Why starting EARLY matters so much

In today’s post, we are talking about the importance of starting this process early.

I know it sounds cliche when someone says “when you prepare ahead of time - good things will happen.”

It’s a cliche for a reason. Because it’s true.

Early preparation is one of the core tenets of ServeWell Academy’s mission, and I want to spend some time discussing why this is the case.

For most teenagers, getting ahead of the curve is not always a big priority, so I’ll have my work cut out for me if I want to convince most of you to change your ways.

That’s okay, I’m always up for a challenge.

MEET THE DEADLINES

The ROTC and service academy process is very timeline-driven, so it doesn’t take much to miss an important deadline. By starting well ahead of time, you are less likely to miss one. You will automatically build some slack into the system in case you need it.

SEND A STRONG SIGNAL

The optics are great. Right or wrong, selection boards assume that people who are done early are on the ball, motivated, and anxious to do well. This is a great group to be associated with.

FEWER APPLICANTS

In the early rounds, there are fewer applicants in the competitive pool. Not many students can get their act together in time to get their applications in early. This may work to your advantage.

ROLLING ADMISSIONS

Remember, many ROTC and service academy applications are reviewed and approved on a rolling basis.

Translation: if you’re on an early selection board and considered a standout candidate, you may be selected right away. This isn’t the case with every selection board, but many of them. They like to lock-in their best candidates as early as possible.

SPECIAL DEALS

This is one that I have personal experience with. Before my twin sons applied for Navy ROTC scholarships, I knew a lot about the process. For years, I had helped many students get into every ROTC program in all the branches. However, as we’ll see, I didn’t know everything.

My sons submitted their Navy ROTC applications at the end of August (which is early). Within two weeks, they were informed by their ROTC representative that they had been awarded ISR Scholarships (ISR = Immediate Scholarship Reservation).

I had never heard of this award before, but I liked what I heard. The twins were told that there were only two such immediate scholarships given per year for our entire region (west coast of the US) and that they had won the two scholarships.

Apparently, their applications were so strong that they did not even have to be sent to the selection board - at all. They bypassed the whole selection process and were immediately offered scholarships on the spot.

Obviously, they, and we, were very excited about this.

One reason that this is important is because it allows you to state on your college application (even an early action application which is due on Nov 1) that you have “already won an ROTC scholarship”.

This is very valuable.

When most students apply to college, they may make reference to the fact that they are interested in ROTC, but few actually have a scholarship in hand when they apply. Actually having a scholarship in hand can give you a lot of leverage. After all, with this scholarship, at least for the Navy, the federal government pays your full tuition to the college.

Translation: the college knows that you are now a full tuition payer if you get in. The colleges like this very much, because it means they are getting paid.

In my sons’ cases, this was $70K a year X 2 students X 4 years = a guaranteed $560,000 for Yale.

If you don’t have an ROTC scholarship by the time the selection board reviews your application, they would, presumably, be less excited about your application because they don’t know whether or not you will ultimately receive the scholarship.

Once again, we want to make it as easy for the admissions officer as possible. By getting the scholarship early, you have made their decision a lot easier. It’s easier for them to pitch you to their teams.

FRESH EYES

When you apply early, you get in front of admissions officers when they are fresh. In the beginning of the reading season, admissions officers are eager to get started. They can’t wait to sit down and see what the new admissions cycle has brought them. They pay a lot of attention to the first few hundred applications because they are just warming up. 

However, when it’s the dead of winter, and they have read thousands of applications, many of which sound very similar to one another, it’s difficult to get them enthused.

They are burned out and bogged down.

You don’t want your application to come up when a reader is in that frame of mind. You want them when they are fresh.

LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION

Applying early means that you are asking your teachers for recommendations well ahead of any other students.

This is an advantage.

The teachers have more time to devote to your specific needs. When they are overwhelmed with tons of letters of recommendation to write, it’s hard to expect them to take as much time on your request.

HIGHER ACCEPTANCE RATES

In many traditional colleges, the admit rate of students who apply early is typically higher than the admit rate for the students who apply in the regular decision round. There are particular reasons why this is the case, but the fact remains that the admit numbers are better in the early rounds.

RECRUITED ATHLETES

For recruited athletes, applying early to service academies often leads to receiving an LOA or its equivalent. An LOA (or letter of assurance) is a service academy’s way of letting you know that you have been “conditionally” accepted.

It’s not a 100% guarantee (which is nerve-wracking), but it is as close as you will get.

You still have to hold up your end of the bargain which means continuing to perform well in school, staying healthy, staying out of trouble, and maintaining your athletic abilities.

If you have an LOA, you can then make some hard decisions about where you want to attend college. Many athletes with LOAs will verbally commit to their service academy and then tell the other schools that were interested in them that they’ve made their decision.

Either way, it’s always better to have options.

I hope I’ve convinced you that there are some significant advantages to applying early for ROTC scholarships, to service academies, and to traditional colleges if they have an early admissions option.

However, I would be remiss if I didn’t offer one big caveat.

I do not suggest that you rush your application just because you want to make an early deadline.

In order to reap the benefits of the early application bump, your application needs to be 100% ready for prime time. It needs to be flawless, and you have to be a competitive candidate.

If you are not a competitive candidate, applying early will not make you more competitive. It just so happens that most of the students who are organized enough to apply early also happen to have stellar records.

Caution: Don’t try to beat the system and think that an early application will necessarily raise your odds if you don’t have the goods to back it up.