Okay OSA, I'm starting to think that we need a separate area for our "Advice" entries. It would be heavily populated with my entries...
I'm in the second semester of my sophomore year here at the University of Arkansas. Coming out of high school, I got $12,000 a year in scholarships from the state, as well as an AFROTC scholarship. I haven't paid a dime; in fact, the school and the Air Force have both paid me so far.
However, we're REALLY feeling budget cuts right now. I'm competing for an enrollment allocation to go to field training this summer, which is required to get a commission after 4 years. The problem is, 3000 people are competing for 1500 slots. I have a 3.4 GPA, I'm triple majoring in International Relations, Political Science, and History with minors in Russian, European Studies, and Economics. I have a 34 on the ACT and a 97 on the AFOQT (highest in my detachment). But I had a lovely meeting last week and was told by a captain that I probably won't be competitive for an EA this summer...
Apparently, with the "needs of the Air Force," they're only wanting to nominate technical majors and potential pilots for field training EAs this year. It's not 2005 anymore. As a result, I'm kind of getting thrown under the bus. If I don't get an EA this year, I have three options:
- Come back next year, try again, but not be guaranteed an EA. Compete with another 20 current freshman. Risk more budget cuts, as well as be required to convert to a 5-year graduation program.
- Drop out of AFROTC and enlist in the Air Force to pay back any scholarship money.
- Drop out and pay back any scholarship money out of pocket.
This is where it gets sticky. Clearly, the easiest solution would be for me to get an EA and not have to worry about anything. But I don't want April to come and be up ****creek if I don't get one, so I'm planning for the worst.
As it stands right now, if I don't get an EA, I'm going to quit and pay the money back. I'm estimating it would be roughly $15,000, maybe a little more. I'm not positive if there's a structured repayment or if it needs to be a lump sum, but regardless, I could afford to take out a student loan to pay it back. I would lose the scholarship by quitting, but there's an additional $7500/year in state money I qualify for if I want it.
To look at it one way, paying that money back on my own is a financial loss to me. But, if I elected to come back and try again, forcing myself to come back a 5th year, I'd have to pay for that 5th year out of pocket. My state money is good for 8 semesters.
The deal gets sweeter for me. I came in with 33 credit hours from AP tests. I could graduate a year early next year. So, theoretically, I could graduate 2 years earlier than if I came back and tried again. How much money could I make in those two years? Hopefully more than $15,000.
I've already got standing job offers from a friend's dad that is a bank VP, and from a Walmart vendor. If I quit AFROTC, I can add Mandarin Chinese to my academic load, making myself more appealing to potential employers. I'm already looking at internships with CIA and FBI, which is where I intended to go after the Air Force. And, very fortunately for me, I'm attending an event tomorrow where I should get to sit and talk with Senator Boozman for a while. He's invited me to do a summer internship before, and now I may be able to accept the offer.
If you can't tell, this is a foregone conclusion for me. I just need some older, wiser people to tell me if I'm wrong or missing something, because at the end of this I'm gonna have to convince my parents.
I'm in the second semester of my sophomore year here at the University of Arkansas. Coming out of high school, I got $12,000 a year in scholarships from the state, as well as an AFROTC scholarship. I haven't paid a dime; in fact, the school and the Air Force have both paid me so far.
However, we're REALLY feeling budget cuts right now. I'm competing for an enrollment allocation to go to field training this summer, which is required to get a commission after 4 years. The problem is, 3000 people are competing for 1500 slots. I have a 3.4 GPA, I'm triple majoring in International Relations, Political Science, and History with minors in Russian, European Studies, and Economics. I have a 34 on the ACT and a 97 on the AFOQT (highest in my detachment). But I had a lovely meeting last week and was told by a captain that I probably won't be competitive for an EA this summer...
Apparently, with the "needs of the Air Force," they're only wanting to nominate technical majors and potential pilots for field training EAs this year. It's not 2005 anymore. As a result, I'm kind of getting thrown under the bus. If I don't get an EA this year, I have three options:
- Come back next year, try again, but not be guaranteed an EA. Compete with another 20 current freshman. Risk more budget cuts, as well as be required to convert to a 5-year graduation program.
- Drop out of AFROTC and enlist in the Air Force to pay back any scholarship money.
- Drop out and pay back any scholarship money out of pocket.
This is where it gets sticky. Clearly, the easiest solution would be for me to get an EA and not have to worry about anything. But I don't want April to come and be up ****creek if I don't get one, so I'm planning for the worst.
As it stands right now, if I don't get an EA, I'm going to quit and pay the money back. I'm estimating it would be roughly $15,000, maybe a little more. I'm not positive if there's a structured repayment or if it needs to be a lump sum, but regardless, I could afford to take out a student loan to pay it back. I would lose the scholarship by quitting, but there's an additional $7500/year in state money I qualify for if I want it.
To look at it one way, paying that money back on my own is a financial loss to me. But, if I elected to come back and try again, forcing myself to come back a 5th year, I'd have to pay for that 5th year out of pocket. My state money is good for 8 semesters.
The deal gets sweeter for me. I came in with 33 credit hours from AP tests. I could graduate a year early next year. So, theoretically, I could graduate 2 years earlier than if I came back and tried again. How much money could I make in those two years? Hopefully more than $15,000.
I've already got standing job offers from a friend's dad that is a bank VP, and from a Walmart vendor. If I quit AFROTC, I can add Mandarin Chinese to my academic load, making myself more appealing to potential employers. I'm already looking at internships with CIA and FBI, which is where I intended to go after the Air Force. And, very fortunately for me, I'm attending an event tomorrow where I should get to sit and talk with Senator Boozman for a while. He's invited me to do a summer internship before, and now I may be able to accept the offer.
If you can't tell, this is a foregone conclusion for me. I just need some older, wiser people to tell me if I'm wrong or missing something, because at the end of this I'm gonna have to convince my parents.
