AROTC vs AFROTC

C

Crazardo

5-Year Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
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Which is harder to get a commission/scholarship? I plan on majoring in Information Systems.

If I were to go AFROTC, I would have to commute 20 min to a campus that has AFROTC.

If I do AROTC, all the campuses I am applying to have an on campus program.
 
Crazardo said:
Which is harder to get a commission/scholarship? I plan on majoring in Information Systems.

If I were to go AFROTC, I would have to commute 20 min to a campus that has AFROTC.

If I do AROTC, all the campuses I am applying to have an on campus program.
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Scholarships are one thing and commissions are another. All other things being equal (and they seldom are) most people find it easier not to have to commute.

In February 2012 you indicated you were a sophomore in high school. Did you graduate last spring? If so, what is your current status?
 
Thank you for the reply! I have been in a complicated situation. I graduated high school in 2014 but I've been stuck in a limbo. I plan on starting college as a freshman in 2015.
 
You need to remove the question of scholarship. You need to ask what do you want to do in each branch when you commission for at least four years AD.

The AF and Army do not have the same mission. You can't assume that the branches and lifestyles are interchangeable. They are not. There are way too many jokes on this site regarding even simple things like PT. AF PT is playing a round of golf without a cart. AF is known to be the banker/corporate branch. 8-4 is duty day. AF has always been called the Prima Donnas of the military. They are all jokes, but there is some truth behind the jokes.

Now if you need the scholarship to attend college than I would remind you of a few things regarding the AFROTC schokarship.
1. It is not a four year guarantee like AROTC. It is 2 + 2 . you must get a slot for SFT your sophomore year. If not selected for field training aka EA, HQ AFROTC can decide to disenroll you.
2. AFROTC scholarships are highly competitive ...it is not like an SA appointment where it is geocentric at first. Scholarships are national. The avg ACT best sitting for even a type 7 is @28/29.... Best sitting. AROTC superecores. The rate of offers is @16%. Chances drop significantly for non tech.
3. AFROTC does not tie to the college, it is tied to the cadet.

I agree for some doing xtown is a negative, not only from a commuting aspect, but also from a bonding perspective. Many units will have GMC nights where cadets hang out in the lounge from 6-9. Pizza is ordered in and they play Foosball/Xbox etc. Additionally they tend to bond just because they live in the dorms, eat at the same dining halls, same profs, go to FB or BB games.

Side note last year AFROTC required cadets to state prior to SFT if they would go rated. It had an impact on selection. The overall selection rate for SFT was @53%.

In the end don't go down this path for a scholarship only. Go down because you want to serve in that branch 24/7/365 for 4 years because for AFROTC chances are when you commission there will be no Reserve/Guard option like they have for AROTC.
 
On campus

If you can take ROTC on campus, I would go with that.

Rob Kirkland (LTC, Ret.)
"The Insider's Guide to the Army ROTC Scholarship for High School Students and Their Parents" (Amazon)
 
AROTCPMS,

I respect your opinion as an O5, but I have to ask would you have gone AFROTC if it meant it was on campus?
~ I am not a fan of xtown because I believe cadets don't get as much out of it, but I would never advise to select a branch based on being the host.

Sorry, but that is how I read your post to the OP.
 
Pima said:
AROTCPMS,

I respect your opinion as an O5, but I have to ask would you have gone AFROTC if it meant it was on campus?
~ I am not a fan of xtown because I believe cadets don't get as much out of it, but I would never advise to select a branch based on being the host.

Sorry, but that is how I read your post to the OP.
Click to expand...

The only criteria for the question the OP asked was that one program was cross town and the other was not.

Based on that alone I would have to agree that AROTC would be easier.
 
Jcleppe,

So you are saying do the ROTC that is on campus, and never mind the commitment owed upon graduation?
 
Pima said:
Jcleppe,

So you are saying do the ROTC that is on campus, and never mind the commitment owed upon graduation?
Click to expand...

Not at all.

I'm just saying based on what he asked in his question, AROTC would be easier.

Commitment, mission, life style, those are a completely different discussion, he didn't ask about those.
 
In that perspective I will agree! Go AROTC!:shake:
 
My DS is at a Xtown school in the NROTC. The main school did not offer a Cyber Defense degree. His commute is only about 6 miles, though. This means more time needed to get to PT and Navy class, then rushing back for regular classes. Money for gas, parking, etc. he is able to carpool most of the time. I believe he gets just as much out of NROTC, but it takes more effort & no one cuts the Xtowners any slack. He attends only some of the social activities but not because of the drive. He could have gotten in a dorm specially for ROTC but chose not to. His reason was to have a foot in both worlds, and a variety of friends.

Some students really need a Scholorship to help pay for college. But, as mentioned above, if possible go with the branch which appeals to you. My DS started out AFROTC but decided he wanted to be a Marine. He was able to get a scholorship. With an ACT of 27 & a non-tech major, in AFROTC, he probably would have not. And most definitely everyone should make their future degree the priority as a job outside the military will be needed by most at some point in time.
 
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