subject matter experts who will give differing, if not contradicting advice. I was just trying to stear you towards the person who could give you 100% correct gouge.

That was in no way meant as a "get the info yourself" remark

Thanks, bch, and I know what you mean. Sorry if it sounded like I was being sarcastic, I wasn't trying to be. I am just trying to fact check. You know Ronald Reagan's adage, "Trust, but verify." Then if my recruiter/advisor says that I am golden for advanced standing with a 3.0, then call me Midas. Thanks again.

 

[bch]

One thing for all perspective NROTC guys to realize... the recruiting officer at a unit is NOT a recuiter. You can trust them (at least in my experience with them), if anything I have seen them steer people away rather than try to rope them in. Point being though, they are not recruiters and do not have any quotas to meet.

 

[Chris Hill]

My XO just told me that during the last board they only took ONE guy nationally for advanced standing. He said it was pretty much impossible unless you had a technical degree with a good GPA.

Disclaimer: Yes, I am hearing this after it has gone through multiple people first, so take it for what it's worth.

 

[jai5w4]

Having been blessed with a slot as an Advanced Stander only this past July I can tell you it is pretty competitive, but not impossible. I am a political science major and at the time I applied I had in the neighborhood of a 2.6-2.7 cumulative gpa. However, two of my best NROTC buddies were denied. One had an F the semester before he applied...so that wasn't good, but the other guy had a 2.5something and still didn't get selected. The numbers were something like 62 applied and 27 were taken, nationwide, for the summer selection board. Don't quote, that's what I remember from the morning my XO called me at home to give me the good news.

Point is that it can be done. Don't forget to actively participate in the battalion as well. It is a lot about grades, but I know if I wouldn't have been as active as I was/am in the battalion I wouldn't have had as strong an overall package as I did. Good luck and study hard. Make a name for yourself in the battalion, don't just sit back.

jai5w4