Hey everyone,
I've recently been thinking a lot about NROTC (or possibly ROTC) after visiting a few colleges and seeing the programs they had to offer. I went on these visits with a pretty closed mind, thinking that USNA would probably be a better choice for me, but was surprised to find that many aspects of civilian universities really appealed to me. I had never really thought too much about ROTC, but the more I hear about it, the more it interests me. One of my primary concerns about attending Annapolis is that I don't feel I would have much free time and I wouldn't be able to allot time to studying, eating, exercising etc. the way I would like to and would be able to on my own at a regular college. I am a very independent person, and while I can take orders, I would prefer to mandate my own schedule. I'm also not sure if I would like to be in "military-mode" 100% of the time, as I would at USNA.
In short, I'm hesitant to attend USNA only because I don't want to regret missing out on a traditional college experience.
Does ROTC sound like a better option for me? Can any USNA students/alums speak to the amount of free time they had/socializing they did while at the academy? Did you get to make many of your own choices? What are some of the benefits of attending a service academy over ROTC? I would also appreciate the same input from anyone who has done or is currently in ROTC.
Thank you so much for your time.
Evan
I've recently been thinking a lot about NROTC (or possibly ROTC) after visiting a few colleges and seeing the programs they had to offer. I went on these visits with a pretty closed mind, thinking that USNA would probably be a better choice for me, but was surprised to find that many aspects of civilian universities really appealed to me. I had never really thought too much about ROTC, but the more I hear about it, the more it interests me. One of my primary concerns about attending Annapolis is that I don't feel I would have much free time and I wouldn't be able to allot time to studying, eating, exercising etc. the way I would like to and would be able to on my own at a regular college. I am a very independent person, and while I can take orders, I would prefer to mandate my own schedule. I'm also not sure if I would like to be in "military-mode" 100% of the time, as I would at USNA.
In short, I'm hesitant to attend USNA only because I don't want to regret missing out on a traditional college experience.
Does ROTC sound like a better option for me? Can any USNA students/alums speak to the amount of free time they had/socializing they did while at the academy? Did you get to make many of your own choices? What are some of the benefits of attending a service academy over ROTC? I would also appreciate the same input from anyone who has done or is currently in ROTC.
Thank you so much for your time.
Evan