Picking 5 Schools

Pluto

Pluto

Fly, Fight, Win!
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Apr 8, 2021
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Pretty straight forward questions here
Applying to AF-ROTC, and you need to input your 5 schools ranked, no big deal...
a. I visited a few detachment's website, but is there a good way to compare the detachments themselves or the benefits/drawbacks of picking one school over another?
b. Please comment with some good stories or AF-ROTC memories you had, and include where you went/why it was great/sucked.

Thanks in advance.
 
Pick the school, not the detachment first and foremost because the detachments will be similar but the atmosphere of the school and the offerings of the school may be very different.
 
Agree with above, perhaps primarily decided by your major and other things the school has to offer. If you thrive academically and socially, then you'll thrive in ROTC.
 
Great advice above. Just would add when you get to a short list of schools, maybe top 3, we found visiting the schools in-person and shadowing a ROTC cadet from your major/ branch if possible (spend the day, go on a day they have ROTC lab, and attend classes, eat meals on-campus and off) and just talking to the ROTC members invaluable in learning the benefits/ challenges of each program. He also worked out with the units during their early morning sessions. Even if COVID may mean overnights aren't still happening, you could offer to take a few cadets out for a meal. In our case, most of the time it was my DS and the cadet only, but for a couple of hours each cadet (or midshipman etc.) graciously also sat with DS and me in a student union or while out to eat and was very gracious in providing their insight.

Cadres change over so I would not base your decisions solely on the unit like as others noted above. I always kept "where do you feel most at-home" in mind. And since hundreds of scholarship winners end up not commissioning from each class, make sure you pick a school you can afford if due to injury or other you cannot complete your ROTC training (without a ROTC scholarship).

Think about whether it matters to you to be a part of a large or small AFROTC unit. One school had a class of 12 participants, one had a class of nearly 200 on day 1. And consider applying to all service branches if your goal is to serve.

Lastly I would investigate whether you feel the grind of a SMC would be something you would benefit from vs a less structured traditional college program.

Good luck!
 
One more piece...remember ROTC scholarships only cover Tuition. Some schools will kick in the extra to cover Room and Board which can still be pricey at some schools. You can easily ask the admission/financial aid office how they handle ROTC scholarships. Also look for other scholarship opportunities to cover what ROTC does not. Bear in mind some of those have to be applied for EARLY. My DS missed out on scholarship opportunities as he was focused on SA applications/nominations as well as the backup schools applications and AFRTOC application. In the end it did not matter as he is currently at USNA.

If desired, you can DM me and I can give more details on DS journey.
 
You can adjust your list up until you have your interview at least, and possibly until it goes to the board. I know my DD kept moving schools around, especially as her acceptances came in... ie: She originally had Villanova on (it's a cross town for St. Joe's) but then took it off until she got her acceptance and put it back on...even though she didn't wind up going there... Had Pitt off of the list and when she got her acceptance early fall, it went back on. Things like that.... It's a work in progress! School she is ultimately reporting to on the 16th was not on the list at all....
 
My DS's list changed throughout the course of the year. Just because you list a school #1 now does not mean it has to be #1 in April or May.
 
Great advice above. I would just add:
As stated above, put the school choice first (size, location, setting, degree program, etc.). However, when school choices are equal, look at the online presence. Detachments are like any organization - are the people excited to be there, are they thinking of what they can do for their people, or is this an assignment they really don't want, is leadership not leading, etc. With my kids, we found the websites a good indicator of how active the unit command is (vs. seeing the job as the last one before retirement): Is the website up to date? All the Bios there? Good social media sites? Additionally, this online presence will tell you about the activities and energy of the detachment (one showed off their simulators, another discussed extracurriculars).
With my kids' AFROTC experiences, we have seen that units are different. One was never told of all the activities and options (until his command switched out midway through college) while the other two have learned of summer activities, incentive rides in T38, attendance at Women in Aviation conference, flight school scholarships, AF graduate school scholarships, etc.
Also, email the units with questions (e.g., can I do a study abroad for a term, is it possible to come visit, etc.). Then you can gauge how the response is (we're still waiting for a couple of replies from a few years ago :)).
Following up on LT360, the AFROTC college locator site will list supplemental scholarships (e.g., Boston U tops off partial and has some room and board, USC provides additional $4k, etc.).
And as Herman_Snerd posted, visit the detachments - visiting the school is a good idea anyway.
 
And, as a reminder, choose a school you can afford if the scholarship goes away. This happens. Painful for sure. Recent threads on this detail the struggle.
 
Pluto said:
Pretty straight forward questions here
Applying to AF-ROTC, and you need to input your 5 schools ranked, no big deal...
a. I visited a few detachment's website, but is there a good way to compare the detachments themselves or the benefits/drawbacks of picking one school over another?
b. Please comment with some good stories or AF-ROTC memories you had, and include where you went/why it was great/sucked.

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
My recommendation is that you pick a school that has your academic program, and it is approved by AFROTC.

The cadre will likely change before while you’re in the program.
 
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