Air Force ROTC to Army ROTC

SagenZolanski

5-Year Member
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Oct 28, 2011
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if i take AFROTC for a semester and then switch to Army ROTC the falling semester will i be pushed back to 100-level classes?

i am trying to decide which branch ROTC is best for me.
 
if i take AFROTC for a semester and then switch to Army ROTC the falling semester will i be pushed back to 100-level classes?

i am trying to decide which branch ROTC is best for me.

Army ROTC is 100 level the entire year not just one semester.
 
That is also true for AFROTC, it is not a 1 semester deal to go from 100 to 200. You must complete the entire yr as a 100 to become a 200.

It is not uncommon for AFROTC cadets to transfer to AROTC after the 200 yr and come in as an MSIII. However, if you are interested in the Army, I would suggest you talk to them now because as it has been stated on almost every thread budget constraints are impacting all branches including AROTC.
 
i spoke with 2 of my advisors 1 at my home school and 1 at the "host" school and both said i would be taking ARSC 102 so will i still have to complete ARSC 101?
 
SagenZolanski said:
i spoke with 2 of my advisors 1 at my home school and 1 at the "host" school and both said i would be taking ARSC 102 so will i still have to complete ARSC 101?

Why on green earth are you asking us this question? Seriously, you have 2 advisors for the Army regarding your particular school, and you are asking here for anecdotal advice?

JMPO, but I can't get a handle on you yet.

http://www.serviceacademyforums.com/showthread.php?t=22561
You are asking waivers for tats and SFT for AFROTC, but also talking about leaving AFROTC as a 100.
SagenZolanski said:
they told me before i compete for a spot for SFT i would have to get it removed. but if it is "excessive" and thats the only issue with it could i get a waiver for it?
SFT for AFROTC is 200, or MSII AROTC.

Stop dancing. You have a tat, correct? You believe that it may be a waiver issue for AFROTC, correct? You would go AROTC if it is an issue, correct?

Tats for every branch are the same, it is a DOD issue. Each branch grandfathered the tats, but they also hold the same regs regarding exposure and design for incoming cadets, like you as a C100 or MSI.

I hope what you now post is the bottom line, and not ***** foot around the subject.

Ask flat out...I have a tat that covers X amount of my body with this design, will they allow me to keep it or do I need to remove it?

I wish you the best of luck. You have a tat issue, please do not assume that AROTC will give you a green light.
 
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its not about a tattoo issue, the army offers a specific MOS that i want, but i want to be in the air force. I'm asking here because both of you guys said it was a full year course but my advisors told me i will take 102. the two post i put are for two completely different reasons and have nothing to with each other. I'm just trying to get answers that i can't seem to find no were, I'm not here to upset anybody
 
its not about a tattoo issue, the army offers a specific MOS that i want, but i want to be in the air force. I'm asking here because both of you guys said it was a full year course but my advisors told me i will take 102. the two post i put are for two completely different reasons and have nothing to with each other. I'm just trying to get answers that i can't seem to find no were, I'm not here to upset anybody

The Army does not offer MOS's for officers. You are branched into one of 16 branches within the Army. Within each branch you can be assigned to various details which you have no control over. Your original branch is given based on your position on the OML at the end of LDAC (Training the summer after your junior year) Unless you are in the top 10% you are not guaranteed which branch you receive, it is by the Needs of the Army. Don't switch to the Army thinking that you can select you branch, it's not how it works.

The Army has 4 levels MS1, MS2, MS3, MS4. within each year the MS classes are split MS 101 and MS 102, still the 100 level just different class titles. If you were to switch to the Army after one semester in the AFROTC the cadre may allow you to skip the first half classes, more likely they will require you to double up and take both MS 101 and 102 classes the same semester to catch up. As PIMA said you need to get this info from the AROTC cadre up front.

Nobody can even give you a guess on the tatoo issue unless you say what type of tatoo and where it is located, even then the best anyone here can do is give you an educated guess. Many of the cadets in my son's AROTC battalion have tatoos including my son, his tatoo is hidden from showing even in the PT uniform. He was able to pass his flight physical and is eligible for Aviation. With tatoos, what and where becomes the issue.
 
The Army does not offer MOS's for officers. You are branched into one of 16 branches within the Army. Within each branch you can be assigned to various details which you have no control over. Your original branch is given based on your position on the OML at the end of LDAC (Training the summer after your junior year) Unless you are in the top 10% you are not guaranteed which branch you receive, it is by the Needs of the Army. Don't switch to the Army thinking that you can select you branch, it's not how it works.

The Army has 4 levels MS1, MS2, MS3, MS4. within each year the MS classes are split MS 101 and MS 102, still the 100 level just different class titles. If you were to switch to the Army after one semester in the AFROTC the cadre may allow you to skip the first half classes, more likely they will require you to double up and take both MS 101 and 102 classes the same semester to catch up. As PIMA said you need to get this info from the AROTC cadre up front.

Nobody can even give you a guess on the tatoo issue unless you say what type of tatoo and where it is located, even then the best anyone here can do is give you an educated guess. Many of the cadets in my son's AROTC battalion have tatoos including my son, his tatoo is hidden from showing even in the PT uniform. He was able to pass his flight physical and is eligible for Aviation. With tatoos, what and where becomes the issue.


thank you that was the main point for this post about if i'd be push back to MS 101.

and its not really a tattoo issue because i am getting it removed, it was on my hand nothing offensive, sexist, or gang related. it was just a little cherry. and the other was on my left forearm and its stars that wrap around the top and bottom. i just wanted a general answer on the possibility of tattoo waivers thats why i didn't mention "what and where".
 
thank you that was the main point for this post about if i'd be push back to MS 101.

and its not really a tattoo issue because i am getting it removed, it was on my hand nothing offensive, sexist, or gang related. it was just a little cherry. and the other was on my left forearm and its stars that wrap around the top and bottom. i just wanted a general answer on the possibility of tattoo waivers thats why i didn't mention "what and where".

I can understand now about the tatoos. They are getting less likely to give waivers for tatoos that can be seen when wearing your uniform. Good idea to be safe by having them removed, that way there will be no issue.
 
The current reg is tats cannot be visible in uniform.

A small cherry on the hand on the fore arm with stars comes down to the question of it is visible in uniform.

The cherry on the hand is, the stars may not be.

I am still going to say your posts are contradictory.

SagenZolanski said:
thank you that was the main point for this post about if i'd be push back to MS 101.
and its not really a tattoo issue because i am getting it removed, it was on my hand nothing offensive, sexist, or gang related. it was just a little cherry. and the other was on my left forearm and its stars that wrap around the top and bottom. i just wanted a general answer on the possibility of tattoo waivers thats why i didn't mention "what and where".
SagenZolanski said:
the army offers a specific MOS that i want, but i want to be in the air force.

If your main post is about being pushed back as an AFROTC cadet converting over as an AROTC cadet the tat should never have been an issue. IF THE AF DOES NOT OFFER THAT MOS AND THE ARMY DOES, there would never have been a need to create a thread about SFT and waivers.

It would not be in the equation since you SFT is AF, and you would not be in AFROTC. You wouldn't ask if the AF would waive it.

Please do not think I am being harsh or riding you hard. I am saying that from your posts you are flip flopping. I get the belief you want to serve this great nation in the military, but I am also getting that the AF is saying no for the waiver of the tat and you want to find another branch.

If you truly want a specific MOC that the Army has and the AF doesn't, the tat thread you created is a non-issue. Leave AFROTC now, go into AROTC, and create a thread that is about chancing your ability for the MOS as a cadet that was AFROTC as a freshman. Flame me, but what on green earth does tats and SFT have to do with the AF not offering an MOS that the Army does?

You are new to the system, and you are not behind the power curve for AROTC. Behind would = 2.5 gpa after 1st semester.

Tats are very common for your generation, but in the military they have become taboo. 10 yrs ago you could have them anywhere on your body, now, they cannot be visible in uniform. That leads me back to
SagenZolanski said:
the other was on my left forearm and its stars that [/i]wrap around the top and bottom.[/i]

Forearm means you can't wear ss shirts, and that would be a waiver issue since it would be exposed.

Check with AROTC to see if they will waive you.

As Jcleppe stated his DS has a tat, our DD has 1(not ROTC), but both have them in places that is hidden even in PT attire. Yours is not.

I always get astounded by ROTC cadets and the tat question. Legally you cannot get a tat until you are 18 without adult consent. You are in HS as an 18 yo, this poster is a C100 (freshman). I personally cannot wrap my cranium around an ROTC cadet getting a tat prior to attending college knowing they will go ROTC in a visible location.

Lasering the tat off is more painful than having it done.

Please, someone explain the thought process.

I am not being antagonistic or rude, I am being honest. Why on earth would you tat yourself knowing the regs of the military?

Again, in VA and NC you must be 18 to do it without parental consent. That means for most as a hs student you already have your college career path done. Wasn't ROTC on your horizon as a sr in hs?

I truly mean this as a growth issue for me, so I can get "it".
 
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I am not being antagonistic or rude, I am being honest. Why on earth would you tat yourself knowing the regs of the military?

Pima, I suspect the OP had parental consent if needed, and it was at a point when serving in the military wasn't even being considered by her. But that's just my surmise. OTOH I suppose we should wait to see what she says.
 
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If you were to switch to the Army after one semester in the AFROTC the cadre may allow you to skip the first half classes, more likely they will require you to double up and take both MS 101 and 102 classes the same semester to catch up. As PIMA said you need to get this info from the AROTC cadre up front.

I strongly suspect that the 101 course would only be offered in the fall and the possibility of doubling up in the spring semester would not be possible. It should be possible to double up the next fall semester if they will allow it. I suppose they could require the OP to take all the courses in their normal sequence, in which case she would be a year behind. As you point out she really needs to pursue this with the AROTC cadre as all we have here are (intelligent?) guesses.
 
I strongly suspect that the 101 course would only be offered in the fall and the possibility of doubling up in the spring semester would not be possible. It should be possible to double up the next fall semester if they will allow it. I suppose they could require the OP to take all the courses in their normal sequence, in which case she would be a year behind. As you point out she really needs to pursue this with the AROTC cadre as all we have here are (intelligent?) guesses.

Here's what I did. I came into the program during the spring and took MS102 and the the following semester did compression MS 101 and 201. It is very common in AROTC for cadets who join late to catch up with this method.
 
I strongly suspect that the 101 course would only be offered in the fall and the possibility of doubling up in the spring semester would not be possible. It should be possible to double up the next fall semester if they will allow it. I suppose they could require the OP to take all the courses in their normal sequence, in which case she would be a year behind. As you point out she really needs to pursue this with the AROTC cadre as all we have here are (intelligent?) guesses.

Sorry, transposed the number, meant to say 101 and 201, and no, they would not require the cadet to take the courses in the normal sequence putting her a year behind. Of course the Marines might do things different.
 
Sorry, transposed the number, meant to say 101 and 201, and no, they would not require the cadet to take the courses in the normal sequence putting her a year behind. Of course the Marines might do things different.

Nah, I was just guessing because I have no idea what the sequence of topics are in AROTC. Sounds like Aglahad has it right, based on personal experience. They can double up but will have to wait until fall semester as I surmised as being the only practical way to double up.
 
actually i am 19 years old about to turn 20, well above the age of receiving the tattoo with out parental consent. as i senior in High School and the summer after (when i turned 18) no i was not considering serving in the military and that was 2 years ago. i posted the 2 different threads the first being about the tattoo wavier because i want to be in the Air Force and was going to pick another job but my tattoo would have been a issue. the second thread i post concerning switching from AFROTC to AROTC because i wasn't sure if i would've wanted to continue with the air force and have a job after college i wouldn't been happy with doing
 
Here's what I did. I came into the program during the spring and took MS102 and the the following semester did compression MS 101 and 201. It is very common in AROTC for cadets who join late to catch up with this method.

thanks thats what i wanted to know, if i would be pushed back to 101 or if i would be made to double up.
 
The AF does have ROTC cadets that come in as sophs., so it is doable.

The age question came about because the OP said candidate, which led me to believe that currently they are in HS, being 18 by Oct was where I was thrown off.

Candidate to most people typically equates to HS scholarship, not a college student, plus we were talking about 100 yr, which is college freshman. My bad for my assumption.

This is also where the confusion started for me because they were also discussing that the tat needed to be removed for SFT, yet if they had done a DoDMERB, they would know that this issue would have to be resolved prior if they were competing for a scholarship.

The timeline was confusing me.

In the end, the OP needs to decide which branch she wants because either way they will work with you if you are a competitive candidate. However, the bigger issue is that she will be out of regs with the location of the tat for every branch including the Army.

The tat reg was placed into effect yrs ago, and only granfathered those in uniform.

I do not know if the tat removal will immediately cause a DQ from DoDMERB, and if it does it is not DoDMERB that decides to waiver it, but the branch. I would say it would be wise to check with both branches to see if it requires a waiver, and the possibility of getting one.

I would also suggest that you have plenty of time right now to decide between either branch. If your college has both branches, visit the units. Talk to not only the command, but the cadets. The military is a family, but anyone in a family knows, that just because you are family, it doesn't mean you would want to hang with them 24/7 for at least 4 yrs. Each one has their own personality and mind thought.

Bullet did 2 tours as an AF officer with the Army. We had lots of fun with them, and are still in contact with many of them, but they teased us about belonging to the corporate branch, and we teased them back. Yet, once that tour was done we were happy to go back and be with the AF. It is not meant to insult the Army, it is meant to illustrate that lifestyles and missions are different.

If you spend enough time with both, the decision will be clear, one branch will sway you over another. Neither is better. Neither is worse. It is just one is better for you. Nobody here can tell you which.

As others have stated MOS for both branches will not come down until you are a sr in college. Yes, maybe the Army has an MOS you want, and the AF doesn't, but NO the Army will not guarantee that MOS. You could now get a career assignment you could have had in the AF too, but are committed to the Army.

I really wish you the best, because if I have read all of your posts correctly you are class of 14.(turning 20 yo) That yr at least for the AF is still one of the competitive yrs. which also confuses me since SFT packets will be submitted in the next few weeks. That leaves me to believe you are doing 1 of 2 things:
1. You will slow down your academic program to graduate in 15
2. You are tech major with a 5 yr academic program.

If you are neither than this question is moot since you will not have neither 100 or 200 completed which is required for SFT. Leaving you with only the final option...OCS upon graduation from college.

Caveat: Are you currently at a 4 yr college? I ask because that is also a game changer for AFROTC since AFROTC is not offered at 2 yr colleges, and for most that transfer the colleges usually require classes which are not transferable, thus, they are the ones that usually graduate in the summer or Dec. Which means right now, you do not have an academic plan at the college in place. AFROTC will require you to have it in place so they can "plan" your AF DOR.

EX: DS only needs 2 credits(not classes) for spring to grad., he could have graduated this last spring had he taken 1 extra class for his 1st 2 yrs, but because of SFT and AFSC boards it made no sense. He registers today, but prior to registering and because he is contracted, he has to take 12, and because they have exact education requirements, i.e. 4 semesters of foreign language, they reviewed his class selection Last Week to make sure every square was filled for commissioning on top of graduating.

ROTC works in tandem with you and the college to make sure you can graduate on time and take their reqs. while maintaining your gpa.

Good luck.
 
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