USNA vs.NROTC vs.USCGA

[navyfan]

Is there someone who might offer me some advice I can offer our son?

He has been awarded a NROTC scholarship and has visited the school he picked, met some folks at the unit and heard from others via email. Just a super group of people all around. He seems real comfortable there. He is waiting to hear from USNA. He attended USNA's Summer Seminar and loved the experience. We know 3 or 4 USNA grads and they all tell him that USNA is great but that NROTC grads in the fleet have all the same opportunities. Some of them feel like the hassles at USNA were worth it and others tell him to go the NROTC route. To make matters even more confusing--he got into USCGA early decision and has heard mostly good things about that place. We know the missions are different between Navy and Coast Guard, but can anyone supply us with some good questions or information that might help him make a big decision. I appreciate your time, and I'm happy to find a forum that is filled with people who are anxious to be helpful to each other. Thanks

 

[Ludwick]

Hope this will be of help. Our son, applied for USNA as well as USCGA. He was told he had low Hemoglobin, so he did not enter either of these. However he did receive a NROTC scholorship. to which he told and was quite happy with. He told us that several people had transferred into his unit at the Unversity of South Carolina, fom both,USNA and USCGA. He said they seemed to think NROTC was beeter choice since it was not as much hassles. He is now a Helicopter Pilot. He does not feel he missed anything. I don;t know if this will help or not. But is is nice that your son has such a great choice. Glad to know he wants to serve his country. Trust he will do well in college.

 

[rquanski]

I don't know if this helps. My son is in his last year at USNA and was selected for Navy air. He loved the academy experience even with a really difficult plebe year where he was always in trouble but the NROTC route produces great officers and pilots also. He told me the officers from NROTC don't spend as much time studying the professional knowledge the USNA mids are required to have but they have college experiences the academy kids miss out on also. The comraderie there is incredible. I don't know about the Coast Guard Academy.

 

[Birdog8585]

If your son wants to become a Pilot or NFO, the NAVY selects its SNA's from the USNA 1st, NROTC 2nd and then all of what is left goes to OCS applicants (someone correct me if im wrong about the latter). The USNA is top notch. The best of the best come out of the Academy, and if your son is determined to be a part of the NAVY then the USNA is the way to go. The difference with NROTC is that you are in a normal college atmosphere. NROTC is just as good as the Academy as far as becoming an officer its just a different atmosphere. I am currently a MIDN in NROTC and I find it to be just as elite as what I hear the USNA is like. The point is if he has an opportunity to get into the Academy - GO FOR IT! If not, its not that big of a deal he will prosper in either one way or another if its in his heart. Sounds like you have a son to be proud of. Im glad to hear you're supporting him.

Good luck to you and your son.

 

[Birdog8585]

If you would like some more info about NROTC, feel free to IM me or e-mail me.

 

[snizo]

College decisions are never easy -- especially when you are considering great institutions like the academies. I am currently a Midshipman in NROTC at Georgia Tech and work for one of the school's admissions programs -- hopefully these are some things you can consider to help you out.

Both NROTC and the USNA have some great benefits. NROTC students obviously enjoy a smaller time commitment, but USNA students are often considered to have more experience to prepare them for the fleet because of their 24/7 training atmosphere. Participants in either program aren't necessarily at a disadvantage though - NROTC supplies more officers to the Navy than the USNA does, so obviously our training is more than sufficient to start us out.

Service selection isn't necessarily better at one training command than another, either. The USNA is sometimes considered to produce the 'best of the best' as Austin said, but that doesn't mean they get whatever service area they want. Each year a certain number of aviation positions are allotted for USNA grads, and a certain number are allotted for ROTC grads -- and it isn't something heavily weighted towards USNA students. I spent some time with a squadron on my last summer training exercise, and a significantly larger proportion of the officers there were NROTC not USNA. Additionally, in the last service selection round, all 6 of the Midshipmen from our unit who were graduating and wanted aviation got it.

My personal recommendation would be for him to choose the school that has the best environment and academic program for his interests – not necessarily just deciding based on what will help him get aviation or become the CNO. Some people want the social atmosphere of the USNA ... some want the atmosphere of a regular college. The key to success in any program depends somewhat on how hard you work and how much effort you are willing to put in to it. If your heart isn't really in to the atmosphere of a university (vs. the academy), then you might have made the wrong decision and that decision didn’t really help you in the long run.

Both programs can produce equally successful officers. Good luck to him! Whatever he chooses will surely be the right choice for him. If you have any questions about the NROTC program, feel free to ask!

 

[NozeMan]

I am also currently an NROTC Midshipman. When I was in high school going through the same process, I was torn between attending the Academy and going the NROTC route. I found out in September of my senior year that I could sign for the NROTC scholarship early, I could not have made a better decision. I absolutely love NROTC, and we still get commissioned the same as the academy guys. In response to Austin's post, I dont think that USNA has first dibs on the Aviation pipeline. However, the first flight slots DO go to the USNA and NROTC mids. OCS is designed to commission officers to fill the remaining spots. I HIGHLY recommend the NROTC route. The lifestyle is great, I deal with less hassles, and get to be (for the most part) a normal college student. Good luck to your son.

 

[pennst8]

All three programs are a great opportunity. I’ve got friends at USNA and in a few different NROTC units around the country. I knew a kid from my high school that went the USCG route and he was pretty happy with that decision too.

I chose the NROTC route because I never had the desire to go 24/7 at the academy and I wasn’t sure that I was going to stay with the Navy so going to the school of my choice was a good option for me.

Turns out I love it and I think NROTC really provides the best balance… you get to be a college student just like everyone else for most of your time but you still end up getting a commission at the end of your four years. Along the way you get a ton of great training, get to work with amazing people, and do some really cool stuff over part of your summer vacation.

Don’t get the impression that there are no hassles along the way in ROTC; we have out share of annoyances but in the grand scheme of things they’re minor.

From what I understand there’s no difference between the two commissioning sources once they pin bars on your collar so its really up to your son to decide what he wants his college experience to be like. Nearly everyone out of my graduating class who went either to an ROTC program or one of the academies is happy with their decision.

 

[navyfan]

Thanks for the great info. so far. The big concern we have (as parents)--and that's IF he gets into USNA--is, it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and if he opts for NROTC, will he always regret not going to USNA (or USCGA for that matter)? The NROTC recruiters, who contacted him after he got back from Summer Seminar, really stressed the "try it for a year and see," approach. He respects USNA so much that he would NEVER take a slot and not stay--which is our fear--he would stay even if he was miserable for four years. That's the appeal of NROTC, the give it a try deal, with the caveat of possibly missing the BIG OPPORTUNITY. After he passed his DODMERB physical in the fall, the USCGA folks contacted him, looked at his records and gave him early admission. The appeal there is: different mission (parents' view = safer), smaller school, and domestic deployments. So, we're in the same boat (sorry) as other parents. We can't (and don't want to) make the decision for him, but we want to help him if we can. Thanks again.

 

[Birdog8585]

I commend you on having those concerns as his parents, I can relate, my parents are the same way. As far as him regreting not going the USNA if he decides to go the NROTC route, I dont think it will happen. Maybie initailly but not after he settles in. In my previous post I implied that I wished I could have gone to the USNA (dont get me wrong it would have been nice) but I am here to tell you that I am very happy being in NROTC. Reiterating what the MIDN who have recently posted said, you get the balence of a college and military atmosphere where as at the USNA it is all buisness. Its nice to have both because you are making that transition from the more laid back college atmosphere to the military atmosphere every day. Sometimes its a relief and sometimes you wish some of the people on campus would get their act together. The point I am trying to make is that in my opinion NROTC is a great way to become an officer, just as good as the Academy and in some aspects, more. And like you said navyfan, if he decides that the navy is not going to be for him then he has that option to get out of it before he starts his junior year and not have any commitment or hard feelings to the NAVY. I think you should show him these posts in order to aid him in making his decision. I think that I speak for all of the MIDN that posted here in saying that we would be more than willing to help if he needs any inside gouge. I wish I knew that a thing like this existed when I was graduating high school. Good Luck!

 

[Thisguy]

Here's some food for thought:

I know you would think that Academy guys are more dedicated to the Navy and are more likely to make a career out of it, but that isn't necessarily the case. A lot of guys in our squadron seem to be bitter, and fed up with the navy...and rightfully so, they've been dealing with it since they were 18. However, for these guys who "can't wait to get out" they have no idea what corporate America has to offer, nor do they even know how to do something as simple as write a resume. All their college friends are Navy/USMC as well. One of our pilots seemed shocked when I told him that standard vacation time was ten working days a year in the civilian sector. He completely takes the 30 days of leave we get for granted, no wonder he doesn't appreciate it, the Navy's all he's ever known. My cousin went to USNA and has already decided that he's getting out.

I'm neutral to both these sources of commission, but I would say, go ROTC, if nothing else, he'll get to meet a lot of different people, and experience different things. Especially trivial things like being able to live in an apartment and learning how to cook. And let's face it, I'm sure he'll have a way better dating pool at a normal college then at USNA ;-)

Well, just my 2 cents from an OCS guy who knows plenty of people from both sources of commission.

 

[rjack14]

Whats dating? Anyways as a graduating USNA mid I would say going ROTC first isn't always a good idea. It can be a bad situation when you have experienced what you are missing out on for the next 4 yrs. At the same time there is nothing worse than someone taking a spot and leaving when there is 10 other people that wanted that slot. (Based on the 10 in 1 get in here.) But then again, if I did it all over again I would probably have gone ROTC. One major thing lacking at the academy is that these kids come out with no life skills, I was enlisted so I know about paying rent and buying food. Another thing to keep in mind is that there are higher standards for PRTs where as ROTC is fleet standards. I know people that could pass fleet standards and not USNA standards, but still got booted. Personally I think that is bs. You can also get in trouble here for some lame stuff and lose what little freedom you had. I spent 30 days stuck here 24/7 for disrespecting Janet Reno. I will agree that in the long run ROTC, USNA, and OCS officers all have the same potential. In the short run no other mids know more than us USNA guys. Course what use is knowing the weapons forward to aft on all ships when you are going to be in flight school for 2 yrs anyways?

 

[bunk22]

I've been in the Navy for 11 years now. I earned my commission through the UCLA NROTC program. What I've seen over the years is what ever extra time in military experience is gained at the Naval Acadmey, doesn't amount to much in the real Navy. It all evens out, beleive me. I believe NROTC offers balance, a civilian life with the military drills offering a very small taste of the military. Midshipman cruises will offer some insight into the real navy. Don't get me wrong, I think it's very prestigous to attend any of the military academy's and your son should be proud if he is accepted. It's just that NROTC will allow him to live more of a college life. He will have enough time to live the military way once commissioned. Just my .02. Good luck to your son and FLY NAVY!

 

[Pags]

Just to weigh in, I was accepted to the USNA and opted to go the NROTC route. I had family that had gone to USNA and loved it, but I decided that if I went to the Academy, personal stubborness would force me to complete the challenge of the program, whether or not I actually liked the lifestyle. I ended up going with the NROTC option and I loved it. With NROTC I was exposed to the Navy through summer cruises, but still experienced a "real" college experience (or as real as a engineering program can be). I was still able to select student naval aviator and was also sent to grad school by the Navy. NROTC offered me no shortage of oppurtunities and I have never felt that I made the wrong decision or that I missed out by choosing NROTC.

 

[confused_pilot]

SNA slots are spilt usna/rotc, OCS always brings up the rear