AROTC to Navy OCS

DS was denied NROTC scholarship and the longer we wait to hear from USNA the more remote an appointment becomes. Today he met with a Navy recruiter who told him that if he attended a school that did not have a NROTC unit he could participate in AROTC as a non-contracted cadet (?) and then upon graduation apply for Navy OCS. Anyone heard of this? Seems kind of bass ackwards to me, any wisdom out there?

Seems plausible

While I doubt there is any specific program. From talking with Cadets it seems like you can do AROTC for the first two years with no obligation. Therefore, your son could go to a school with AROTC and participate in it if he chooses. This may or may not help him when he goes up for the OCS board.

Currently, I'm pursuing PLC through the Marine Corps, which is a great program. Many of my fellow candidates have participated in, or are participating in Army ROTC.

I hope this helps.

nofodad said:

DS was denied NROTC scholarship and the longer we wait to hear from USNA the more remote an appointment becomes. Today he met with a Navy recruiter who told him that if he attended a school that did not have a NROTC unit he could participate in AROTC as a non-contracted cadet (?) and then upon graduation apply for Navy OCS. Anyone heard of this? Seems kind of bass ackwards to me, any wisdom out there?

Click to expand...

Non scholarship cadets can participate in AROTC for their freshman and sophomore years, if they continue into the next two years they would become contracted and have an obligation to the Army. I'm not sure how much the first 2 years would help in being accepted into Navy OCS but it couldn't hurt. Being involved in AROTC would keep your son in shape through PT and get an understanding of the military, of course he would need to re-learn the whole rank structure for the Navy. Even if your son only did AROTC for the first 2 years most schools allow non ROTC to take the PT class which would be good for keeping in shape.

Of course there is the risk that he may come to like the Army after 2 years of AROTC, that being said by a father with 2 boys in AROTC.

cpdibari is correct regarding the PLC program if your son is interested in the Marines, if he is it is worth looking into.

Navy OCS is not a guarantee for college grads, it is competitive and he will need a good school resume, this is the case with all OCS programs right now, in 4 years nobody can tell.

Navy OCS

Thank you. I don't think this is a wise move for DS, he has a non-technical major and there is no guarantee for acceptance into OCS from college, he may have a better chance if he goes to a school with an NROTC unit and does the college programmer route and seeks a commission that way.