Should I even bother applying to the Navy NCP?

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I recently learned of this program and have become interested but I am not sure if applying would be a waste of time. My GPA isn't that great, 3.5. But I heard other aspects are important too. I've been volunteering as a Big Sister, volunteering at the humane society and volunteering in my local hospital the past 6 months. I was going to be in ROTC. I did the Army Leadership Training Program last summer but was unable to accept the scholarships(just bad timing). I am thinking of applying for NCP the next year which I think starts in September or October. Should I give it a shot? The application process takes a lot of time and I don't want to do it without even having a chance.

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Hi Melonie,

I'm a senior in nursing school, and I was accepted into the Navy NCP in May 2013. The NCP is very competitive, but I think you might as well give it a shot. A 3.5 isn't great, but it isn't bad either. Since you're thinking of applying next Sept./Oct., you could probably raise your GPA a little bit if you worked really hard for the next year. With your volunteer experience and your experience with ROTC, I think you could be competitive enough. They look at a lot of things in the application process. Your GPA is really important, your resume (which would include your volunteer experience) is also very important, and the interview is major. (I think the interview is probably the most important piece - the GPA will get your foot in the door, but I think the interview is what gets you accepted.) They'll ask you why you want to be a nurse and why you want to join, what your perception of military life is, etc. Although your stats are kind of on the fence, I think that if you really rocked the interview, you might be able to make it in.

Your next step is to find a Navy healthcare recruiter. He/she will be able to give you a much more accurate assessment of what your chances are. (And they will be honest with you. At my first meeting with my recruiter, he flat out told me that the application process "wouldn't be worthwhile." A few months later, he ended up calling me back, and we started my application.)

Edit: Before you start the application process, you should really analyze how badly you want this. The application is awful. It takes forever. It will stress you out more than anything else for months and months. You have to want this really, really bad for it to be worthwhile.

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Hi Melonie,

I'm a senior in nursing school, and I was accepted into the Navy NCP in May 2013. The NCP is very competitive, but I think you might as well give it a shot. A 3.5 isn't great, but it isn't bad either. Since you're thinking of applying next Sept./Oct., you could probably raise your GPA a little bit if you worked really hard for the next year. With your volunteer experience and your experience with ROTC, I think you could be competitive enough. They look at a lot of things in the application process. Your GPA is really important, your resume (which would include your volunteer experience) is also very important, and the interview is major. (I think the interview is probably the most important piece - the GPA will get your foot in the door, but I think the interview is what gets you accepted.) They'll ask you why you want to be a nurse and why you want to join, what your perception of military life is, etc. Although your stats are kind of on the fence, I think that if you really rocked the interview, you might be able to make it in.

Your next step is to find a Navy healthcare recruiter. He/she will be able to give you a much more accurate assessment of what your chances are. (And they will be honest with you. At my first meeting with my recruiter, he flat out told me that the application process "wouldn't be worthwhile." A few months later, he ended up calling me back, and we started my application.)

Edit: Before you start the application process, you should really analyze how badly you want this. The application is awful. It takes forever. It will stress you out more than anything else for months and months. You have to want this really, really bad for it to be worthwhile.

I actually wouldn't even mention ROTC unless you finished the program. I don't know what made you unable to accept a scholarship or at least just contract but I would look at it as a red flag if I saw someone started ROTC but didn't finish. Focus on your other attributes because in reality unless you do 4 years of ROTC it really doesn't mean much for your development considering the bulk of the program is in the last 2 years.

What is the Army Leaders Training Program? I have heard of LTC (Leadership Training Course) but not this.

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I actually wouldn't even mention ROTC unless you finished the program. I don't know what made you unable to accept a scholarship or at least just contract but I would look at it as a red flag if I saw someone started ROTC but didn't finish. Focus on your other attributes because in reality unless you do 4 years of ROTC it really doesn't mean much for your development considering the bulk of the program is in the last 2 years.

What is the Army Leaders Training Program? I have heard of LTC (Leadership Training Course) but not this.

Thanks for the advice from both of you.

Dranger, I meant 'course' not 'program.' Sorry for confusion.

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And the reason I didn't sign on for Army ROTC is because of timing and mostly I decided that the Army was not for me and that the Navy is what I really want. I tried convincing myself that the Army would be a good choice too but in the end couldn't sign the deal because I knew that meant giving up Navy. My university or any near me don't offer Navy ROTC.

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I actually wouldn't even mention ROTC unless you finished the program. I don't know what made you unable to accept a scholarship or at least just contract but I would look at it as a red flag if I saw someone started ROTC but didn't finish. Focus on your other attributes because in reality unless you do 4 years of ROTC it really doesn't mean much for your development considering the bulk of the program is in the last 2 years.

What is the Army Leaders Training Program? I have heard of LTC (Leadership Training Course) but not this.

I disagree that it's a red flag, Dranger. I think that mentioning her prior experience in ROTC shows that she is seriously interested in joining the military and has looked at all the options available to her. I spent a tiny bit of time in my school's ROTC program. In my interviews for the NCP, I was very upfront about my experiences. I told them that I quit because I wanted more time to focus on my studies in nursing and because I didn't like that with Army ROTC, many nursing students (students from any major, really) will invest a huge amount of time and be left jobless upon graduation. The people who interviewed me and who evaluated my application did not hold this against me at all. Honestly, my interviewers had a bit of a recruiting mindset, so they used my experiences as an excuse to tout the benefits of the NCP (not that I needed any convincing, lol).

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.

If you really want it, you'll apply -- even if it's not a for-sure thing. Sometimes putting forth the effort in the face of uncertainty is what it takes to prove your mettle. :)

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I disagree that it's a red flag, Dranger. I think that mentioning her prior experience in ROTC shows that she is seriously interested in joining the military and has looked at all the options available to her. I spent a tiny bit of time in my school's ROTC program. In my interviews for the NCP, I was very upfront about my experiences. I told them that I quit because I wanted more time to focus on my studies in nursing and because I didn't like that with Army ROTC, many nursing students (students from any major, really) will invest a huge amount of time and be left jobless upon graduation. The people who interviewed me and who evaluated my application did not hold this against me at all. Honestly, my interviewers had a bit of a recruiting mindset, so they used my experiences as an excuse to tout the benefits of the NCP (not that I needed any convincing, lol).

To each their own, I was a ROTC recruiter and that is how my Major and I evaluated packets. Nursing is nursing in my opinion which is why I really don't understand the strong preference for one branch over the over even when the Army is clearly the better choice in terms of furthering education, number of slots and promotions :yeah:. I had the options for Navy or AF and I chose Army haha.

Ummm how exactly are you left jobless upon graduation? Every nurse I met who went through Army ROTC got on AD with 6 months (or was given an interim Army job till they went to their basic course) and went to the Army nurse orientation program right after. REALLLLLY confused don't that one and I do not want lurkers here getting the wrong info. That time invested into ROTC will make you a better officer and if you pass your classes/LDAC you will commission and not be "jobless"....Even for the non nursing majors everyone I knew over the course of 5 years who wanted active duty got it.

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.
That time invested into ROTC will make you a better officer and if you pass your classes/LDAC you will commission and not be "jobless"....Even for the non nursing majors everyone I knew over the course of 5 years who wanted active duty got it.

ROTC doesn't currently guarantee AD commission due to numbers. Many ROTC grads are only being offered Reserve slots.

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Specializes in Field Medical Trauma.

This question I have may be a little off topic but what happens after if you don't make the GPA in order to keep the NCP scholarship? I already know from talking with my health care recruiter that if your accepted into the NCP and you don't maintain a 3.0 GPA your dropped from the scholarship. You have to pay back all that money you were given during the course of your scholarship.

The question Im trying to get at is after your dropped from the scholarship and pay them back can you still get a commission into the Navy as a Nurse Corps Officer? If I pay my own way through school after being dropped from the NCP will they still accept a direct commission?

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ROTC doesn't currently guarantee AD commission due to numbers. Many ROTC grads are only being offered Reserve slots.

I know this, but it was a very small number as per my nurse counselor (~20-25) and many cadets chose reserves like me which bumped the number up. If you did halfway decent in nursing school and didn't totally fail ROTC you were good to go. I knew some pretty bad nursing cadets (military wise) who did OK in nursing school and got AD with their first or second duty station choice.

For anyone reading please do not let that deter you from AROTC to hear that some people were forced reserves, if you are average across the board you will get AD and that's the same for non-nursing cadets as well.

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.

I know this, but it was a very small number as per my nurse counselor (~20-25) and many cadets chose reserves like me which bumped the number up. If you did halfway decent in nursing school and didn't totally fail ROTC you were good to go. I knew some pretty bad nursing cadets (military wise) who did OK in nursing school and got AD with their first or second duty station choice.

For anyone reading please do not let that deter you from AROTC to hear that some people were forced reserves, if you are average across the board you will get AD and that's the same for non-nursing cadets as well.

Thanks for the info and clarification!

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