Summer training for non scholarship mo nrotc?

pennak

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I am a bit confused. My DS is at a SMC in MO NROTC and wants a commission upon graduation. He is not on a scholarhip now but is interested in a side load scholarship. Question: I understand that scholarship mo nrotc cadets do a 4 week summer training duty and some other training every summer thereafter. Is is correct that non-scholarhip mo nrotc are not provided with summer training after freshman year? When do such mo nrotc kids get summer training? After their junior year?
 
I am a bit confused. My DS is at a SMC in MO NROTC and wants a commission upon graduation. He is not on a scholarhip now but is interested in a side load scholarship. Question: I understand that scholarship mo nrotc cadets do a 4 week summer training duty and some other training every summer thereafter. Is is correct that non-scholarhip mo nrotc are not provided with summer training after freshman year? When do such mo nrotc kids get summer training? After their junior year?

Correct. For NROTC, scholarship midshipmen (both Navy and MO) do CORTRAMID which is 4 weeks, (1 surface, 1 subs, 1 aviation, 1 Marines). All MO will go to OCS before their senior year.
 
Correct. For NROTC, scholarship midshipmen (both Navy and MO) do CORTRAMID which is 4 weeks, (1 surface, 1 subs, 1 aviation, 1 Marines). All MO will go to OCS before their senior year.

Thanks. So the big difference between scholarship kids and non-scholarship kids (apart from the money), is that the scholarship kids get a summer cruise after their freshman and sophmore years, but that non-scholarship kids accepted into the college program have to wait until after their junior year for any summer training, which, at that time consists of OCS where all MO kids go. A scholarship is thus a big deal, isn't it.
 
Thanks. So the big difference between scholarship kids and non-scholarship kids (apart from the money), is that the scholarship kids get a summer cruise after their freshman and sophmore years, but that non-scholarship kids accepted into the college program have to wait until after their junior year for any summer training, which, at that time consists of OCS where all MO kids go. A scholarship is thus a big deal, isn't it.

Yup. That's why we try to get them, right? OTOH, if you're not spending a big chunk of your summer training, then its probably easier to get some other summer job. I certainly don't think that an NROTC MO student is missing too much by missing CORTRAMID. Hopefully a side-load scholarship can be landed in sophmore year, although I suppose its less likely these days.
 
I second Kinnem's comments.

While the summer training provides good experiences they are not critical to the goal of becoming a Marine Officer. As far as I know, nearly all Marine Officer commissioning program paths converge on a single school - Officer Candidate School. (Naval Academy students are exempt and do not attend.) Successful completion of this school is the key. The summer training programs or "cruises" that Midshipmen are exposed to give them exposure to military life - a kind of peak behind the curtain. CORTRAMID after Freshman year is exactly how described above. Between Sophomore and Junior years, the MO NROTC midshipmen go to Mountain Warfare school. Both summer cruises are great experiences but are not critical to successful commissioning.

Best of luck to your son.
 
I second Kinnem's comments.

While the summer training provides good experiences they are not critical to the goal of becoming a Marine Officer. As far as I know, nearly all Marine Officer commissioning program paths converge on a single school - Officer Candidate School. (Naval Academy students are exempt and do not attend.) Successful completion of this school is the key. The summer training programs or "cruises" that Midshipmen are exposed to give them exposure to military life - a kind of peak behind the curtain. CORTRAMID after Freshman year is exactly how described above. Between Sophomore and Junior years, the MO NROTC midshipmen go to Mountain Warfare school. Both summer cruises are great experiences but are not critical to successful commissioning.

Best of luck to your son.
Thanks. He is shooting for a side load his freshman year at vmi. If he gets it is he eligible for summer cruise this summer?
 
Thanks. He is shooting for a side load his freshman year at vmi. If he gets it is he eligible for summer cruise this summer?

I expect if he gets it in time he would be eligible for summer cruise. That's just a guess though. I believe the board for sideloads meet in Nov. and April. I saw in some presentation that there are less than 100 nationwide so that would come out to about 2 per school assuming an even distribution. The recommendation of the MOI and PNS are critical from everything I read.

My son is in his first semester as well. I don't know if they would be eligible for the Nov board since they don't have a semester's final grade behind them yet.
 
I did a quick google search and found this excerpt on the Purdue NROTC website. As these programs always change, best to check with the NROTC staff at VMI.

Join the NROTC Purdue program without a scholarship as a “College Program” option. With this path you will be competing for a “Sideload Scholarship” (i.e. a 2 or 3 year NROTC scholarship) which could be awarded either at the end of either your Freshman or Sophomore year. Please be aware that the number of scholarships is limited to about 100 nationally for freshmen of the 2010-11 Academic year. Based on funding outlooks we do not anticipate this number to grow (it may contract further) for the freshmen of the upcoming 2011-12 academic year. As a result of the limited numbers of Sideload scholarships available, we recommend to remain competitive for Sideload Scholarships students possess GPAs above 3.7, physical fitness scores in the “Outstanding” range, and high military aptitude scores.
 
I did a quick google search and found this excerpt on the Purdue NROTC website. As these programs always change, best to check with the NROTC staff at VMI.

Join the NROTC Purdue program without a scholarship as a “College Program” option. With this path you will be competing for a “Sideload Scholarship” (i.e. a 2 or 3 year NROTC scholarship) which could be awarded either at the end of either your Freshman or Sophomore year. Please be aware that the number of scholarships is limited to about 100 nationally for freshmen of the 2010-11 Academic year. Based on funding outlooks we do not anticipate this number to grow (it may contract further) for the freshmen of the upcoming 2011-12 academic year. As a result of the limited numbers of Sideload scholarships available, we recommend to remain competitive for Sideload Scholarships students possess GPAs above 3.7, physical fitness scores in the “Outstanding” range, and high military aptitude scores.

Wow. Only 100 nationwide. But that's only for the navy right? Does MO have its own allocation?
 
Wow. Only 100 nationwide. But that's only for the navy right? Does MO have its own allocation?

USMCGrunt found the same web page I had found earlier. I went back to review the context and it looks like the 100 is for combined Navy and Marine scholarships. So the number available for Marines will be much smaller and will undoubtedly depend on the needs of the service.
 
USMCGrunt found the same web page I had found earlier. I went back to review the context and it looks like the 100 is for combined Navy and Marine scholarships. So the number available for Marines will be much smaller and will undoubtedly depend on the needs of the service.

Thanks. Ouch. That's tough. My DS is out of state so the tuition and fees are substantial.
 
For class of 2015 there are 70 3 year side loads available, 25 2 1/2 year and 22 2 year side loads available. This is from the production management report December 2010. It appears the Navy reevaluates the need annually and this number could be adjusted. My son is class of 2014 and trying to get one of 36 available so I feel the pain.
 
Curiosity

terp1984 said:
For class of 2015 there are 70 3 year side loads available, 25 2 1/2 year and 22 2 year side loads available.... My son is class of 2014 and trying to get one of 36 available so I feel the pain.
Am I reading this correctly, in 1 yr the 2 yr scholarships offered dropped by @35%?

36 for 14, and 22 for 15.
 
For class of 2014 there are 14 2 1/2 and 22 2 year side loads for a total of 36. For class of 2013 you were SOL as there were only 4 available but were for 2 year LREC.
 
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For class of 2015 there are 70 3 year side loads available, 25 2 1/2 year and 22 2 year side loads available. This is from the production management report December 2010. It appears the Navy reevaluates the need annually and this number could be adjusted. My son is class of 2014 and trying to get one of 36 available so I feel the pain.

Thanks Terp1984. Ouch. That's really *very* competitive. Do I understand you correctly to say that that are only 70 3 year side loads for MO and Navy Rotc nationwide?! Since there are roughly, what, 56 NROTC programs in the country, that is less than two per unit. Any idea of how they allote these scholarships to the units?
 
Thanks for the clarification terp

I was assuming that because 2 1/2 yrs places the mid as a spring semester fresh, and you stated your DS is 14, which would put him at soph, thus, the number dropped from 36 to 22 for sophs.

Hope my polish mentality didn't confuse you.

The upside as much as 13 was horrific, at least they had a board. AFROTC cancelled theirs so it was 100% SOL!

OBTW are you a true Terp...i.e. "protect this house" and that the word Fridge means more than that thing in your kitchen?

pennak said:
Since there are roughly, what, 56 NROTC programs in the country, that is less than two per unit.

I think ouch is an understatement. Needles in my eyes would be equivalent to the pain.

Pennak you stated your child is at VMI, I thought they had a thing where they are not like the traditional university with NROTC, and scholarships. Maybe it is the Citadel or another SMC I am confusing it with.
 
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From what I understand, the awards are on a national level so there are no automatics per unit. The competitive numbers I have been hearing are 3.7+GPA great PRT's, great recs and the right Tiers. I am a true Terp as in College Park and UMAB grad a quarter century ago.
 
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"Pennak you stated your child is at VMI, I thought they had a thing where they are not like the traditional university with NROTC, and scholarships. Maybe it is the Citadel or another SMC I am confusing it with."

That's true, the SMCs are not really like the traditional rotc units at regular colleges by statute. See 10 usc 211a. But, my understanding is that while otherwise qualified AROTC graduates from the SMCs are all given AD Army commissions upon the recommendation of the PMS, that does not apply to other branches, like the AF or the Navy.. I am just not sure how that works for them.
 
From what I understand, the awards are on a national level so there are no automatics per unit. The competitive numbers I have been hearing are 3.7+GPA great PRT's, great recs and the right Tiers.

Thanks for all the info on the numbers terp! Helps me to set my expectations (very low). :rolleyes: It really is good to know.
 
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