Top School doesn't have NROTC

[Nick225]

Hello,

I'm currently in high school and am narrowing down my options for where I want to attend college this next fall. Part of my current decision process lies in the way I'd like to commission into the Navy. I applied for and unfortunately did not receive an NROTC scholarship, but I did receive an AFROTC scholarship of $18,000/yr plus stipend and book expenses; nonetheless, Navy still remains my first choice. My original plan (created a few years back) was to partake in NROTC and hopefully commission as a SNA. However, with my college search and subsequent massive amounts of research and reading this past year I am finding that OCS (and potentially BDCP, if it comes back) is quite a good option to consider.

Currently I have numerous college acceptances to choose from and am finding that my top choices do not have NROTC programs. I like the campus/programs/lifestyle of TCU (Texas Christian) and SMU (Southern Methodist) the best at the moment, but I'm hesitating to commit to either because they lack NROTC programs (though they do have AFROTC). In addition, both of these schools have offered me hefty merit scholarships. On the other hand, my options for schools with NROTC include Purdue, BU (Boston), and Embry-Riddle- Daytona. Like I said, OCS seems to be a good option at this point, as it allows me to enjoy the classic college experience, and I'd be willing to put up with the difficulty of the 3 months in Newport if it meant becoming a SNA.

In summary, what would be best? Is my current thought process logical/wise, and is it best to not base college choice on their ROTC detachments? Any past experiences would be helpful, because I'd hate to go someplace I don't like the best simply for ROTC when I can achieve the same result through OCS.

Thank you in advance.

 

[ea6bflyr]

Bottom line is that it boils down to what your priorities are...Do you want to serve in the Navy or do you want an education from a specific college that does not have a NROTC program?

You may consider OCS a good option right now, but with OCS there is always uncertainty; the OCS slots are limited and the competition is tough.

In 4 years, your priorities may change and you may not want to serve in the Navy or you may have trouble getting an OCS slot.

Sit down and write a "PROS" and "CONS" list for each college and see which school wins. Good luck!

 

[e6bflyer]

OCS admission is dicey these days. Go over to the boards and take a gander at the stats of some of the folks that are applying.
NROTC, while not a completely sure thing, is the closest thing to it. Mind you p's and q's, wear a uniform once or twice a week, and you get a free ride and a commission. AFROTC will offer you the same thing. The Air Force is fun to throw jabs at, but they are a fine service that flies some badass aircraft.
I would do as ea6b suggested and write it all down and figure out what you really want to do. You are in the very fortunate position of having a choice! There are many who would gladly trade.

 

[exNavyOffRec]

On OCS spots, historically they are right about 1/3 of total accessions, the variable as with NROTC or USNA is how many qualified applicants apply and how many overall spots there are.

Something that wasn't mentioned above is you had good enough grades to get a AFROTC scholarship but college is a different setting, great HS student =/= great college student.

AFROTC scholarship =/= being a pilot, would you be happy being some admin guy after commissioning? A guy I work with now is a prime example, he went through AFROTC many years ago, physically qualified to be a pilot, not selected for anything aviation, desk guy for many years. If you would be happy doing anything in the USAF then remember this "a bird in the hand is better than 2 in the bush"

If you are not going to be happy unless you are a pilot then take a hard look at what you really want, and think about this as well, there have been men and women who have had there eyes go bad in college to the point they were not qualified to be a pilot when they graduate.

 

[gotta_fly]

Go to BU!

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

 

[scoolbubba]

In these times and as much as it pains me to say it, I might take the bird in the hand vice the two in the bush. You've got a ride to one of a few pretty good schools. If you want to fly, I hear the Air Force is looking to get into that business.

If you want to serve, well, the AF is a path to that as well.

If you want to be in the Navy, you can roll the dice, try an IST later, or come to Whiting and learn how to fly the Navy way, then go back and let all your AF trained brethren admire your bitchin' tan. Think long and hard on this one!

 

[VTFlyer]

Risk goes both ways, ROTC doesn't guarantee aviation, OCS doesn't guarantee acceptance. You can't really rank one over the other, depends on the individual. It sounds to me you are already leaning towards OCS.

Here is my personal experience which may help you with yours. I wrestled with this same dilemma for what turned out to be years. I have always wanted to do 2 things since being a kid: graduate from Virginia Tech and become a Naval Aviator.

In 2003 fresh out of high school I did not get accepted to VT, bummer. So I enlisted in the Navy and quickly determined that while I was proud to serve my country and enjoyed my experience as an enlisted "airdale" I knew that wasn't the career path I wanted. So I worked hard for 5 years and made the most of my enlistment and in 2008 I got accepted to Virginia Tech, great excitement!!! I left the Navy in 2009 and began my college experience (which brings me to my next dilemma).

My ultimate goal here was to become an Aviator....so I had to decide, spend 3 years in the VT Corps of Cadets (not your average NROTC haha) or take my chances with OCS. I began in the VTCC and quickly decided that if I spent 3 years doing this I would incur a commitment that didn't guarantee me a pilot slot, and being the 24 year old prior guy in the Corps sucked. I knew that I would regret not getting to experience the traditional college lifestyle if I didn't get aviation. So I withdrew, and loved every minute of college as a civilian while maintaining my Navy Reserve status. Here comes 2011.....I graduate with honors, then end up being a non-select to OCS 3 times over the course of 3 years and pass the age limit. Luckily for me I got an age waiver from my previous service.

This year I had accepted the fact the age waiver expiration was closing in and this was probably my last chance.....big disappointment and thoughts of regret for choosing the OCS route. But I got accepted! It was a shock, I had already begun a civilian career with my past aviation experience and degree (always have a backup plan). Now I get to live my dream of flying in the Navy and feel that I am very lucky to be where I am today.

What I would take out of it is this: rank your priorities and follow your heart. Things always change, 4 years in college allows time for many changes in your life...good and bad (injuries, drinking charges , kids, marriage, deciding you want a civilian career). Life is always full of "what ifs," the below is one way to look into it and is my opinion, but ultimately you have to decide for yourself.

1. Do you want to be an officer in the military first and foremost? Join ROTC

2. Do you want to be a pilot first? Take flying lessons and start college at the place of your choice, stay out of trouble, and try for OCS after.

You can always transfer or join ROTC after your freshman year. But if you start with ROTC first, you better be committed to it. In closing, get a degree you would want a career in if the military doesn't work out!!!!

 

[Nick225]

To be perfectly honest, being selected for as a pilot is basically my top priority. If I am going to commit a number of years to the military I want to make sure it is doing what I've always wanted. However, I am not simply joining the military to become a pilot. I understand the you are an officer first and a pilot second, and any other order is "doing it wrong." This is why OCS is appealing to me; because I like that fact that you know what community you'll be serving in before you sign your name.
Also, I have indeed spent a good amount of time looking at the stats of those accepted into OCS recently. I anticipate doing well in college by staying motivated and hopefully doing well on the ASTB, as I am a private pilot and excel in areas of math and physics. From what I read on here, getting a slot from OCS CURRENTLY does seem quite possible. I believe the statistic I saw was 77% were accepted to be pilots through OCS (& was there not a rare board earlier this year that had %100 acceptance?) I know that no one can predict what the need for pilots will be in 4 years (especially given sequestration), though, I do believe that I could be a competitive candidate when the time comes. However, I'm not entirely certain how much risk there is and where exactly it lies.

 

[VTFlyer]

Risk goes both ways, ROTC doesn't guarantee aviation, OCS doesn't guarantee acceptance. You can't really rank one over the other, depends on the individual. It sounds to me you are already leaning towards OCS.

 

[BusyBee604]

1. Do you want to be an officer in the military first and foremost? Join ROTC

Regardless of your community assignment, it will always be "Officer first" to be successful!

2. Do you want to be a pilot first? Take flying lessons and start college at the place of your choice, stay out of trouble, and try for OCS after.

No such thing as "pilot first"... see above. If you want to be a "Pilot only", you're taking a big chance. Even once commissioned and starting flight training, there's always the possibility of attriting out of the program for a number of reasons (DOR, flight performance, medical DQ, etc.). Chances are you may have to serve out your commitment in an aviation ground billet or as an SWO.

Also, taking flying lessons (i.e. previous flight time), is generally agreed by the experienced NAs here on AW (some ex-Navy Flight Instructors), to be of little advantage for board selection OR significantly improving SNA flight performance. In addition, IT'S EXPENSIVE! The Navy flight training program is designed to take an SNO who has never been in an aircraft, and in 25p-300 hours in flight + ground training, to be a skilled (tho' inexperienced), proficient Naval Aviator aka "Nugget" It has worked quite successfully, for just over a century now!
BzB

 

[VTFlyer]

Regardless of your community assignment, it will always be "Officer first" to be successful!

No such thing as "pilot first"... see above. If you want to be a "Pilot only", you're taking a big chance. Even once commissioned and starting flight training, there's always the possibility of attriting out of the program for a number of reasons (DOR, flight performance, medical DQ, etc.). Chances are you may have to serve out your commitment in an aviation ground billet or as an SWO.

Also, taking flying lessons (i.e. previous flight time), is generally agreed by the experienced NAs here on AW (some ex-Navy Flight Instructors), to be of little advantage for board selection OR significantly improving SNA flight performance. In addition, IT'S EXPENSIVE! The Navy flight training program is designed to take an SNO who has never been in an aircraft, and in 25p-300 hours in flight + ground training, to be a skilled (tho' inexperienced), proficient Naval Aviator aka "Nugget" It has worked quite successfully, for just over a century now!
BzB

In my opinion those two basic questions appeal to the emotions to help make a difficult decision a little easier.

1. If you choose officer first, you have already decided the military is what you want and ROTC shouldn't seem to be such a gamble.

2. If you choose pilot first, maybe the military just seems like an exciting way to become a pilot and you are not committed to being an officer yet. Thus you should explore your options before committing to any program.

I agree completely with all of your points, those "risks" Nick225 was concerned about don't stop once you get accepted, you not officially a pilot until you get those wings. These questions are meant to approach the big picture, not "pilot first in the military," but pilot first in general. If flying is something that you think would be cool or fun, try it first! Even if you only have 10 hours, that's enough to figure out whether you want to be in a cockpit or not without breaking the bank. While being a private pilot may not drastically increase you chances of being selected or being successful in the program, taking even a few flight lessons will tell yourself a lot about whether or not you want to be up there!

 

[scoolbubba]

My ultimate goal here was to become an Aviator....so I had to decide, spend 3 years in the VT Corps of Cadets (not your average NROTC haha) or take my chances with OCS. I began in the VTCC and quickly decided that if I spent 3 years doing this I would incur a commitment that didn't guarantee me a pilot slot, and being the 24 year old prior guy in the Corps sucked. I knew that I would regret not getting to experience the traditional college lifestyle if I didn't get aviation. So I withdrew, the smartest decision ever made in the history of Virginia Tech, the Corpse of Cadets, and my life.

Fixed it for you. As a corpse of cadets graduate, I can bash my alma mater and it's stupid watered down bullshit factory all day long and twice on sundays. Tech is an awesome school, but I won't send my future kids there as long the corps is still around.

 

[jmcquate]

There's always the Marines.

 

[exNavyOffRec]

To be perfectly honest, being selected for as a pilot is basically my top priority. If I am going to commit a number of years to the military I want to make sure it is doing what I've always wanted. However, I am not simply joining the military to become a pilot. I understand the you are an officer first and a pilot second, and any other order is "doing it wrong." This is why OCS is appealing to me; because I like that fact that you know what community you'll be serving in before you sign your name.
Also, I have indeed spent a good amount of time looking at the stats of those accepted into OCS recently. I anticipate doing well in college by staying motivated and hopefully doing well on the ASTB, as I am a private pilot and excel in areas of math and physics. From what I read on here, getting a slot from OCS CURRENTLY does seem quite possible. I believe the statistic I saw was 77% were accepted to be pilots through OCS (& was there not a rare board earlier this year that had %100 acceptance?) I know that no one can predict what the need for pilots will be in 4 years (especially given sequestration), though, I do believe that I could be a competitive candidate when the time comes. However, I'm not entirely certain how much risk there is and where exactly it lies.

The recent numbers are unusual, before the recent board the highest I had seen was 75% with the usual around 25-50%

 

[Nick225]

NavyOffRec, Is it possible for you to give some numbers regarding SNA selection via NROTC? Also, is there any trend that you can identify with the competitiveness of OCS; for how long have these unusually high percentages been around? I'm an analytical guy and numbers and statistics really help with the decision process.