DS has a 3 yr arotc scholarship. He has decided he is not happy with army and wants to be a marine. Does he have any options? I do not want him to bail out on his scholarship if there is a way around this. Appreciate any help/suggestions.
Can you be more specific? Army has 16 Branches after commissioning through AROTC. If he is attracted to Marine Ground, then Infantry might be acceptable to him. Is it the reality, or the image, that is motivating this desire to change? Army has Special Forces, aka Green Beret, and other units that essentially do many of the things Marines do, plus some. Is he attracted to Marine Air, piloting a fighter plane? In that case, yeah, Marines would give him more of a chance at that than Army would.He has decided he is not happy with army and wants to be a marine.
DS has a 3 yr arotc scholarship. He has decided he is not happy with army and wants to be a marine. Does he have any options? I do not want him to bail out on his scholarship if there is a way around this. Appreciate any help/suggestions.
Unfortunately no, there is no easy way to transfer. Given that he is already on a 3-year scholarship, he is contracted and obligated to a commission in the Army. There is no relation between Army ROTC and any commissioning program within the Marines, including the Platoon Leaders Course, Officer Candidate Course, and MECEP. Therefore, there is no possibility to transfer between commissioning sources without, in essence, starting all over. First he will have to deal with the cadre at his school and submit his intent to withdraw from ROTC while contracted/under scholarship. You probably already know the consequences to this: payback of tuition fees covered or enlistment, either of which is decided by the Army, not him. It is a toss-up as to which one the Army will probably decide on; I would say it is more likely you will be required to reimburse than to be offered enlistment as of right now. Whatever is decided, your son's options are further limited in terms of applying for a Marine commission. His only forseeable option is the Platoon Leaders Course, a 6-week x2 summer program that is basically OCC in 2 increments. As he is already a matriculated college student, he also cannot apply for an NROTC Marine Option scholarship, as those were intended for high school seniors. His other options are to enroll as an NROTC Marine midshipman as a college programmer (basically the equivalent of a walk-on, uncontracted cadet) or to apply for Officer Candidate Course upon graduation. His chances as a college programmer (a walk-on) depend on the unit and their vacancies; in this environment, it is sure to be competitive. If he's already in his second year of college (or farther), then he has a very limited timeframe to obtain a scholarship offer. PLC, the most viable course, is also a steep obstacle, because the major selection boards for PLC 2015 are coming up in just a few days, and unless he is able to gather all the paperwork within a few weeks, the competition in later boards will be very stiff (PLC, as well as all the other Marine Corps commissioning programs, have taken a very big hit in recruiting efforts). OCC is very much the same deal.
If the scholarship is a big deal to your financials, then it is an even bigger gamble to try and disenroll. The payment and financial aid offered by PLC is measly compared to a 3-year ROTC scholarship (in fact, the financial aid is simply the Marine Corps' Tuition Assistance Program which is used by active duty members to take courses while on duty). As a college programmer, he will have to be offered a scholarship before getting contracted. Both scenarios are only possible if he is even approved for the financial assistance. The only upside is that commissioned officers who don't accept a scholarship to commission (like those who've commissioned through PLC) are eligible to full GI Bill benefits upon commission (their initial 36 month active duty obligation accrues full benefits), while ROTC scholarship acceptors must serve an additional 36 months of active duty service, beyond the service obligation of the scholarship, to accrue full benefits (essentially, their GI Bill was their scholarship, and their first 36 months is paying back the scholarship). This potential benefit is, I would say, not worth the trouble of losing a scholarship you've already obtained. Nobody here can really gauge your son's desire to switch branches, but these are all the logistical problems he will face, many of which may be too overwhelming for someone concentrating on studies. Best of luck!
Jcleppe, I have read here that a college freshman NOT in NROTC may apply to NROTC and compete against the applicant pool of HS seniors... however, I was never clear if this avenue is just for Navy Option, or if it may include Marine Option. Are you sure?If this cadet does leave AROTC he is eligible to apply for the NROTC M/O scholarship because he is not enrolled in NROTC, .
Jcleppe, I have read here that a college freshman NOT in NROTC may apply to NROTC and compete against the applicant pool of HS seniors... however, I was never clear if this avenue is just for Navy Option, or if it may include Marine Option. Are you sure?
To be honest I am not sure, I was just assuming that the NROTC and Marine Option were handled the same. I'm sure someone with better knowledge on that subject will chime in.
Students w/30 or more semester hours or 45 or more quarter hours of college credit upon application or students already enrolled in NROTC College Program are not eligible for four-year NROTC Scholarships; these students should see professors of naval science at host university's NROTC unit to discuss other scholarship opportunities.
Should we as parents call and speak to this officer about what my son is going through? QUOTE]
I really would avoid that at all costs.
But it is really up to you. You have the most insight into the situation. Remember it is only a few weeks into school. Maybe get him to hang on for a few more.
Your replies are so appreciated. Our household is in turmoil. We thought he had gotten everything he wanted...is it school/classes, homesickness, reality check? We are trying to figure this out. It is extremely hard over the phone.
We're planning on meeting him face to face and trying to work all this out.
In the meantime, I wanted to find out what options he has with regard to his 3 yr AD. Some of you are familiar with my previous posts and you are correct in the fact that he is a freshman, 17 days in, going through "something" that we are trying to figure out.
We asked him to speak to the freshman cadre (not sure about the terminology).
Should we as parents call and speak to this officer about what my son is going through? I think that should be our next step. What do you all think?
Thanks again...will post again (feels like a soap opera).
Your replies are so appreciated. Our household is in turmoil. We thought he had gotten everything he wanted...is it school/classes, homesickness, reality check? We are trying to figure this out. It is extremely hard over the phone.
We're planning on meeting him face to face and trying to work all this out.
In the meantime, I wanted to find out what options he has with regard to his 3 yr AD. Some of you are familiar with my previous posts and you are correct in the fact that he is a freshman, 17 days in, going through "something" that we are trying to figure out.
We asked him to speak to the freshman cadre (not sure about the terminology).
Should we as parents call and speak to this officer about what my son is going through? I think that should be our next step. What do you all think?
Thanks again...will post again (feels like a soap opera).
You are wise to have a face to face to discuss.
Bringing options (if any) from this forum in your back pocket is a good strategy.
You need him to spell out exactly what is wrong here before giving word one of advice or options, lest he drag you into his drama and use you as a crutch. It is time for him to approach his "problems" in an adult manner. Seeking out advice is good, but he really needs to have his objective clearly defined before asking what do do.
If you want my $0.00 opinion of what he may be experiencing:
1) He seemed (from your reports) very gung-ho on his way in.
2) He got to first week of ROTC and discovered a bunch of folks who weren't as gung-ho as he is. This is very common as a lot of kids really don't know what ROTC is about before they sign up.
3) He sees (or maybe talked to) a gung-ho MO cadet who seems to have it together like him. Decides that all MO types are more like him. (This may or may not be true, but the grass does look green over there)
4) He has little patience for his peers in AROTC unit and hasn't figured out that his job is to lead his peers into being the gung-ho type he is.
5) He has decided that MO is the shortcut to being where he wants to be instead of creating where he wants to be in AROTC.
6) He has no idea how tough it is to switch and is looking for that "easy button" to get him into MO.
If this is the situation, I think you know what to do.