Simultaneous Membership Program questions

I am a Virginia high school student hoping to attend Army ROTC. I have two questions about the Simultaneous Membership Program. Thank you very much for your help.

First: Is it possible to utilize SMP and then commission into an active duty unit so long as I do not accept any financial aid that mandates that I serve in the Reserves or Guard?

Second: Does time spent in the Reserves as an enlisted man count as Time in Service for purposes of promotion as an officer? Would the answer to this differ depending on whether I go Active or Reserves after ROTC?

Glad you decided to check out this Board.

The answers you were given on the other board covered the basics.

Your time in the Reserves will count toward pay grade, it will not count toward promotion, that clock does not start until you have graduated, commissioned and started your Branch BOLC. Example: If you graduate and commission say May 20th, your time in Service/Grade does not start at that point. There is always a gap between graduation and the start of BOLC, some gaps are short and some are longer, it's just the luck of the draw. So, if you graduate May 20th but do not report to BOLC until Nov. 30th, then you are simply IRR for that time period, you are not paid and this time does not count. When you receive your orders it will have an activation dated listed, that is the day you start getting paid and your Time in Grade/Service starts.

As far as Active duty goes, make sure you read what I posted on the other board. Others may be able to give more information based on current conditions in ROTC. Take time to read through some of the past threads regarding SMP, there is a lot of information to be had. Just remember that things change all the time so make sure you contact a ROTC Battalion to keep up on current information.

What year in High School are you, if you are not a senior have you thought about the ROTC Scholarship (Not the GRFD) as an option rather then enlisting in the reserves.

There are pluses and minuses to SMP, make sure you do your research before a recruiter paints the perfect picture and gets you to sign on the dotted line. You should be able to get both sides from people on this board, just be patient and ask specific questions after doing some research on this board.

Kyndynos,
Jcleppe's advice is correct in my experience...DS took leave from school to enlist in USAR. He returned to school and enrolled in ROTC. He contracted midway through that first semester; Graduated and Commissioned in May, 2015. When his enlisted contract was cancelled (at commissioning) he had 4+ years TIS in the Reserves...He reported to BOLC in early November, and is being paid at the >4year service level...He told me that his time will NOT count toward retirement. Also, he will not promote before 18 mos--(actually I heard that it has now been bumped to 24 mos, but have not confirmed that with him). He wasn't sure that he would get anything extra for his enlisted time, so he is a happy camper these days!

wildcatmom said:

Kyndynos,
Jcleppe's advice is correct in my experience...DS took leave from school to enlist in USAR. He returned to school and enrolled in ROTC. He contracted midway through that first semester; Graduated and Commissioned in May, 2015. When his enlisted contract was cancelled (at commissioning) he had 4+ years TIS in the Reserves...He reported to BOLC in early November, and is being paid at the >4year service level...He told me that his time will NOT count toward retirement. Also, he will not promote before 18 mos--(actually I heard that it has now been bumped to 24 mos, but have not confirmed that with him). He wasn't sure that he would get anything extra for his enlisted time, so he is a happy camper these days!

Click to expand...

How long was his break from school?

He completed AIT in late September, 2012, so he ended up missing 3 full semesters. He worked seasonal job at FedEx, then went back to school in Mid-Jan 2013. He actually missed the first week of school as his unit sent him to a training class out of state, but he figured it was better to miss the first week, than later on when lectures were more crucial! His ROTC batallion asked him to enter as 200 so they could evaluate before offering a contract, but given his heavy laboratory curriculum, it allowed him to keep each semester at 13-16 credits, so his GPA soared. He was contracted by the end of March...so he didn't have any further conflicts that a little paperwork couldn't get him out of, although contracting did get him a lot more responsibilities within his Reserve unit. Being assigned PL for a regiment of high level Medical officers kept him on his toes!