Sacrifice college choice a little for NROTC?

[OdeToArsenal47]

Ah, I was considering either Comp Sci or Info. Tech myself. Which isn't bad I guess, because Intel would be my 3rd choice behind NFO and SWO.

One final question, I'm assuming you take a physical and they weigh you and all that jazz. I'm really close, under 10 pounds. I'm 6'1''. I started out at a whopping 245, I'm down to 210. I'm under 20% BF and I could score really well on the PRT. I'm running 10 miles a week and eating like a rabbit so I'm sure that I'll get there eventually. But do they BF test if you come up a pound or two short? I'm a nervous wreck about this and want everything to go down without any screw ups because I only have one chance.

 

[EM1]

No...wrong....see here for discussion....http://www.airwarriors.com/forum/showthread.php?t=140039&highlight=degree

My BS in Health Promotion is only one example. I do the same job just as well as the EE degreed guy next to me.

Except that now NROTC requires that 85% be tech majors.......so sure you can try for psych, but you may not get the scholarship.

 

[Thisguy]

Except that now NROTC requires that 85% be tech majors.......so sure you can try for psych, but you may not get the scholarship.

Concur. They're not bashful about saying "We'll scratch your back after you scratch our balls by majoring in something technical"

https://www.nrotc.navy.mil/scholarship_criteria.aspx

 

[Will_T]

Ode, even if you don't get the scholarship (which I didn't), dont limit yourself to a school that you can afford out of pocket. Big schools will give great financial aid, especially with alll your ECs and if your SATs and grades are good. I'm going to BU in the fall, and got $25k off the top right away in grants, that's only half, but still, add on federal loans, scholarships, etcetera, and I'm only paying 5k for the first semester.
As for the parents thing, I understand what your going through. at first my dad said that I was going to "get blown up by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan". That was just overa year ago when I pitched him the idea. He's a lot better about it now, even supportive. Your parents will come around to it if you stay serious about it and don't back down. I know the funding things sucks, but you seems to have some serious scholarship coming your way too. Figure whats good for you and you only.
And as for ROTC, apply, you can drop it before the first day of your sophmore year and not incur any debt with the navy. I have seen it on the nrotc website, but if I were you, I would look it up for yourself. Also, college program is a great way to introduce yourself to nrotc without incurring any debt. That said, go for the scholarship, if you have any questions about the process, PM me, I just went through the whole deal and can help you out.
All the best.

 

[SynixMan]

Ah, I was considering either Comp Sci or Info. Tech myself. Which isn't bad I guess, because Intel would be my 3rd choice behind NFO and SWO.

One final question, I'm assuming you take a physical and they weigh you and all that jazz. I'm really close, under 10 pounds. I'm 6'1''. I started out at a whopping 245, I'm down to 210. I'm under 20% BF and I could score really well on the PRT. I'm running 10 miles a week and eating like a rabbit so I'm sure that I'll get there eventually. But do they BF test if you come up a pound or two short? I'm a nervous wreck about this and want everything to go down without any screw ups because I only have one chance.

I was in the same boat. Do your best to be under the weight limit for your height. Makes everything easier. They'll rope and choke you if they have to, but best is to just not go there.

 

[helolumpy]

No...wrong....see here for discussion....http://www.airwarriors.com/forum/showthread.php?t=140039&highlight=degree

My BS in Health Promotion is only one example. I do the same job just as well as the EE degreed guy next to me.

Just read a research paper on Navy education and saw a couple of interesting tid-bids to add to FlyBoyd's comment:
1) There was ZERO difference in performance, specifically FITREP difference, between Academy and Non-Academy (did not differentiate between OCS and ROTC) during a command tour.
2) There was ZERO corollation between success of an officer as compared to college degree. So, engineers did not fare better than PolySci majors during a 20 year career.

The only time that having an engineering degree SEEMED to benefit a Naval Officer was two cases (NOTE: no quantifiable data for this, it was all annecdotal):
1) During your DivO tour when you tend to be more involved in the day to day repair/maintenance of machinery; you have a better understanding of what's going on.
2) Boys and girls who end up doing a CHENG tour for either Surface or Nuke.

Other than those two caveats, there is no quantifiable difference for officers that go to the Academy as compared to those that don't, and there was not major that provided a more successful career path than any other major.

Finally I will close with this thought, none of the present Combatant Commanders nor CJCS or VCJCS have a Tier 1 (Engineering/Science) undergrad degree.

 

[EM1]

I'm sure the Navy has bean couters that have proven that for some reason it's beneficial to have more technical majors (maybe just for their ability to transfer, adapt, learn quickly, or stick it out through really tough training as needed). I honestly don't know. Fact is though, that somewhere along the line someone REALLY high up in the Navy is starting to push hard for a more JOs to be technical majors. That's just the way it is. Gone are the days of NROTC units with 85%+ psych and history majors.

The irony in this push is that those in charge of it probably do not have technical degrees themselves

Another thing to consider is that though there are many Admirals with history majors and the like, many are also academy grads. Every degree (even history) from the USNA is classified as a BS because of the " technical content of the core curriculum".

 

[helolumpy]

I'm sure the Navy has bean couters that have proven that for some reason it's beneficial to have more technical majors (maybe just for their ability to transfer, adapt, learn quickly, or stick it out through really tough training as needed). I honestly don't know. Fact is though, that somewhere along the line someone REALLY high up in the Navy is starting to push hard for a more JOs to be technical majors. That's just the way it is. Gone are the days of NROTC units with 85%+ psych and history majors.

The irony in this push is that those in charge of it probably do not have technical degrees themselves

Another thing to consider is that though there are many Admirals with history majors and the like, many are also academy grads. Every degree (even history) from the USNA is classified as a BS because of the " technical content of the core curriculum".

It has nothing to do with bean counters, the BS requiremetns started with ADM Rickover and his push to have every commissioned officer 'nuke elligible'. He wanted to be able to pick the officers he wanted for subs, so he pushed through requirements that ensured that every ensign in the Navy was nuke elligble, so he could get the pick of the proverbial litter.

That was not the start of the Navy's fascination with technical degrees but it's where today's standards have come from, hence English majors at the Academy need to take Physics.

That technical fascination is part of the Navy's culture. Since navies 'fight their ship' as opposed to the land services where the man (infantry) is the center piece, the Navy has determined that a science major will be better suited for the high tech environment that is today's warships. Regardless of studies that have proven contrary to that belief, the Navy deep down believes that a Engineer major will be better equipped to fight a ship vice a Humanities major.

 

[Flash]

......technical majors (maybe just for their ability to transfer, adapt, learn quickly, or stick it out through really tough training as needed).......

Shockingly enough, those traits aren't limited to technical degrees.

 

[EM1]

I never said those traits were limited to technical degrees

English majors at NROTC units have to take physics and calculus too, they just dont get BSs out of it.

My main point is that like it or not, the navy is pushing harder for technical degrees. It's just the way it is. As someone else stated above, they dont hesitate to say "we'll scratch your back if you scratch our balls and get the technical degree".

 

[Flash]

I never said those traits were limited to technical degrees

Certainly implied it.

English majors at NROTC units have to take physics and calculus too, they just dont get BSs out of it.

No they don't, I am an NROTC graduate and never took physics and only took the most basic calculus. NROTC scholarship students have to take those courses. Details.

My main point is that like it or not, the navy is pushing harder for technical degrees. It's just the way it is. As someone else stated above, they dont hesitate to say "we'll scratch your back if you scratch our balls and get the technical degree".

Okay, thought that was already established.

 

[craftingraptor]

questions..

Just read a research paper on Navy education and saw a couple of interesting tid-bids to add to FlyBoyd's comment:
1) There was ZERO difference in performance, specifically FITREP difference, between Academy and Non-Academy (did not differentiate between OCS and ROTC) during a command tour.
2) There was ZERO corollation between success of an officer as compared to college degree. So, engineers did not fare better than PolySci majors during a 20 year career.

The only time that having an engineering degree SEEMED to benefit a Naval Officer was two cases (NOTE: no quantifiable data for this, it was all annecdotal):
1) During your DivO tour when you tend to be more involved in the day to day repair/maintenance of machinery; you have a better understanding of what's going on.
2) Boys and girls who end up doing a CHENG tour for either Surface or Nuke.

Other than those two caveats, there is no quantifiable difference for officers that go to the Academy as compared to those that don't, and there was not major that provided a more successful career path than any other major.

Finally I will close with this thought, none of the present Combatant Commanders nor CJCS or VCJCS have a Tier 1 (Engineering/Science) undergrad degree.

Can you post a link to that study? Thanks!

 

[TrunkMonkey]

Back to the original topic, when you mention being 15K in debt after graduation for living expenses. I was too - I got a loan for 5K a semester from my bank to pay bills, and worked for additional money to spend. It worked out just fine in that my bills did get paid, and once I was commissioned, paying off that loan was extremely do-able. I know everyone says it is best to be "debt free", but once you are an O-1, 15K will not crush you and will get paid off in a few years.