AFROTC Denied

I learned about a week ago that my application for the ROTC scholarship was denied. I sent an e-mail to The Major asking what I could do to appeal, since the most likely reason I was denied was the miserable PFA scores, but that I had shown quite a bit of improvement on the second CFA.

He answered by sending me the information from my ROTC file and asking if it seemed complete. It didn't.
It was missing my second, and much higher, SAT scores.

I rushed over to CollegeBoard to see if I had sent them. I had. On the 19th of December last year. I remember it clearly because I had to pay extra to send the damn things because it was either past the 4 free score reports limit, or past the 2 weeks I had to send them for free. I don't remember how much it cost, but it wasn't particularly cheap.

So. Mad, because while I didn't study for the tests, they weren't exactly fun to take, because I was depending more than I should have on that ROTC scholarship to help pay for college, because I want to be an Air Force officer and that's the main way to do so as well as getting a degree, because those scores were paid for and never received....!

I typed out a page begging to be reconsidered, added the SAT scores, the second CFA and a print out from CollegeBoard saying when and to whom all my scores had been sent. I faxed it to AFROTC Headquarters, and sent another copy by mail. I would have sent some more by telegraph, morse code and messenger pigeon to make sure they got them, but mainly to make a point, but those methods are all extinct.

My parents got a call yesterday from someone we will refer to as The Captain. I'm at the University of Costa Rica during the week (and I suppose they don't have my cellphone) so my father got to talk to him. He told me a bit later what he said, and as far as I can tell, this is the gist of it (remember, you can't cite 3rd hand sources, not if you want anyone to believe you, so as far as you're concerned, these are all rumors):

They got my fax, saw my scores. The Captain repeated various times that the scores were really good (well, they were, 2110) and that I possibly deserved the scholarship. A bit about needing more leadership ability (I think I mentioned in there that my school doesn't really have any clubs, and being class president of a group on 21 students doesn't really count for much re:leadership), and that he was looking at my second CFA scores and they weren't too bad. He thought I might even have a reasonable chance at being accepted by the Air Force Academy. He didn't make it clear whether they already had the scores and I was denied for a different reason, or if they had just gotten them now. Honestly, I would rather they already had the scores and decided I wasn't good enough than have lost the chance because of a bureaucratic error.

However, and here things get ugly, they can't do appeals. The budget has been used, all the money assigned to other applicants, and I could always try again next year.

Well, it was really quite nice of him to bother calling. And I sent him an e-mail to that effect.

The real problem here is whether I take out loans to pay for the first year of college at a school like Rensselaer and ask for the scholarship once I'm in. If I get the scholarship, all is nice and flowery and rainbows. If I don't, I can either cut my losses and return to Costa Rica, or go deep into debt for a nice degree.

Other solution: stay at the University of Costa Rica, change my major from Mechanical Engineering to Medicine, get a degree in medicine (either 4 years plus 1 year working at a state hospital, or 5 years and one working). Either way, I'm younger than pretty much anyone else with a medical degree in the US. Apply to various schools and scholarships using that degree as leverage and study what I want to study. That's what my parents, uncles, aunt-in-law, and neighbor are suggesting. Also, I'm kind of making this sound like I don't like medicine, but up until about 2 or 3 years ago I was completely decided to become a surgeon. I still think it would be interesting and useful to society at large, but I have other interests as well. And this route kind of takes me bit farther from the Air Force than I wanted. I suppose it would also be easier to gain entry once I have a decent degree.

There. It felt good to get that off my chest. Excuse the novelization, but this is the rest of my life we're talking about.

RPI Acceptance

Accepted at RPI. Major of Choice: Aeronautical Engineering.

They gave me some financial aid, but without the ROTC Scholarship it won't be enough. It's actually more complicated than that. I can pay the first year reasonably, and apply for AFROTC again once I'm in the first year of college. However, if I don't get it again, then I really kind of have to drop out. I could take out an incredible amount of loans and graduate with a lot of debt and start my career already God-knows-how-much-money behind.

More on ROTC on the next post.

ASU Acceptance

Accepted at ASU, Ira [something] Fulton School of Engineering. Major of choice: Aerospace Engineering (aka Astronautics).

Harvard Interview: Anticipation

I sent my Common Application to Harvard on the last possible date. I sent my SAT scores even later. Regardless, my online profile says everything has been received. Except the (voluntary) interview.

According to the website, not being able to set up an interview will not have an adverse effect on the applicant's chances. Now there's also a list of counties where international interviews are possible, and I hoped Costa Rica wasn't on it. It was. Since I suspect that not trying to set up an interview would look bad, I sent an e-mail asking who I could get in touch with. I got an answer telling me all Harvard alumni had gone on a mass migration to faraway parts of the world and that I was therefore saved. Hurray!

Actually, I got a list of names and e-mails and the interview is tomorrow.

Interviews are hard. At least I suppose they are, I only ever had one other with The Major, and a phone interview at that. See, the thing about a phone interview is that there's an escape route. If things go badly and I panic and I decide "Screw this, I'm frightened and I don't want a degree" I can slam down the phone and never face the person again. What am I supposed to do in person, make a break for the door? Wait 'til they turn their backs and try to sneak out the window? I don't think so.

What makes it all the more nerve-wracking of course, is that it's Harvard. Nearly no one is qualified for Harvard and that goes double for me.

My GPA is 3.72. My highest SAT score is 2140 (+ writing, 1410 without), high, but hardly Ivy League. And we're both going to know this and I still have to go in and convince him that they are.

Here are some depressing numbers: the most recent estimates (The Choice, New York Times College Admissions Blog) say that roughly 35,000 students applied to Harvard this year, up from 30,489 in 2010. Last year, only 7% were accepted (CollegeBoard).

Cheerful thought.

Air Force updates.

I mentioned before that I got a chance to re-take the CFA. Now the absolute final deadline for all forms is February 15th and I'm starting to feel I'm pushing my luck. O f course I have to find a Phys. Ed. teacher to apply the test and this so much harder during summer vacation (December to mid February over here). I tracked one down, however, and will be doing it this week.

There has been some measurable progress. I can do about 2 1/10 pull ups (ok, still pathetic, but it's up from 0 and I'm getting better fast). Around 35 push ups (up from 24), and a faster mile by about 30 to 45 seconds. My crunches seem to be deteriorating, but I dot hem and a hard surface and sway from one side to the other to avoid crushing my tailbone. It's about 100 times easier on a math.

As for ROTC, last time I checked (today) I was told that I was doing fine (read: send everything) and someone would be getting in touch with me for and interview.

That someone is The Major. I already did an interview with him and he told me he could do an evaluation from that. Good. Efficient system, I just expected to be assigned someone at random, really.

Financial Aid: CSS Profile

Big part of the whole college thing is paying for it. This is done mainly by filling out lots of forms asking for someone else to pay for it. In my case, this is made susbstancially easier by the fact that we can answer about 99% of the questions about income with $o.

The CSS Profile was a fairly simple form, if a bit repetitive. Also, the help codes assigned to each question often didn't actually lead to any help. This is perfectly understandable in some cases, like "Student Name" ("Please check your ID, ask your parents, or check your underwear's waistband. If you still cannot figure this out, reconsider whether you are ready for colllege."). For pretty much anything else it should be obligatory, even if it only says "You are clearly to tired. Please get some sleep or caffeine".

At the end, there are some nice (passive-aggressive) telling me where (they think) I made mistakes. "No, we don't owe any taxes", "Yes, I am sure", "$0", "ASK ME ONE MORE TIME I DARE YOU".

All submitted, I get a little worksheet telling me the CSS Profile questions, the equivalent FAFSA questions and my answers. All to make this an easier process, or at least keep my stories straight.

Drexel and ASU

At this late date (even past a lot of admissions deadlines) I still get e-mails from other universities. I still ignore most of them, like the ones is Switzerland or an average SAT score of 900, but there are a few good ones.

Of course, it's worth remembering that my sole knowledge of universities comes from TV (so brand name recognition), my father (who has been out of the US for over 20 years) and the e-mails I get. Since there's no chance of my looking up any university I've never heard of, I probably miss a bunch of good schools.

So. Drexel. Excellent engineering school, co-op program (options of 0, 1 or 3, for a degree in 4 or 5 years). Considering how hard it is now to get a job with no prior experience, (and I haven't even worked in a fast food chain, isn't that like a teenage rite of passage?), getting some experience in your chosen field before you even graduate is pretty neat. Although should everything go well, it's the Air Force for me, anyways.

As for ASU. I lived in Arizona for a short 5 years, most of elementary school. I never considered going back for the simple reason that I didn't know there was anything to go back for ("for which to go back"? My father is a stickler for grammar, he actually insists on the use of "Am't I?" in lieu of "Aren't I?"). Turns out it gets a space-grant, offers and Aerospace degree and has a well-known Honor's College. Also, my uncle lives there (in Arizona, not the Honor's College) and it would be nice to have a family member nearby when I'm moving 5 countries away.