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

[Anonymous]

Just because the family is affluent doesn't mean he (and they) don't benefit from the lower tuition that comes with ROTC. That money can be saved for more education later, invested for a future house, for retirement....

[Anonymous]

Rotc makes college kinda miserable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just because the family is affluent doesn't mean he (and they) don't benefit from the lower tuition that comes with ROTC. That money can be saved for more education later, invested for a future house, for retirement....

This.

I don’t know how much rotc pays for today. But a friend of mine was rotc at Harvard (he did his rotc classes at mit) in the nineties and he graduated with only with eight thousand dollars in debt. He got zero financial aid other than rotc. His parents were divorced and he didn’t qualify for aid because his dad made too much money but his dad would not give him any money for college.

So college was practically free.

And you know you have a job when you graduate. He actually spent one of four years getting paid to get a graduate degree.

I’m not sure how easy or hard it is to get into OCS. ROTC you have to apply etc. it’s not automatic.

[Anonymous]

Rotc makes college kinda miserable.

Can you elaborate?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Rotc makes college kinda miserable.

Can you elaborate?

My son loved everything about ROTC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Rotc makes college kinda miserable.

Can you elaborate?

My guess is the person made the comment because of the time commitment/PT (physical training.) My DS' best friend is currently in ROTC. His friend has to get up at 6:00am a couple of mornings a week for PT. Many college students would not want to get up that early.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Rotc makes college kinda miserable.

Can you elaborate?

My guess is the person made the comment because of the time commitment/PT (physical training.) My DS' best friend is currently in ROTC. His friend has to get up at 6:00am a couple of mornings a week for PT. Many college students would not want to get up that early.

Safe bet it instills great discipline and time management. I wish I could talk my kids into it. They couldn't care less.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just because the family is affluent doesn't mean he (and they) don't benefit from the lower tuition that comes with ROTC. That money can be saved for more education later, invested for a future house, for retirement....

This.

I don’t know how much rotc pays for today. But a friend of mine was rotc at Harvard (he did his rotc classes at mit) in the nineties and he graduated with only with eight thousand dollars in debt. He got zero financial aid other than rotc. His parents were divorced and he didn’t qualify for aid because his dad made too much money but his dad would not give him any money for college.

So college was practically free.

And you know you have a job when you graduate. He actually spent one of four years getting paid to get a graduate degree.

I’m not sure how easy or hard it is to get into OCS. ROTC you have to apply etc. it’s not automatic.

+1. I had a 4-year Army ROTC scholarship to Princeton. Also had an acceptance and nomination to West Point. Parents made too much money for any need based financial aid but could not pay anywhere near full freight because I had 5 siblings. Chose Princeton over West Point because was not sure about an Army career. Finished at Princeton for a total cost of $20k (which was the cost for room and board). Did very well in ROTC and got my first choice branch upon comissioning/graduation (military intelligence) which led directly into my current career.

[Anonymous]

There was an elite college ROTC op-ed in today's Journal.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/afghanistan-withdrawal-lost-harvard-rotc-military-training-ivy-league-elites-patriotism-11632152914

[Anonymous]

Isn't there a monthly stipend all the ROTC kids, scholarship or not, receive if they do all the physical training and classwork during the school year, too? I think it's a few hundred bucks a month.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Rotc makes college kinda miserable.

Can you elaborate?

I went to college on an Army ROTC scholarship and loved it. Yes, I was up for 6am physical training three mornings a week. Ok sure it wasn’t fun many mornings if I was up late studying (or out on a Thursday night) but more often than not it was no big deal and I’d get a good work out in. And I was with my roommates and friends. We’d often eat breakfast, shower and then go back to sleep. I wouldn’t trade the experience I had. And to echo other comments I was the youngest kid and didn’t qualify for financial aid but recognized the incredible burden my parents had with a sibling starting school the same year after a gap year. I was fiercely independent and wanted to do it my own way. Also, I declined an appointment to West Point in favor of ROTC to have a more regular college experience (and my roommate/ best friend declined the Naval Academy for same reason).

[Anonymous]

Excuse my ignorance, but say you’re interested in ROTC at Princeton, do you apply directly to that ROTC program or do you apply to Princeton and if you get in then join ROTC?

[Anonymous]

If you don’t do ROTC, you have to enlist as an E-4 (and hope you earn a slot to OTS/OCS. It’s not a guarantee and a lot of people don’t want to take the chance while being an enlisted service member

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Rotc makes college kinda miserable.

Can you elaborate?

Depends on the school and the program. Some programs were pretty easy it terms of time requirements and others are more like a military college. The Citadel has ROTC and so does Georgetown. Totally different experiences.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you don’t do ROTC, you have to enlist as an E-4 (and hope you earn a slot to OTS/OCS. It’s not a guarantee and a lot of people don’t want to take the chance while being an enlisted service member

Not sure where this comes from but not accurate. You sign as an OC and you can resign at any time you want. If you pass you are an officer -- if you don't you resign.