AROTC or USMA?

educateme

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My son received a 4 year national AROTC scholarship. Upon hearing about this, a colleague asked me whether I think her son (high school sophomore) should go for the USMA or AROTC.

Since this has never been an issue for my son, I did not have an answer.

Her son's current intention is to pursue a life time career in the Army. He is wondering whether taking the ROTC route will disadvantage him compared with his West Point cohorts. I guess to be on the safe side, he should pursue the USMA route, but based on what my colleague told me, it is also very attractive for her son to have a semi "normal" college experience.

On one hand, we hear that ROTC produces ~60% of the Army officers and Gen Powell was an ROTC officer. Yet, all the big names we hear on the news are all West Point officers.

Any input you can share with my colleague?
 
There is no loner and advantage nor disadvantge in choosingn between a Service Academy or ROTC program as an education/commissioning source:thumb:
 
What Mr. Mullen said. The Army needs officers from every source. One is not better than the other, they are different, which strengthens the Army as a whole.

The Army Chief of Staff, Gen. Casey, who is a pretty public figure, is an AROTC graduate, along with the majority of General officers. (Granted, ROTC produces more officers)
 
Though wouldn't it be possible to end up in the Guard or Reserves out of ROTC while you are guaranteed a regular Army assignment out of the USMA?
 
Though wouldn't it be possible to end up in the Guard or Reserves out of ROTC while you are guaranteed a regular Army assignment out of the USMA?

While that is true, if you are good enough to get accepted and graduate from USMA, you shouldl have no trouble getting an active slot in ROTC whatsoever.
 
Though wouldn't it be possible to end up in the Guard or Reserves out of ROTC while you are guaranteed a regular Army assignment out of the USMA?

Yes, unless you attend a Senior Military college.
It all depends on where the bar is set each year and it has been going up the past few years. For a while just about all ROTC cadets who wanted Active Duty got it - not true any longer.
If you graduate at the bottom of your class from West Point you will get Active Duty. If you graduate with a 2.0 in ROTC (civilian college) you most assuredly will NOT get Active Duty.

There also could be an advantage of USMA over ROTC in branch selection since USMA picks first.

One big advantage West Pointers get is summer training. There are tons of slots for certain military training programs - i.e. Airborne, Air Assault
While many ROTC cadets are left out because spots are limited.
Whether or not there are advantages depends on what qualifies as an advantage to you.
 
Post branch selection and commissioning, are there still advantages of USMA over ROTC due to other intangibles. For instance, most people believe that in a civilian world, a top rated college/university diploma will open more doors than that of some other, regular colleges.
 
Post branch selection and commissioning, are there still advantages of USMA over ROTC due to other intangibles. For instance, most people believe that in a civilian world, a top rated college/university diploma will open more doors than that of some other, regular colleges.

The quality of education is certainly something to consider and West Point is a great school. However, it does not offer every major. If the major you wish to study is not offered that is something to consider.

In the military world, I don't think coming from a prestigious college, in and of itself open more doors.
Colin Powell graduated from CCNY.
 
In the military world, I don't think coming from a prestigious college, in and of itself open more doors.
Colin Powell graduated from CCNY.

..CCNY, in Powell's day, was an extremely prestigious college. The Ivies' endowments had been hit hard by the Depression and did not hire then; CCNY's young crop of instructors in the thirties, given tenure and civil servants' benefits, were the academic stars of fifties and sixties.

Nonetheless, JAM knows more than I do about the military world. How many of the Ivies and Little Ivies (Amherst, Wesleyan,Williams, etc.) even have ROTC programs?
 
USMA or AROTC

Essentially, graduating from either source gives you a commission in the regular army or army reserve serving in whatever branch of the army you choose for six to eight years.

The difference - USMA gives you many more opportunities just because you have graduated from West Point. Many opportunities come with the job you are doing. Also, there is a lot more training involved at USMA with the summer training and all. USMA is also a huge honor if you are appointed.

AROTC gives you the "college experience" where you can go to a public school and be a student but also pursue the goal of being an Army Officer.

Many generals have come out of West Point such as Gen. David Petraeus, Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, Gen. Robert E. Lee, Gen. MacArthur, etc. etc.

The Chief of Staff of the Army currently, George Casey, is a four star general who graduated from Georgetown on ROTC. It all depends on what you are looking for.

Jason David
 
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