Graduating Early in ROTC

warrior21

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Jun 25, 2011
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I have some college credit from community college and I'll get a couple more credits from AP scores. If I am in Army ROTC can I still graduate a year early and be commissioned early? I am still in high school, I'm just thinking ahead.
 
I have some college credit from community college and I'll get a couple more credits from AP scores. If I am in Army ROTC can I still graduate a year early and be commissioned early? I am still in high school, I'm just thinking ahead.

That's for your PMS to decide, he could allow you to double up on your Military Science classes. You had better be a topnotch cadet I would guess.
 
You should also investigate the colleges you are interested in because they have their own regs regarding how many credits that they require for graduation. I.E. our DS's school requires all credits for his major to be at his school....that is on top of the required courses being offered only 1X a yr with a demanded pre-req that is offered 1X a yr. Basically making it impossible to circumvent the system. Some colleges will only accept AP's with a certain score and give you credit, some colleges will only use the AP's for placement. Some colleges will not accept classes from community colleges if you try to use them towards your major or minor.

It sounds so easy to take CC and AP's, with the intention to graduate early, but as you can see through my examples, many colleges have found a way to close those loop holes...remember their goal is for you to attend for 4 yrs when they accept you; they count on that when they make their long term fiscal plan.

I would suggest if you have not joined www.collegeconfidential.com yet, do so. That site has almost every college under the sun where you can ask on their school forum how they work the AP/CC system. Some will also call CC in hs "jump start". The posters over there range from students to parents to even admission officers. At least from there you will have a good idea how to plot your academic curriculum.

Good luck.
 
Thanks, I was thinking that ROTC would have some incentive to allow participants to graduate early , especially if they were on scholarship since that would free up money.
 
Actually not since the military does strategic planning regarding manpower needs it is not to their benefit if they let everyone and anyone graduate whenever they want be it in 3 yrs or 5, they planned for them to commission in 4, now imagine if 1000 cadets graduate a yr early, that will impact their balance. They have ratios to be maintained, and that means they can't have too many LTs. compared to Captains compared to Majors, etc. If they have too many than that may force them into doing a RIF., or slowing down the scholarship pipeline or for AFROTC why the % they accept for SFT yr to yr changes.
 
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My AROTC DS had the opportunity to graduate early, but decided against it. If he had taken a full load Junior year, he had enough credits for his major and minor. ROTC told him it was up to him. He would have graduated and then gone to LDAC, then commissioned.

My opinion was why lose that last year in college, the last time in your life when you are relatively carefree. You will NEVER have that feeling again. Give yourself one more year to mature, before you are a 2nd Lt. in the Army.

I think my son translated this to mean: Why not live in the Frat House one more year?!
 
Like Singapore Mom, my NROTC DS had the same option. By the end of his junior year at college, he was eligible to graduate. But he picked up a fiancee along the way, so although NROTC would have let him commission early, he had a personal reason not to. But finding classes that senior year that met NROTC requirements was difficult. He wound up getting a minor in History to go with his Chemistry major.
 
Yep, my DS is adding Central Eurasian Studies minor (Finnish), to his Chinese Major and Russian minor. Always take advantage of the time to add to your skill set!
 
I think most kids feel the same way, re:live at the frat, for our DS it was not only 1 more yr of creating a schedule where he has 3 day weekends every weeks.

I don't know about N/AROTC, but for AFROTC you compete for SFT as a sophomore, if you academically plan to graduate early, you would know by spring semester registration that you have 1 yr left as a ft student, however, the SFT board results do not come out until Mar/April, and this yr only 50% got picked up. No SFT = no commissioning, but you do have the opportunity/chance to try again as a jr. However, you can't do it if you are already graduated...notice it boffs your time line regarding your commissioning.

Our DS had enough credits to graduate early, but opted to stay because of ROTC. OML for AFROTC includes jobs within the det., and he wanted a rated slot, thus, he wanted to have jobs in the det. That's my story and I am sticking to it:shake:....I am sure his story is the 3 day week one!:biggrin:
 
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