bojibean said:
The detachment can fund its own scholarships? How are the two different? Is one more desirable than the other?
A det. scholarship is different than an HQ scholarship because it can only be used at that det. The HQ is national and the cadet can take it to any school that accepts the scholarship.
~~~ Dets. can use the money as they wish; for example they may offer only 1 scholarship for 4 yrs., they may offer 4 scholarships for only 1 yr.
Dets., especially at big universities have mandatory volunteering activities for the cadets. At our DS's det. they clean up the football stadium after the game at least 2x a season, they also clean up the basketball arena several times a yr. The college pays that money to the det. instead of paying it to a janitorial service. They rotate it between A/N/AFROTC units on campus.
~~~ This is thousands of dollars that the det. earned for philanthropic purposes which paid for the scholarships.
~ It also pays to offset the costs for dining in and dining outs.
~ It pays for GMC night and the fun things in the lounge, such as the foosball table, the crud table, the tv, xbox, playstation, and pizza for those weekly GMC nights.
Only his CoC can tell him about how their det. scholarship works. Neither is more or less desirable when it comes to the ultimate goal...SFT selection and commissioning.
bojibean said:
May all be moot points as I do not believe my son has the gpa to be considered further at this point so , what are his options? Does he quit ROTC and try again at later date when his grades have improved? If he quits now is he done forever?
This is a def. ask the CoC. I know there is a reg which allows them to commission, but I believe it is not through ROTC, but OCS. Do not quote me on that at all. Plus, I believe it is the official dis-enrollment paperwork that is a factor in if he can come back in.
I know one of DS's friends quit on his own accord AFROTC. He just didn't feel like he was a good fit in the AF. He graduated from college, got his grad degree within a yr. and decided he wanted to go Army. He was accepted into their OCS program.
~ I just don't know if he would have been allowed OCS for AFROTC.
bojibean said:
I understand the part about if not selected for SFT then he returns in the Fall as a 500. If, as a 500, he is then selected for SFT 2015 then he only has one year of ROTC left before commissioning (seems logical but as I have learned better to ask)?
First, he does not decide if he can return as a 500. There is a paperwork process that goes up the chain, and the 1st person that needs to sign off on that decision is the CoC. If the CoC does not support him for 500, he will be dis-enrolled.
~~~ A few yrs ago, 500's were more common, but still rare, than it went down to almost nobody. Now, it is more, but in no way, shape or form would I place returning as a 500 as a given. The 500's usually had something unique for them(CoC) to go to bat for them with HQ AFROTC.
Second, the reg is that after graduating from SFT, they will become a POC. To be commissioned, they must serve at least 3 semesters as a POC. In other words, they would not commission in May with the cadets they entered with as a 100.
~ This also adds a new twist regarding not only their AFSC, but their report date. Currently new grads go after AFA grads, with OCS grads sprinkled in the mix. The May grads will go before the August grads, and the Aug grads will go before the Dec. grads. It is not uncommon for them to wait 6-9 months before reporting. He may wait closer to 9 mos. before reporting depending on the career field he desires. Competitive AFSCs will usually wait longer than the non-competitive fields.
bojibean said:
In both scenarios, if he attends SFT but does not complete the degree requirements in order to graduate, what happens then?
Your DS should already know by now this answer. At the end of every semester the cadre typically sits down with the cadet to review their academic progression and review them as a cadet within the det.
~ If his graduation date moves for any reason, he needs to tell them immediately. HQ AFROTC predicts how many cadets will commission yrs out. In part, this is how they determine the number of SFT/EA allotments will occur for the 200 yr group. I.E. if they have 3000 200's for 14, and only need 2000 to commission in 16, they are not going to offer 3000 SFT slots, more likely 2200 or less.
bojibean said:
If he completes SFT he is contracted- yes? When contracted is becoming active duty automatic at the planned graduation date?
See above, but short answer is yes. Do not confuse contracted with scholarship contracted. He will get a stipend, but he will not get money to use for tuition or room and board.
bojibean said:
If you did not graduate as planned are you then active duty as enlisted as opposed to the officer you had planned on or do they give you time to finish the degree requirements?
First see above regarding telling them asap. The fact is they would probably dis-enroll him way before because you cannot commission without a degree.
The 2nd part is the AF's decision whether you go enlisted or you pony up the money they paid to you.
~ For contracted scholarship cadets expect to pony up the money. For contracted non-scholarship cadets in this current environment, expect them to say have a nice life, don't call us, we'll call you!
They are not heartless, he would most likely be able to complete his degree. You need to understand the military is a business, and the AF has always been jokingly referred to as the banker or corporate branch. They are not stupid, even if they required the enlistment it is to their advantage to wait the 6 months for him to finish his degree, than force him off to boot camp in June.
~~~ One reason on top of a better asset, is morale, it can spread like a cancer in any unit on any base. Fast!
bojibean said:
Is there a place on the internet that has all these answers instead of asking everyone I can find? My son found this board and I think it is a wonderful source of information and advice but do not wish to make people repeat what may be readily available elsewhere if you know where to look.
The fact is in my opinion you are not going to find any place on the internet that will give you the information for guidance as a parent better than this one.