In-Service Select - Will only be in ROTC 2 years

S

Squirrelly

5-Year Member
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Feb 2, 2011
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My son just got selected for the Air Force ASCP scholarship but he already has an A.S degree so he'll only be in AFROTC for his last two years of college. What is the det likely to do with him this fall? Would he still be considered a "first year" cadet and be treated as such or integrated in as an upper class cadet?
 
One check with the college that all of his AS credits transfer. Sometimes colleges will not accept every credit, especially when it comes to the major/minor area. I know for our DS's college all of the 60 credits needed for his major/minor must be taken at the school...do the math, 4 semesters left that would be 15 credits each semester purely dedicated to his major/minor.

Caveat: I know in NC and VA that if you attend a CC in the state, they will accept all of the credits. It does vary from state to state and school to school.

They do have a 2 tier system for cadets like your DS. They can't be thrown into leadership positions right away because they have yet to even learn how to salute or stand at attention, etc. However, they do know that they have limited time to get them up to speed so they have different ROTC instruction compared to the freshman.

I am not sure about if they meet the AFSC board at the same time as their academic peers. For cadets that would be graduating in 13 with him, they will find out their career path about 1 yr from right now. Their files are submitted in Dec., thus, that is not a lot of time for him since he will only e with the det for @3-4 months. They may hold them back until their sr yr for that board so they can be more competitive. I believe the board they would meet as a jr would be SFT, which is traditionally for sophs.

Just have work hard, get involved in the det., do well on the PFT and he should be just fine.
 
My son certainly can salute! And march too - He was a member of the McGuire AFB regional ceremonial honor guard for a year. His scholarship was in-service select for AFROTC, he's a SSgt coming off an Air Force enlisted stint as a PMEL.

No problems with prior college work being accepted, my son actualy has way more than he needs. He already has two A.S. degrees, one from a community college in the same state as his AFROTC college and they've already signed off on all pre-reqs in the Physics department. The other A.S. is from the Community College of the Air Force. He has a 2 year completion plan mapped by the department head, it's mostly upper division physics coursework.
 
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I would suggest than to have him talk to the det. CC.

We are no longer talking about a cadet just coming in, but one with military experience, I doubt many on this forum know that bridge. I doubt anyone on the AFROTC side knows it, except your DS.

The question now becomes what he wants to do in the AF?

His academic career is plotted and he has filled all the squares with X's. His military career as a member who served AD has filled some more squares...doubtful he will go SFT, but not all of them.

So now I think IMPO opinion, throw it in a garbage can, but I think you are really asking about career not ROTC.

AFSC is based on a lot of things, gpa, TBCM, AFOQT, PFT, ECs, det recs, etc.

You stated he is a Physics major, most scientific majors want UPT. Is that his goal?

If so, what is his gpa? AFOQT? Has he any flight hrs for a PPl? All of that matters?

What is his PFT score?

For AFSC, it is a whole picture regarding the whole candidate. They meet a board, and the items I stated, gpa...det recs., will be placed into an equation. Highest score wins top choices.

Thank your DS for serving and being willing to serve even longer. Without you and your family's sacrifice we all as citizen's would be hurting.
 
WOW - Lots of acronyms I'm not very familiar with - I was a direct commission Navy Medical Service Corps officer so I know different acronyms! Yes, this might not be the right forum to ask questions, I've just been seeking info anywhere I can on the web. I thought maybe current ROTC cadre & cadets would respond to some of my questions. It appears that the prior-enlisted going into AFROTC is a totally different animal, I fear the ROTC cadre won't quite know what to do with my son!

- His GPA for associate degree coursework (he has 2 A.S. degrees) is about 3.2
- No flight hours at all, his enlisted specialty involves no flight duty. He's been working in a PMEL electronics calibration lab for a couple of years.
- One det overseas to Qatar
- He's not a jock but his PFT scores have always been upper-middle of the pack
- His AFOQT was sky high on technical but middling for verbal, calculus is his forte, not literature!
- He's not totally focused yet on exact Air Force officer career specialties but I'm sure it would be HIGHLY technical, I'm sure. I don't think he wants to be a pilot although I think he'd be a natural for navigator or something in the AWACS or missile command technical realm. We'll see how that pans out.

Funny you say a physics major might be heading for UPT... I knew aviators in the Navy with degrees in political science, elementary education, and history!
 
No fear they know, and there is a route for him.

I mean this with love, kindness and every goodness that is in this world. Time to walk away.

It is important for you to understand the system, because that makes you a great parent. However, the last paragraph is leaving with questions. He is not 17 or 18, he is probably 20+.

You raised a great son, and as much as parents we all want to help them in plotting their future, sometimes we hurt them.

Don't listen to this site regarding his path, his background in the AF will be the best thing for him. He knows the ins and outs. He has lived this life and to get this scholarship he must have shined!

Trust in him, he will do you proud.
 
Advice

We have 2 in college (one SA, One NROTC/MO) and a senior. The above is some of the best advice ever given.
 
Squirrelly,

I agree with Pima's last post too. 33 years ago I went through a program that the USAF now calls "POC-ERP" (which is similar to the ASCP but without the scholarship). Believe it or not - the AFROTC program has not changed much since then.

I would be happy to speak with your son and give him some "pointers". Work phone is below.

-Don Hanak
 
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