<p>Also Cuse is correct. I would really look at UNCCH and UVA for Army, mainly because they have great dets, but they are also in the top 5 nationally ranked public universities. This will help if he dives.</p>
<p>Again, we are taking leaps that your child will qualify. Also, remember just because he will apply for a scholarship, typically 85% of 4 yrs are given to engineering/science field. The political science field gets a very small amount, thus it is highly competitive.</p>
<p>bulletand pima, It used to be that Army and Marines could major in whatever they wanted. Has that changed? At S’s joint commissioning ceremony (all branches), I noticed lots of different (non-sci) degrees like Eng. Lit., Spanish Education, Criminology,etc.
Of course these grads. had been in sch. for four years so the policy could have changed over that period.
S (Navy)did not have an engineering type major but I guess if he were going in now if would be different.</p>
<p>Wow…</p>
<p>Thank you so much for all this wonderful insight. This is why I am so crazy about CC parents forum. It humbles me to know that so many strangers are willing and eager to spend their time educating clueless parents like myself.</p>
<p>If I don’t individually thank you, please understand that I really appreciate all of your input and will consider every point very carefully.</p>
<p>I am very pleasantly surprised by the plethora of ROTC related input, that was not even the main point of my original question.</p>
<p>I realize that there are lot of ROTC parents who are willing to provide input, but when I go to the service academy parents discussion site on CC, which also includes ROTC, the foot traffic is VERY LIGHT and I don’t get many replies. I think most parents just hang out on the parents forum. I am planning to start a mega thread (like “class of 2013 parents”, “parents of HS class of 2010” - those thread that run on an on going basis, rather than for a particular subject matter interest). I hope many of you occasionally check and provide input.</p>
<p>Pack.</p>
<p>Our DS is AF, thus, I cannot answer that. AF wants technical, i.e. engineering/computers. Only 5% according to the AF is given to non-engineering degrees. For AFROTC you must declare a major, but not a school. You can take it to any school on their national list. If you state you are going engineering and then get there and try to transfer over to a non-engineering, from what I have been told you must go through an approval process. Also, their system allows you in certain situations to take a 4 yr IS full ride, or convert to a 3 yr OOS full tuition, plus books and stipend.</p>
<p>hyeonjilee,</p>
<p>The foot traffic on SA parents for CC will be very little, because it is for parnets of Service Academies, not ROTC, that is why I suggest going to [United</a> States of America Service Academy Forums - Powered by vBulletin](<a href=“http://www.serviceacademyforums.com%5DUnited”>http://www.serviceacademyforums.com). On that site there is a ROTC thread, plus as I have stated before your child will have to go through a DODMERB physical. If you know of any medical issues, including allergies, and he truly desires this route, get on the site ask MullenLE under Dodmerb. Please understand he is dealing with people right now that have been disqualified and getting them back on track. Trust me, allergies is probably the number 1 issue for dq, vision is second, it is fixable, but it is best to know now to be ahead of the game.</p>
<p>The ROTC scholarship process is not as easy as you might think, you have to have the DODMERB, PFA and the MALO interview/rec before meeting a board. Additionally, there are set dates for the boards. You can have the file completed in July, but you will not go up for a scholarship until Sept. The PFA must be administered by somebody that meets their criteria…i.e. gym teacher, coach, ROTC instructor or MALO. Hard to get done during the summer when school is closed.</p>
<p>If your child has ROTC at his hs, and is not in ROTC, have him meet with the ROTC commander and ask for guidance and the MALO contact. GC can also give info on who the MALO/ALO/BGO is for the school. Then have him contact via phone or email that person, to review his resume as it currently stands. Finally remember that scholarships for ROTC are on a national level, and 99.99% of all SA candidates will apply for the scholarship as plan B, on top of kids like your son who wants not an SA education, but a ROTC/college education. There is limited funding. Most SA candidates will have their ROTC scholarship apps in early too. </p>
<p>Not trying to be johnny rain cloud, just giving you a glimpse of what the path will be next yr as someone who walked it.</p>
<p>JAM is truly the person you want to pm about the process since your DS wants Army. SHe is the fountain of wealth for Army.</p>
<p>Finally, I would post on the specific colleges that your DS is interested in and ask about ROTC. You will get a better feel of not only the school, but the dets. at those schools. Also, I think every det has a web page, so you can get a feeling there too.</p>
<p>^^^Yes, S’s det. at his school has a web page with info for current students and visitors.
There are pictures of various PT challenges/exercises and also fr. the yearly military ball and senior night dining in along with a pic. of entire det. in their dress uniforms…pretty cool.
There is midshipman produced newsletter fr. last Spring too.
They are a pretty active group.</p>
<p>Don’t know if all schools do this but if they do, it can give you a good picture of life in ROTC at that sch.
Note: There is not a link on S’s college webpage for any branch of ROTC. You have to do a search for it to make it come up. Other schools might be the same.</p>
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<p>The absence of a democratic structure doesn’t prevent liberals from joining, and I don’t see how the military lifestyle is any more incompatible with a liberal outlook than it is with a conservative outlook. The views of your peers may be limiting, but the actual structure is different from civilian American life regardless of your political views. Not only liberals protest when they don’t like things (and the election of Obama and subsequent proliferation of town hall meetings shows that clearly).</p>
<p>I live in NYC and my fiance is stationed at McGuire AFB in NJ. There are plenty of liberal and moderate members on the base there, particularly amongst the younger crowd.</p>
<p>I didn’t say there are a lot, I didn’t say it’s even and I didn’t even say it’s accepted - my fiance was at Sheppard AFB (North Texas) during the election and he said the depression on the base when Obama was elected was palpable, and he didn’t feel comfortable telling people he’d voted for Obama.</p>
<p>I simply made the statement that there ARE liberal and moderate members of the military, and by extension, it’s completely possible for a student to thrive in an ROTC unit at a more liberal campus - and in the military at large.</p>
<p>OP, good luck with your son and his endeavor. Also, I second the getting involved with JROTC even if he’s not technically in the class. I started spending a LOT of time with the JROTC unit at my high school, particularly with the commander, when I was competing for the scholarship.</p>
<p>For Army and NROTC-MC there is no preference for major.
A student who wins an Army ROTC scholarship may major in anything they want. The Army doesn’t care. At. All.
Those who are in NROTC-MC (Marine Corps ROTC) may major in anything they want. The Marine Corps doesn’t care. At. All.
Also - for either Army or NROTC-MC there are no other required courses other than the military science courses.</p>
<p>When your son makes college visits - even if just a tour in the summer, he should feel free to contact the ROTC department. These guys just love to talk and a informal meeting can help a lot with questions, the application etc.</p>
<p>
Aw shucks, PIMA.</p>
<p>VIRGINIA TECH – VIRGINIA TECH – VIRGINIA TECH – VIRGINIA TECH </p>
<p>I must admit that I haven’t taken the time to read this whole thread, as ROTC has never been my cup o tea. HOWEVER, I attended Virginia Tech, and can’t imagine a better ROTC experience than what is provided at Tech. (Texas A&M is supposed to be similar, but I’ve never been there).</p>
<p>ROTC is a very big component of life at Va Tech. Unlike some of the other colleges I’ve been around, the ROTCs live their military life 24/7. They wear their uniforms virtually any time they are out of the dorm, not just one or two days a week. They actively drill, march, and do whatever else they do. (Like I said, not much ROTC-ness in me).</p>
<p>I just can’t imagine anyone who is dyed-in-the-wool ROTC choosing any other school than Tech. Hope your son finds the best fit for him.</p>
<p>Actually, Navy changed the rules for this school year - for Navy and Marine Option. This was in a press release from last year at the NAVY site:</p>
<p>[NROTC</a> Returns Focus to Engineering, Math, Science Majors](<a href=“http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=38185]NROTC”>http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=38185)</p>
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<p>My son told me about this policy change last year, and it will impact those that are seeking ROTC but aren’t tech/math/science.</p>
<p>^
I don’t think that applies to those who are selected for the NROTC-MC scholarship. Not positive though.
Even though they are under the Navy they make their own rules.
The Navy wants and needs technical majors, but the MC doesn’t. confusing though.</p>
<p>Also effective next year - NROTC scholarship winners will have a five (5) year commitment to serve to payback their 4 year scholarship. This only affects Navy (not Marine Corps) and is only applicable to 4 year scholarship winners.
All other 4 year ROTC scholarship winners still have a 4 year commitment for their scholarship.</p>
<p>Also, the services all offer Nurse ROTC scholarships which are selected from their own pool. Those who apply for a Navy NROTC scholarship aren’t subject to a technical degree or technical courses (Calc and Physics). They also have their own training in the summer that is Nurse related.</p>
<p>Here is the link for the list of majors the NAVY wants.<br>
<a href=“Naval Education and Training Command - NETC”>Naval Education and Training Command - NETC;
<p>It is a good question about Marine Corps option. Will have to look into that part of the NAVY site to learn more about any changes to their program.</p>
<p>Juliett, congrats on your impending marriage. Bullet and I were married at McGuire 21 yrs ago. We have never been stationed there since they never had his air frame. Just was born and raised in NJ, so it was ideal for our wedding.</p>
<p>As I stated I agree there are LIBERALS, but as you stated that even your fiance was quiet about who he voted for, it is not common.</p>
<p>When I married Bullet I was a big time DEM, as yrs passed, children were born, PCS’s occurred, houses were bought and sold, deployments grew longer, out of pocket travel expenses increased, while benefits were taken away, I moved away from the dems. I saw that the party I believed in was hurting my family, financially and emotionally. I still feel that way. Dems criticize the DOD budget while enlisted members pay with food stamps and sign housing waivers for lead paint. Dems want to kill hardware budgets, but place soldiers on the firing line. </p>
<p>I respect your belief, just trying to explain how the younger crowd who makes the military a career might change over the course of yrs. Also, NJ and NYC are not purple states, they are blue as it comes, only CA and WA beat them. I would be on the other side of the fence for anyone that said Pope and Raleigh…they are red. </p>
<p>Is it possible for them to survive at a liberal college? Of course, but at 18 they should be honored for giving the next 9 yrs at least to our country, instead of being requested by profs to defend. Columbia and Berkeley are colleges that do not fit into the honor, instead they are a part of the latter. Their not even in a community that supports the military.</p>
<p>18 yr olds are young and impressionable, they should not have to walk into the lions den to defend an honorable act.</p>
<p>JAM,</p>
<p>No AW Shucks, you are the go to ARMY woman/mom, and it is important that anyone who has a child questioning the army contact you.</p>
<p>LGM. Interesting to see that the NAVY has now taken the AF route. AFROTC has had that in place for at least 2-3 yrs. I am going to make an assumption, since Marines are a small component of Navy and they fight to get it through ROTC, you need to be that top of the top for the NROTC</p>
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<p>I think if I said that conservatives officers would fit right in because they are unquestioning drone who would follow the boss anywhere due to their fears about damage to their careers, I’d be rightly called out on that.</p>
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<p>My husband is a Marine and I have yet to meet the Marine who will remain quiet simply because they are in the minority on a issue. Perhaps that is why I know Marines of all political stripes. And an officer who will not risk their career for their Marines should not be an officer in the first place. I believe that to be true of all the services. </p>
<p>Although really most Marines are pretty quite about their politics. Ive not known any except my H tell me who they dontated money to or voted for. They have to serve the Commander in Chief. Remember Colin Powell staying an Indepdent until he was retired? That attitude persists in the MC.</p>
<p>However, I think juliett really nail it on the age thing. Look at gays in the military, the senior officers still think it’s horrible, mid level officers are neutral and the youngest officers don’t understand what the big deal is because their siblings, frat brothers and so on are already out. </p>
<p>juliett, I feel for your boyfriend being on an AF base in Texas on election night!</p>
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<p>I agree with that. I’ve known many Republicans who left the party after eight years of GWB’s inept handling of the war and his inability to walk the talk on military funding.</p>
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<p>How many officers do you know that graduated from Berkeley? I know several and they would take great offense at your characterization of their alma mater. </p>
<p>Your insistance that Berkely is a “lions den” for ROTC members is ridiculous. I hope that no one is discouraged based on your inability to comprehend that it’s not only conservatives who are patriotic and support the military.</p>
<p>Regarding the service commitment for NROTC and NROTC-MC scholarships -
here is a copy/paste from the memo from the Navy:
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<p>As a Cal alum who had a NROTC roommate (very conservative politically) back in the 80’s, I can tell you that it takes a different breed to deal with the climate there. That being said, I can tell you that the NROTC bunch was a fairly tight knit group that for the most part didn’t need the social acceptance of the bigger community around them.</p>
<p>I don’t think he or the other NROTC unit members sought to enter the “Lions Den”, as he did not seek out political debate (but was one to defend his positions when challenged). He was there looking for the best education (he was an engineering major) he could get while getting ready to commission.</p>
<p>I do think though if you go to these types of school and have a conservative political bent, you do need a thicker skin than most regardless of whether or not you are ROTC.</p>
<p>goaliedad - that is just the point. Many ROTC students at so called Liberal schools aren’t conservative at all. It is possible to be a Democrat and even a liberal and serve honorably as either an officer or enlisted in the US Military.
Pima’s experiences are her own - the US AF has gotten quite a reputation over the past couple of decades for promoting “Christian Conservative” values and many have gotten into trouble for it. (i.e. ruined careers)
I am generally not into stereotyping but the Army and Navy seem to be more “tolerant” than the Air Force, of those with more liberal view points.</p>
<p>Many, many kids are just growing into who they are at the age of 18. Very few are well versed, just because of their age, on the nuances of American Politics. Most either borrow their own parents politics or rebel against their parents. They will learn, grow and mature through out college and their young adult hood and many times their view points will change.
Furthermore - it’s not necessary to have an interest in politics at all, or a particular political leaning to serve your country. </p>
<p>Kids should go where they will fit in and get a good education. Believe me if the Navy or Army didn’t want kids from Berkeley or Harvard to serve as officers they would not provide the opportunity for that through ROTC there.
Finally, the services must believe that an Ivy League education is a good one or they would not send so many top officers to Ivy League schools for grad schools.</p>
<p>Virginia Tech and Texas A&M are the obvious choices. Both of them have a corps of cadets in addition to the regular civilian population so he can be ROTC and live the life.</p>
<p>Virginia Tech and Texas A&M are good choices for some but I wouldn’t call them “obvious” choices. They are senior military colleges within a civilian setting. While there are benefits - they may not fit the needs of every ROTC student. Remember too - you can join the Corps of Cadets at these schools and choose not to make the military your career. Many members of the Corps of Cadets are not on ROTC scholarship and seek civilian careers after graduation.</p>