Best NROTC unit?

nofodad

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DS was denied NROTC scholarship and the longer we wait to hear from USNA the more likely the twe becomes...so on to plan c. NROTC as a college programmer he has the following choices and would be an International Relations/poli sci major, GWU, Tulane or Holy Cross. Any thoughts as to the best unit.
 
DS was denied NROTC scholarship and the longer we wait to hear from USNA the more likely the twe becomes...so on to plan c. NROTC as a college programmer he has the following choices and would be an International Relations/poli sci major, GWU, Tulane or Holy Cross. Any thoughts as to the best unit.

The best advice my son ever received was to first pick the school that he felt he would be the happiest and most comfortable with. Pick the school that he feels he will best succeed. If he did this then ROTC would fall into the mix nicely.

He took this advice and was very happy he did.
 
The best advice my son ever received was to first pick the school that he felt he would be the happiest and most comfortable with. Pick the school that he feels he will best succeed. If he did this then ROTC would fall into the mix nicely.

He took this advice and was very happy he did.

Perfect advice, assuming these are all host schools. Congrats on the awesome choices!

I would think that there are more opportunities for internships at GWU for international relations, but I don't know the other schools that well.
 
Looks like they are all the host unit.

GWU - big city, access to Pentagon, Quantico other nearby military stuff. As patentesq points out probably lots of opportunity for internships.
Tulane - Also big city. Hosts prestigious national drill meet during Mardi Gras.
Holy Cross - smaller city?

I can't really speak to the units themselves.

Totally just a guess on my part but given his academic interests I would expect GWU to be his best choice. The others aren't even State Capitals. Again, just a guess with absolutely no knowledge, I would be very surprised if an NROTC unit in the nations capital and near the Pentagon would be lacking in any way. Of course, stranger things have happened. Wish I could offer you more than just my surmises.

Any chance for visits the next few weeks, or maybe phone interviews?
 
Walking on as a college programmer is a great idea but you realize to get a 2 or 3 year scholarship 85% will go to technical majors. DS in his 2nd year UVA college programmer waiting on scholarship news patiently.
 
Walking on as a college programmer is a great idea but you realize to get a 2 or 3 year scholarship 85% will go to technical majors. DS in his 2nd year UVA college programmer waiting on scholarship news patiently.

You're correct, of course, terp. But at least Navy has a formal application process for the in school scholarship. Also, I don't know that the 85% holds for Advanced Standing. Given the schools being discussed it may be the issue for OP is commissioning and not scholarship. You're right to point it out though if OP is thinking along those lines.
 
Thanks everyone

It's all starting to make sense...ha! GW is definitely first choice, then I think Holy Cross (easy to get to and he already know two students in the unit). So, let me get this straight, you "walk-on" join the unit, re-apply for scholarship and then if denied again, apply for Advanced Standing going into junior year, if you are accepted for Advanced Standing you then commission upon graduation, and if you don't? Thank you very much? Try OCS?
 
^^^ You've got it right nofodad, except you also reapply for the scholarship a second time while you apply for advanced standing. It's the same application. If you aren't accepted for advanced standing then you are dropped from the unit. Your alternative then is OCS.
 
Thats pretty much it. You should strive to perform better than the scholarship mids. You don't know from one year to the next how many additional scholarships will be given out or how many advanced standings by the junior year. If selected for advanced standing, you get the summer cruise before senior year.
 
It's all starting to make sense...ha! GW is definitely first choice, then I think Holy Cross (easy to get to and he already know two students in the unit). So, let me get this straight, you "walk-on" join the unit, re-apply for scholarship and then if denied again, apply for Advanced Standing going into junior year, if you are accepted for Advanced Standing you then commission upon graduation, and if you don't? Thank you very much? Try OCS?

Someone can correct me on the details.

One thing to remember, there are a couple ways to reapply for the NROTC scholarship. If your son plans to reapply for the HSSP as soon as school starts then he can't join the schools NROTC program, he would would need to reapply first.

If he chooses to join the NROTC as a College Programmer then he would apply for the Side Load Scholarship for his sophomore year, then if he doesn't get it he would then apply for the 2 year Advanced standing.

Talk to the NROTC at the school he decides to go, make sure you understand the rules for reapplication before he starts school.
 
Gtown, has a very strong cadre. Centh's DS attends UMDCP, but goes x-town to Gtown. He is very involved and will graduate 2013. They have a very active unit. He would as a fresh/soph metro from UMDCP to Gtown to socialize at the unit. I think their hangout night is Thursday. This is something to also place into the equation is the camaraderie within the unit outside of the class room.

One thing I would say is that Quantico is not a realistic place to do an internship. It may be only 30 miles away, but in the DC/No VA area that would be hellacious to say the least from a commute perspective, also very expensive since they would have ride the VRE if they don't have a car. Commuting in DC/VA traffic on 95 or Rte 1 is not fun, and if there is an accident you can expect to live with 50K of your best friends in the human parking lot for hours.

There will be a ton of internships in DC from MOCs to contractors (L3 Comm, Lockheed, Booze) in Crystal CIty. They most likely will not get an internship at the Pentagon because they will not have the security clearance to get in. DS, even as an AFROTC cadet, with a military ID must be escorted in by his father.
 
DS was denied NROTC scholarship and the longer we wait to hear from USNA the more likely the twe becomes...so on to plan c. NROTC as a college programmer he has the following choices and would be an International Relations/poli sci major, GWU, Tulane or Holy Cross. Any thoughts as to the best unit.

This GW grad, BA, International Relations, can attest to the positive aspects aspects mentioned above. It isn't just the internships, which are to a certain extent overrated by the PR folks. It is the availablility of connected people.

Historically, GU was considered the better school, with its School of Foreign Service It al;so has a real campus. GW had to work harder to build its identity which was traditionally more of a commuter school. It is has no campus. The positive side of that is that it is chock full of past and current CIA, State Dept., NSA, Military, Congressional folks. Colin Powell got his Masters there. You have those folks not only as teachers, but classmates.

These are some of my experiences, and believe me, I was no scholar, not rich and totally unconnected.

My most regular squash partner, a Rhodesian refugee, is now Zimbabwe's UN Ambassador. We chased girls together then, now he chases white farmers off their land.

One of the girls I chased was the daughter of the CIA's Soviet Section.

My 2nd Year Russian teacher's husband, Dmitri Simes, was the leading Soviet Emigre Interntional Relations scholars of the day.

Salvador Allende's predecessor was a Poli Sci prof.

I flipped burgers at place called Bon Appetit on I St btween 20th and 21st. I think it's still there. A White House Secret Service detail were among our most regular take-out customers.

I attended during the Cold War and my area of concentration was the USSR and Eastern Europe. Early in my senior year, I decided that one way or the other I would live/study in a Soviet Bloc country for the year after graduation. At the time, this was extremely difficult and usually expensive. I was discussing this with a part-time teacher in the Slavic Languages Dept. She said the place for me was X, her native country. She described the "relative" freedom to move about and the generally positive attitude towards Americans. I told her I would look into it.

"But, first you need to call this man," she said, handing me his name and phone#. He was X's Consul General in DC and it was his direct #. I called him and by the end of the week was drinking a beer with him in his office and was all but guaranteed a spot in the language program at a major university...with a scholarship. I went to X and ended up meeting my future/present wife.

I could go on, but I think you get the idea.

If ROTC were to spring for a scholarship in International Relations, I would think that GW would be the kind of place where they would want to spend it, even though it is one of the most expensive schools in the country.

Best of luck to DS.
 
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