GRADSO Questions

gojack said:
Not sure I understand the pros and cons
Can you get out of it?
Whats the commitment for a scholarship cadet?
What are the choices?
Is time in Grad School part of commitment?


http://www.docstoc.com/docs/30130075/Graduate-School-for-Service-Program
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I wish I could recall the exact details I heard at the LDAC accessions brief from last summer but I the general idea from what I remember is that the GRADSO really isn't worth it if you are not trying for career army.

That being said I don't remember any restrictions on school or field of study. At least that's what the accessions rep made it seem like.

No haha time in grad school does not count as commitment but wouldn't that be nice?

Of all the ADSOs I know most people chose branch or maybe post, so I don't know of anyone personally who did GRADSO.

Like I said I can't remember all of the ins and outs so don't take my word for it.
 
Aglahad said:
I wish I could recall the exact details I heard at the LDAC accessions brief from last summer but I the general idea from what I remember is that the GRADSO really isn't worth it if you are not trying for career army.

That being said I don't remember any restrictions on school or field of study. At least that's what the accessions rep made it seem like.

No haha time in grad school does not count as commitment but wouldn't that be nice?

Of all the ADSOs I know most people chose branch or maybe post, so I don't know of anyone personally who did GRADSO.

Like I said I can't remember all of the ins and outs so don't take my word for it.
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I'm not quite in agreement about the "only for career officer" thought.

IIRC, if you are interested in earning Grad School or at least a Post 9/11 GI educational benefit (for your kid), signing up for the program allows you the exit after year 7 with the educational benefit (that would have taken those 3 years to earn anyway).

So I would say that if you are dead set in getting a masters degree paid for by Uncle Sam, there is little downside risk to signing up for GRADSO.

BTW, this is about the ONLY advantage 4-year AROTC scholarship winners have over other cadets (including WP grads). 4-year scholarship winners get first cut before any other cadets.

And getting the masters is huge in OML when it comes to O5 promotion time.
 
I agree as well, but it seems that a career minded officer would drawn more to to the GRADSO than the average 4 year and out guys. I mean branch ADSOs are fairly common then tack on a GRADSO and you are looking at a 5-6 year add on to your commitment totally around 15 years before you are even out of college. At least this is what the accessions rep made it seem like and you could hear some grumbling in the crowd during the brief.

If it was me I would just pay for it myself. If I find myself sitting at O-3 and feel like the army is the place for me I would look into a student loan repayment program if available (I've even seen quite a few GS repayment programs.) Also, if it is a boost for O-5 promotions ( I thought a masters was pretty much needed for O-4), aren't we getting into the career officer arena at that point? :p

It's really up to the individual I guess.
 
Is Gradso the same as ADSO - if you don't need it, you're not charged? I'm wondering what happens in the event an officer is selected for post-grad study at one of the war colleges, a foreign war college or other non-civilian opportunities of that sort?
 
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