NROTC Rankings

[Flash]

While he may not, I am definitely looking for a NROTC program with a heavy Marine influence. Do you know of any NROTC programs with a heavy Marine influence?

The military college ROTC's usually have a heavier Marine influence than other ROTC's, and usually had a Marine CO too. At the Citadel we usually graduated more Marines than Navy and by the time I left we had always had a Marine CO since the unit started in the 70's, and we usually had a pretty high percentage of MECEPS and STA21 folks too. Did it make the program or the grads any better? Not necessarily, just the way it was.

 

[sickboy]

Penn State is obviously the best. If you aren't in Happy Valley, then you're just somewhere else. Really I think that if you have to ask, you're at the wrong place.

 

[WiscoMarine]

The military college ROTC's usually have a heavier Marine influence than other ROTC's

Flash has got it right. I did 5 years ROTC at Wisconsin and I went through 3 MOI's and 4 AMOI's, and the dynamic of the whole place changed every time.

In the military college's there's a little more tradition and consistency I think. Places like VMI, Citadel, and Norwich are a little more green.

Now, with that being said, do I think they produce better (or worse) Marine officers? No, that depends on the content of your character. It does help to have someone around who sets a good example, but I always felt more influenced by the MECEPs and senior MIDN around me than the actual staff. Having quality senior MIDN and MECEPs is more luck than anything.

 

[Pistol719]

but I always felt more influenced by the MECEPs and senior MIDN around me than the actual staff. Having quality senior MIDN and MECEPs is more luck than anything.

+1 and Agreed sir. to the OP, and anyone else wondering this for that matter. Ultimately you are going to learn more and be influenced more by your colleagues and classmates (i.e. MECEPs, OC's and Senior Mids). They are the ones you are going to be evolving around from a day to day basis. Pick their brains, esp the squared away MECEPS and OC's for knowledge. Most likely they will be able to share a wealth of information/direction to you

 

[a-6intruder]

I have to disagree somewhat here.

My son looked at several schools w/ NROTC programs two years ago when he was shopping around. One of the schools would be considered a Top Ten school in any of the annual academic surveys. The comment from their Recruiting Officer that year was something along the lines of "We try not to push the military stuff too much. The school is tough enough and we really focus on keeping them in and graduating. They'll figure out the military stuff during summer training and once they get to the Fleet."

My opinion - that's a BS answer and if that's the case, that school is abdicating much if its responsibility for the professional development of Naval Officers. I'm not saying the focus needs to be on Drill Team - but there needs to be some adherance to standards, instilling of core values, and mentorship.

On a perhaps not unrelated subject, that same school is struggling to keep enough students in the program or risk getting shut down.

 

[Kyoowashugi]

First off Im confused, rotc tolls are also called mids?

Did you mean tools? Yeah, we're called mids...

 

[KnightNArmor]

For what it's worth...
I saw that schools closer to Marine installations also had a larger population of MECEPs. I went to NC State. It was about a 3 hour drive to Camp Lejune and Cherry Point. We had a good MOI and AMOI. I'd venture we had about 30 MECEPs at one point during my tenure there.

I have tons of friends too that went to school so far away from a Marine installation it was scary that are great officers.

.....back to the starboard D for me....

 

[Random Task]

Villanova has had nothing but Marine CO's in the last 6+ years. I don't know why that is, but the Marine Options do get lots of leeway and love.

Just to add...that includes UPenn, Drexel & Temple

 

[NUFO06]

Norwich considered the MCEPS staff and gave them all free tuition and they made bank. But it kind of sucked as Mids because the MCEPs ran everything and treated you like recruits especially that first year. Norwich CO is always a Marine and it made a huge difference when we changed from an Infantry CO to having a Aviation CO/XO, suddenly a lot of bs stopped and the Unit became more enjoyable.

 

[navy09]

it made a huge difference when we changed from an Infantry CO to having a Aviation CO/XO, suddenly a lot of bs stopped and the Unit became more enjoyable.

Obviously, as in all communities, there's a quality spread. I had an infantry CO in ROTC. To this day, absolutely the best officer I've met. He had every Navy Mid lined up outside the MOI's office wanting to switch to USMC.

 

[CommodoreMid]

Norwich considered the MCEPS staff and gave them all free tuition and they made bank. But it kind of sucked as Mids because the MCEPs ran everything and treated you like recruits especially that first year. Norwich CO is always a Marine and it made a huge difference when we changed from an Infantry CO to having a Aviation CO/XO, suddenly a lot of bs stopped and the Unit became more enjoyable.

That pissed me off to no end while I was in ROTC too. Yes, I respected the MECEPs' experiences, and I understood that they should be given some leeway for things that the average out of high school mid shouldn't get (ie with families or something), but at the end of the day we were all officer candidates.