Nrotc + astb?

[Freddy]

So:

I've just started a degree in Aerospace engineering at Imperial College London, and am trying to transfer to the US (I'm a US citizen), to hopefully one of Purdue/Stanford/Michigan/Illinois at Urbana/Texas at Austin, which are all supposed to be top 10 in the US for Aerospace Engineering.

A big issue for me is going to be the financial aid, my brother transferred last year to Rice and got 100% need based grants, which was basically the whole tuition of $50,000 as we're not very well off, financially.

Now I may get alot of cash like my brother did, but I've read that the colleges I'm applying to don't give as much financial aid as somewhere like Rice.

I'd love to do NRotc, and I also want to become a navy aviator.

A couple days ago I met a transfer student here, who got into BDCP/ASTB and is now a student naval aviator.


So as far as I've read, the BDCP route to navy aviator is an alternative to NRotc.

According to the guy I was speaking to, It may also increase my chances in becoming a navy aviator, as for a certain year there was 20 slots given to the BDCP/ASTB folk, where as there was 150 given to NRotc folk however there was a great deal more of NRotc folk than BDCP/ASTB. Enough as to outweigh 20/150 bias in favour of one going through the BDCP/ASTB route.


However the BDCP process took him several months. Also, in order to be eligible for it I will need to be in the 2nd year of college. Which means this route isn't available to me at the moment.

I'd rather do BDCP as it guarantees me a pilot slot early on.


So is there anyway that I could join NRotc, and change to BDCP, or also guarantee myself a pilot slot?

 

[Thisguy]

So is there anyway that I could join NRotc, and change to BDCP, or also guarantee myself a pilot slot?

In short, no. What you're asking is if you can get a scholarship, then ditch it once you're eligible for BDCP.

What state are you a resident of? Here are some things to consider:

NROTC (if you get a scholarship) will pick up the tuition whether it's in-state or out-of-state, and you'll be on your own for room and board.

If you can manage to suck it up and take some loans for a couple years and get selected to BDCP the benefit is two fold: You'll get pay for the remainder of college, and since you're technically active duty, you're eligible for in-state tuition.

I think your numbers for NROTC vs. BDCP are off, and you can't over think it like that. Yes, in NROTC, if you don't select pilot, you'll go another route. But consider if you don't select for BDCP, you're not in a commissioning program at all.

 

[60flyer]

If you can manage to suck it up and take some loans for a couple years and get selected to BDCP the benefit is two fold: You'll get pay for the remainder of college, and since you're technically active duty, you're eligible for in-state tuition.

Not quite true. I went to an out of state public college and was denied in state tuition after joining BDCP. The reason they gave me was because I had started going to the college prior to being active duty so therefore my "orders" didn't send me to this state - I was already here.

It may be a state by state thing or school by school thing. My recruiter told me I would get in-state tuition and maybe at other schools it has happened. But not at the good ole University of Iowa. So if that's a deal breaker - and if money is a big concern, it very well may be...ask the school prior. Don't always trust the recruiter

 

[Thisguy]

Not quite true. I went to an out of state public college and was denied in state tuition after joining BDCP. The reason they gave me was because I had started going to the college prior to being active duty so therefore my "orders" didn't send me to this state - I was already here.

It may be a state by state thing or school by school thing. My recruiter told me I would get in-state tuition and maybe at other schools it has happened. But not at the good ole University of Iowa. So if that's a deal breaker - and if money is a big concern, it very well may be...ask the school prior. Don't always trust the recruiter

That sucks. One of my friends was going to NC State (he's from NC) and when he got picked up BDCP, he transferred to Michigan and got in-state tuition for being active duty. Michigan was cool with it even though the Navy wasn't behind the transfer. Most states generally hook up active duty, but I could see them rationalizing it that way. I know the UC schools in CA really suck about it. You only rate in-state tuition if you're "Stationed for purposes other than education"

Concur with 60flyer, make sure the Bursar is good with it.

 

[MIDNJAC]

Take what your friend said with a grain of salt. He is not a Student Naval Aviator, he has just been selected for the program, and hasn't even gotten his foot in the door of OCS yet, let alone flight school. You will hear lots of professional gossip (what we here call "gouge"), and much of it ends up being BS. What I'm getting at, is that his comments about BDCP giving you a better chance at Pilot is just not really rooted in truth. Put together a good package in either program, and you have a good shot. It boils down to what you want to do for your commissioning program. What program will be more likely to let you succeed? I can't answer that for you, but I will say that NROTC was great for myself and most of my friends, and everyone I know who made it through NROTC who wanted pilot got it (in my timeframe). It is so time specific that you really can't game it either way. Look into the programs that are available to you, and make an educated decision. That said, BDCP is a great program if you can make it happen.....but I would much rather have had it the way I did, and not have to stare down the barrel of OCS than do BDCP and get all of its perks. Just some thoughts, and good luck!

 

[60flyer]

but I would much rather have had it the way I did, and not have to stare down the barrel of OCS than do BDCP and get all of its perks

Stare down the barrel of OCS, huh You make it sound so daunting...