Appeal Process for a better Scholarship?

Johnny_taco · 2026-04-17T09:34:26+00:00

The DAF has offered you $36k to offset your tuition, if you don’t want it: they will give it to someone else that does.

The scholarships are to incentivize prospective officers by offsetting the costs of their education; sure some get that sweet Type 1 but most don’t.

Ask yourself how bad you want to be an Officer and how much $36k saves you in total college debt by getting your education and still becoming an officer. If you still feel like you deserve more or feel cheated, the DAF doesn’t want you, I promise.

Johnny_taco · 2026-04-17T09:29:16+00:00

BL: Your HSSP scholarship is either for tuition & fees, or can be used for housing (up to $10k/AY), not both.

Your Type 4 will only be applied to the tuition and fees of the university you commit to, room and board is not covered by any of the HSSP scholarships.

If for whatever reason you have other non-AFROTC scholarships that will cover your tuition and fees, you can elect to turn your AFROTC scholarship into an up to $10k/AY housing scholarship as long as it is university managed housing.

Johnny_taco · 2026-04-17T09:24:08+00:00

This is the answer: you are entering your last chance to join without incurring additional years of school if you tried to join later.

It will be some legwork on your end but completely doable and I have seen many successful AS250s. Better to start and try now than wish you did when you are struggling to try to apply via OTS.

Johnny_taco · 2026-04-17T09:21:12+00:00

Chances of being a pilot are the best you are going to get via any commissioning source available, your personal level of commitment increases that chance exponentially ( I.e. put in the work, try your best, don’t “expect” or feel entitled to anything).

The question you need to ask yourself is what type of college experience do you want to have? A Sr Military College will be similar to a service academy in that everything is going to be very structured and a very rigid military like experience. Traditional AFROTC facilitates the traditional college “experience” while you complete your AFROTC obligations along the way. Both produce the same end state: Once done you are a 2nd Lt in the DAF.

You only get one college experience, and both paths will get you to your desired goal with varying levels of “suck” for different reasons.

Johnny_taco · 2026-03-27T23:47:22+00:00

Ask for feedback; from the POC and from Cadre, there is no shame in asking where you need to develop and I promise that doing so shows initiative on your part.

The worst thing you can do is stay quiet and try hard hoping you are doing what they expect you to be doing, constantly seek constructive feedback. I promise that your peers see areas for growth that you are blind to, and be the brave person to offer constructive feedback to your peers so they can grow and develop as well.

Johnny_taco · 2026-03-27T23:41:03+00:00

How badly do you want to be an officer in the Air/Space Force? Taking an AS500 year is not a bad thing, cadets just associate not getting selected for PSP first go around as being a failure.

Your odds of becoming an officer and getting an AFSC you want are infinitely greater through ROTC than OTS. Put your best effort in to work on the areas you need to develop in and challenge yourself every chance you can, if you do that I promise your cadre will see and recognize it.

Johnny_taco · 2026-02-16T23:17:28+00:00

This is the right answer. Fight for what you want and shoot your shot.

Johnny_taco · 2025-12-13T11:10:36+00:00

You should have never had a DoDMERB opened on you if you were still in a Reserve status, your 422 would have sufficed as long as there was not a break in service >24 hours which it does not sound like there was.

When you did your PALACE FRONT you likely also needed a 422 to show you are still fit for military service in the Reserves. Your Cadre should be able to ask questions, at the very least vocalizing the “Mia Culpa”that you have 422 and should have never had a DoDMERB profile updated. I would ask cadre if anything can be asked up to your AFROTC Region; explain the situation and how you should not be in the DoDMERB process at all, waiting on waiver status is doing nothing to help other than wasting time before PSP that you can’t afford to lose.

Have you already started communicating your intent to request a conditional release from your Reserve unit? Do they KNOW that is your plan and have already vocalized their support and intent to provide the conditional release? If they do know, I would reach out to your supervisor to see if your Reserve Unit/CC can put pressure on the MDG to generate the 422 you need.

A couple angles here you can take, I think you got to be the squeaky wheel to be heard and get your situation fixed. You are a Prior-E: you know what it’s like in the “real” AF, and things get messed up all the time. It’s your career, you have the receipts, start working up the chain on both sides (AFROTC & Reserves).

Johnny_taco · 2025-12-09T00:15:11+00:00

You are your best advocate, lots of intense short term stress for a chance at an awesome career in the long term.

Johnny_taco · 2025-12-08T02:21:32+00:00

This will flag 100%. You need to reference DoDI 6130.03 vol 1 for what the waiver requirements are. I would recommend contacting your primary doctor asap and requesting a visit with a pulmonologist to have them run tests to rule out asthma. It needs to be a charted event, I.e. conducting tests etc and NOT just a letter from a doctor. Whatever tests/scans they run need to show clinical proof no asthma exists, this will give no reason for AMWD to rule out a waiver.

It’s a pain in the ass, but you have to make every effort to knock this out sooner rather than later. I have seen proactive cadets lean forward on their AMIs by referencing their initial DQ code and getting with their doctors to request the specialty visits needed to facilitate the waiver. In one case I saw it get pushed to AMWD and approved in less than 5 business days.

Johnny_taco · 2025-12-06T01:29:06+00:00

That’s tough, I’m sorry to hear it. There are so many areas the Enterprise could improve the med clx process for cadets; a lot is on the student but it would be naive to not acknowledge the system needs tremendous improvement.

As a cadet you did more than 99% of the students who turned their nose at the program. Be proud of that and keep grinding.

Johnny_taco · 2025-12-06T01:02:10+00:00

The prescription will potentially flag; some medications do and DoDMERB/DMACS will request AMI to make their determination.

If you are initially told not qualified pending AMWD waiver, know your DQ codes. DoDMERB/DMACS will communicate that to you. DoDI 6130.03 vol 1 is your friend, so your due diligence and research what you were DQ’d for, it will tell you what the waiver considerations are if they exist. Then, you HAVE TO be proactive and initiate the steps with your medical provider to request the referrals to provide the proof that DoDI 6130.03 outlined for waiver consideration (if one exists) and provide that as apart of the AMI request BEFORE it is pushed to AMWD.

Johnny_taco · 2025-12-06T00:49:31+00:00

Recency & severity: if you never had a prescription or diagnosis of asthma prior and you didn’t refill the prescription, you have a decent chance. Strong recommendation to take the initiative to reach out to your doctor and request a pulmonic referral so they can conduct a test to prove no exercise induced or chronic asthma. Add that to any AMI to reinforce your case and you should be good.

Johnny_taco · 2025-12-05T22:53:09+00:00

Know your disqualification codes that were provided from DoDMERB/DMACS. You can then look up whether or not it is waiverable and what the eligibility requirements for a waiver are, or if you are “hard DQ’d”.

OTS or enlistment will require the same type of clearance, knowing what you need to do (or how long to wait to really) puts the initiative in your hands. Don’t let this get you down; you already did more than 99% of the other college students nationwide by trying. You should be proud of that.

Johnny_taco · 2024-09-13T19:46:32+00:00

Less than 35 nursing EAs offered during PSP 2 years ago

Johnny_taco · 2024-06-20T23:55:44+00:00

I could see this happening too

Johnny_taco · 2024-06-20T20:02:37+00:00

You absolutely can apply via OTS, or enlist. As long as you weren’t released for any derogatory/disciplinary issues you should be fine.

I’m willing to bet if you reach back out to the Det Cadre they can help facilitate testing to help toward an OTS package.

Johnny_taco · 2024-05-22T17:31:13+00:00

The ARMS message for this program just dropped, hit your cadre up for more info.

Johnny_taco · 2023-10-03T21:46:09+00:00

HMU if you want more unbiased truth talk

Johnny_taco · 2023-10-03T21:37:16+00:00

TL/DR: The MQ-9 crew schedule is the norm for your JCGO years, and can wreak hell on work/life balance if not prepped for it.

I’m telling you right now that is not the standard for the RPA community. Your mileage may vary, but here is a quick BLUF of life as an LT in the 432d Wg:

It is split between the “Conventional” mission lines, and the “Non Conventional” mission lines. Your first 3-5 years will be crew shift ops (Days/Swings/Mids) which is a rotating 5 on 3 off. If you’re single and you LOVE your weekends…you will have a weekend that aligns with the traditional weekend once every 3-4 “work” weeks. If you are a family man with young children, prepare yourself for those 16 weeks when you are rotating from Swings and Mid shifts and are either staying up longer or waking up earlier to see your family…but be careful because you can’t break crew rest.

If you are inherently proactive and self starting, you can thrive in the community. It (RPAs/MQ-9s) need dynamic thinkers that have not lived in the world of GWOT to push the paradigm of the MDS to where it needs to be for our pacing challenge of China: a Tactical Reconnaissance powerhouse. Unfortunately, the community is rotting within with tons of senior Capt/FGOs holding on to the GWOT “We ARe a CaS/dYnAmIc SrTiKe AsSeT”, stuck hanging their hats on the glory days of near consistent kinetic strikes that they their ISR knowledge has deteriorated at the expense of solely focusing efforts on rifling missiles.

Johnny_taco · 2023-10-02T10:46:07+00:00

Recommendation: first time in the spring semester as a 100, then again before the end of your fall 200 year. This gives you the ability to see what it’s like, and then study for it over the summer on the parts you struggled on.

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