What's the benefit of ROTC versus just graduating from college and becoming an officer?

[Anonymous]

I know literally nothing about the military, so I apologize for such naive questions. One of our son's best friends is an affluent boy in ROTC, thus, not motivated by the monthly stipend (?) or any scholarship benefit (which I doubt he needs or even gets). I know he's in position to become an officer (?) after college and he was away at some ROTC military camp all this summer.

They're both college seniors. It's my understanding my son could simply enlist after earning his bachelor's in the spring and he'd also be an officer? Or would the ROTC pal enlist at a higher rank and/or avoid so many months of training my son would have to do first?

[Anonymous]

Does your son want to be in the military?

[Anonymous]

It allowed me to attend a very expensive out-of-state university tuition free and gave me my first real job after college.

[Anonymous]

You don't "enlist" as an officer. Do your own research.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You don't "enlist" as an officer. Do your own research.

They are literally trying to do that. Why are you such a prick?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You don't "enlist" as an officer. Do your own research.

You know exactly what he means. Don’t be such a jerk!

The point of this site is to help other parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It allowed me to attend a very expensive out-of-state university tuition free and gave me my first real job after college.

I understand tuition scholarship, which I'm not even sure his ROTC friend received. I guess I'm trying to understand a 22 year-old's post-bachelor's track as an ROTC alum (?) vs no ROTC. So sticking with the example, my son and his affluent ROTC friend. If my son wants to enlist after college, how would his path be different from the ROTC friend? Like what was the benefit of the training my son's friend completed over the last 3 to 4 years, and especially the ROTC summer program?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You don't "enlist" as an officer. Do your own research.

Bless your heart. I'm on a DMV parenting forum doing research.

[Anonymous]

If you don't do ROTC and you don't attend one of the military academies, when you graduate college, you have to attend Officer Training School. Takes more time. ROTC... as soon as you graduate, you have a job. Then you either remain for required number of years, or you stay in for full career.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know literally nothing about the military, so I apologize for such naive questions. One of our son's best friends is an affluent boy in ROTC, thus, not motivated by the monthly stipend (?) or any scholarship benefit (which I doubt he needs or even gets). I know he's in position to become an officer (?) after college and he was away at some ROTC military camp all this summer.

They're both college seniors. It's my understanding my son could simply enlist after earning his bachelor's in the spring and he'd also be an officer? Or would the ROTC pal enlist at a higher rank and/or avoid so many months of training my son would have to do first?

Do you know what the friend wants to do long term? If it is something like become an FBI agent or doing something in the Foreign Service, it may be an easier path to get there.
Or if he has longer term political aspirations it can be a way to check the military service box . I am not sure if it is easier to get into the USU from ROTC vs civilian - I am sure someone here can comment in the case that the person wants to be a Dr.

Families and kids do things that sometimes you do not know about. Maybe the kids senior year in high school they made some choices that drove the parents to take serious actions and say they were not paying for school - who knows. Maybe there was a relative he had a special relationship with who was in the Armed Forces .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you don't do ROTC and you don't attend one of the military academies, when you graduate college, you have to attend Officer Training School. Takes more time. ROTC... as soon as you graduate, you have a job. Then you either remain for required number of years, or you stay in for full career.

+1

ROTC skips OTS. That's really the biggest difference, assuming that paying for college isn't a motivation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you don't do ROTC and you don't attend one of the military academies, when you graduate college, you have to attend Officer Training School. Takes more time. ROTC... as soon as you graduate, you have a job. Then you either remain for required number of years, or you stay in for full career.

+1

ROTC skips OTS. That's really the biggest difference, assuming that paying for college isn't a motivation.

Thank you both.

Google says Officer Training School is 9 to 17 weeks. Are you paid for OTS? How do some take 1/2 the time (9 weeks) vs. 17?

Does this mean the ROTC friend is merely 9 to 17 weeks "ahead" of my son after college -- or are there other things I'm missing?

Is everything the ROTC friend did from freshman year to senior year akin to the OTS -- or was this past summer, the ROTC summer program essentially the OTS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know literally nothing about the military, so I apologize for such naive questions. One of our son's best friends is an affluent boy in ROTC, thus, not motivated by the monthly stipend (?) or any scholarship benefit (which I doubt he needs or even gets). I know he's in position to become an officer (?) after college and he was away at some ROTC military camp all this summer.

They're both college seniors. It's my understanding my son could simply enlist after earning his bachelor's in the spring and he'd also be an officer? Or would the ROTC pal enlist at a higher rank and/or avoid so many months of training my son would have to do first?

Do you know what the friend wants to do long term? If it is something like become an FBI agent or doing something in the Foreign Service, it may be an easier path to get there.
Or if he has longer term political aspirations it can be a way to check the military service box . I am not sure if it is easier to get into the USU from ROTC vs civilian - I am sure someone here can comment in the case that the person wants to be a Dr.

Families and kids do things that sometimes you do not know about. Maybe the kids senior year in high school they made some choices that drove the parents to take serious actions and say they were not paying for school - who knows. Maybe there was a relative he had a special relationship with who was in the Armed Forces .

Friend wants to get into politics and/or military contracting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you don't do ROTC and you don't attend one of the military academies, when you graduate college, you have to attend Officer Training School. Takes more time. ROTC... as soon as you graduate, you have a job. Then you either remain for required number of years, or you stay in for full career.

+1

ROTC skips OTS. That's really the biggest difference, assuming that paying for college isn't a motivation.

Thank you both.

Google says Officer Training School is 9 to 17 weeks. Are you paid for OTS? How do some take 1/2 the time (9 weeks) vs. 17?

Does this mean the ROTC friend is merely 9 to 17 weeks "ahead" of my son after college -- or are there other things I'm missing?

Is everything the ROTC friend did from freshman year to senior year akin to the OTS -- or was this past summer, the ROTC summer program essentially the OTS?

After graduating from ROTC or an Academy, each service has a certain amount of billets they have to fill. For example, navy has pilot, nfo, submariner, or surface for the most part. ROTC and Academy grads get the first pick on billets and duty stations, OTC gets the rest. ROTC training is much more in depth than OTC training. OTC grads play a bit of catch up when first joining the fleet, but everything quickly evens out. I have a friend that went through OTC in order to get the GI Bill money for grad school. Everyone has their own reasons.

[Anonymous]

ROTC allows you to graduate as an officer. Whether you get a regular or reserve slot largely depends on your performance.

If you want to be an officer without going through an ROTC program, you’ll apply for an OCS (officer candidate school) slot.

The biggest benefit to college ROTC is the possibility of scholarship money. My oldest didn’t pay a dime for college. The Army paid for his masters as well. He is working on his PhD. He teaches military science (ROTC) at a large university. He is also in the National Guard.