Contracted Cadet to Basic Training

kris606

5-Year Member
Joined
Mar 31, 2012
Messages
6
As an already contracted scholarship cadet with Army ROTC, is it possible to attend Basic Training during one of the summer breaks? Is it suggested?
 
WHY?

I don't believe there is.

As myself and DS heard several times, "There is nothing at basic training that will make you a better officer".

That is someone elses words, not my own
 
No...if you are on scholarship the only way you could go to BT is if you convert that scholarship to a GRFD and give up the Active Duty option.

Go on a CULP trip, or an internship, or a school. You don't need to go to BT and don't let anyone tell you it will help you or hurt you not to have gone.
 
Have they put something in the water this year? I have heard about more Contracted and potential cadets that want to go to BCT or drop their scholarships to join the NG.

kris606,

From your previous posts I assume you have completed your freshman year and will start your MS2 year this Fall. You have posted a couple times now about joining the Reserves/NG and trying SMP, or trying to go to BCT.

Since you have not started your MS2 year you can easily drop the scholarship no without any obligation and start down a different path.

You won't get a slot to BCT right away, there have been some long wait times, add AIT to that (Which doesn't always start right after BCT) and you will most likely miss your entire next year of school.

Make sure your college will hold a spot for you, find out if you would need to reapply. Talk with your Cadre to see if you could come back as a SMP, find out what your chances would be to get a contract since you will be losing the one you have now. Remember, a contract is not a guarantee as a SMP cadet, you compete with all the other SMP and non contracted cadets. It will all come down to how many contract slots the battalion has available.

I just have to ask, Why this sudden desire to go to BCT?
 
Doesn't BCT entitle you to get Montgomery GI Bill? That was my reason to do BCT (if I had the chance), but I don't.
 
Doesn't BCT entitle you to get Montgomery GI Bill? That was my reason to do BCT (if I had the chance), but I don't.

To get the GI Bill and Kicker you would need to complete both BCT and AIT.

The biggest thing to remember is that you can't get both the GI Bill and the scholarship, it's one or the other. If you are on scholarship and contracted you can't attend BCT.
 
To get the GI Bill and Kicker you would need to complete both BCT and AIT.

The biggest thing to remember is that you can't get both the GI Bill and the scholarship, it's one or the other. If you are on scholarship and contracted you can't attend BCT.
Oh, I thought it was just BCT; didn't realize it was both.
 
So I could still attend BCT, while keeping my cadet contract, just by signing myself to a GRFD?
 
I am like other posters and have to ask, what exactly is your motivation to do this path over CULP?

I wonder to myself how much you will regret the decision once you are at BCT.
 
So I could still attend BCT, while keeping my cadet contract, just by signing myself to a GRFD?

You can switch to a GRFD Scholarship.

As it has been said before, you may have to wait a while before going to BCT, if you do not want to miss any school you would have to wait until next summer.

Once you switch to GRFD you will have NO option to select Active Duty, you will not be able to switch to AD at a later date either while serving your obligation in the NG or Reserves.

Is it your desire to serve in the NG or Reserves, or is it your goal to go to BCT.
 
Kris606, I will tell you as a previous enlisted Marine you need to think long and hard about the path you are asking about. Please take some time and watch Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ( the old version, the new one is awful). Pay special attention to the reference "golden ticket" because that is what you have in hand. In all seriousness there is absolutely no advantage to you going to BCT. If you want to get screamed at, sleep deprived and verbally and physically challenged then apply to some of the challenging Army schools like AA,AB. Do the Ranger Challenge or try for the Sandhurst course (not sure that is what it is called). My DS just can back from visiting his friend ( SMP) at Ft Huachuca in AZ. His friend went to BCT in the summer between his junior and senior year and has been at AIT in AZ supporting the border patrol since May of this year. This young man has missed his entire summer and will not start college until Jan. 2014. Asking him if he had it to do over again he said without hesitation he would have done the ROTC path and skipped BCT and AIT. Best of luck
 
From the cadet perspective, this happens alot. Plenty of my peers switched from Active to Reserve/NG scholarships last year, some giving up full 4-year AD scholarships. The reasons I consistently heard were "Ive decided I don't want to go overseas/leave my home state", "I'd rather work in the civilian sector", "I have a higher chance of getting *insert high-demand branch here* if I go Guard/Reserve", and last, but not least, and probably the worst reason ever: "I heard that enlisted won't respect you as an officer if you never went to basic, so that will be my priority". I want to put emphasis on that last reason. As naive and hard to believe as it is, it's heard all over the AROTC cadet underground. I've even heard of some cadets quitting college and enlisting, because of some paranoia that unless an officer was a former 11B with a CIB and a purple heart, then went to OCS, they won't be "respected" by the enlisted corps. It's a huge shame.
 
DS attended LTC this summer. Some of the cadets in his platoon were saying they were going to go back and enlist (I'm assuming to do SMP). Not sure that they realized what they would be up against. I think some of them think that HOOHAH HOOHAH factor of basic training and bonding with other enlisted is what the army is about and somehow that will make them a better officer.

When i ask him what he thought, he said he was much more interested in being an officer than anything basic training had to offer and would rather concentrate on getting into airborne, air assault, or any other program available to ROTC cadets.
 
I am curious if any of these kids have taken a minute to look at DFAS and pay scales. There is a thread right now occurring here regarding the pay issue.

I hope they take the time and look at the pay scales. I have the utmost respect for enlisted, so don't read deeper into what I am about to say.

I was an ADAF wife for 20 yrs. Nothing broke my heart more than watching enlisted members pay with food stamps at the commissary. As officer wives, we held monthly lunch sales (made food and sold it) in the squadron to raise money to purchase holiday food baskets for our enlisted members. We never made enough money to assist every enlisted member. In the AF, we have what is called the Airmen's Attic. It is the equivalent to Salvation Army/Goodwill thrift shop. People donate, we sold it, and every penny we made went back to assist enlisted members. Our last base donated over 80K. Family Support Center....I think that is the equivalent to FRG for the Army, donated layettes for enlisted members.

I am trying to illustrate that until you realize, especially financially, you get it, why would you throw a scholarship at the door.

Another thing to think about....DoD budget is going to be cut for 10 yrs. 3 yrs ago the AF cancelled OCS. You may lock yourself into something thinking OCS can happen later on, but unless you are Nostradamus you can't predict the future.

An E-4 or an E-5 with 4 yrs (assume 22 yo) makes less than an O1 by several thousand a yr.

Do the math. How much is a car payment? How much is a cell phone bill? Cable? Food? Utilities?

A student loan for 15K total when it comes to per monthly payments will be less than the difference in pay. At 24, an O2 with 2 yrs (which is typical) will make @12K a yr more than the E-5 with 6 yrs. You could repay 15K in a yr if you live at the pay of an enlisted member.

I am just saying, be prepared for harsh reality financially if this is about needing to be enlisted for respect, or you for some odd reason want to live this experience.

Be smart...look at DFAS and ask your folks to plan a budget for you. E5 is probably not the rank you will come in as. It probably will be lower.
 
Explain a bit more please

DS attended LTC this summer. Some of the cadets in his platoon were saying they were going to go back and enlist (I'm assuming to do SMP). Not sure that they realized what they would be up against. I think some of them think that HOOHAH HOOHAH factor of basic training and bonding with other enlisted is what the army is about and somehow that will make them a better officer.

When i ask him what he thought, he said he was much more interested in being an officer than anything basic training had to offer and would rather concentrate on getting into airborne, air assault, or any other program available to ROTC cadets.

I have no military background so I need a little more explanation. Where is the due diligence in this process: why are they not talking to the cadre on campus, exploring pay scales, job options, long term possibilities, opportunity costs and conversing with all others who can explore all sides of this commitment? Why are the "voices" of the enlisted so strong especially when they are already in a college campus environment? There seems to be some hidden catalyst that's pushing them in this direction.
 
Enlisted recruiters still hang around college campuses, usually recruiting non-rotc cadets for the reserves with the prospect of paying off student loans.
This is a generalization of course, but many of us have enlisted friends. They went to basic/AIT after high school and usually won't shut up about how bad*** it was. They also tell us that Army life on base is awesome, that it sucks that we'll have to wait 4 years for it. Oh, and they always have to mention that all officers do is sit at a desk and brief PowerPoints.

Many of my peers have bought into it, and become enlisted because they want to be in the "real Army".
 
Any chance

Enlisted recruiters still hang around college campuses, usually recruiting non-rotc cadets for the reserves with the prospect of paying off student loans.
This is a generalization of course, but many of us have enlisted friends. They went to basic/AIT after high school and usually won't shut up about how bad*** it was. They also tell us that Army life on base is awesome, that it sucks that we'll have to wait 4 years for it. Oh, and they always have to mention that all officers do is sit at a desk and brief PowerPoints.

Many of my peers have bought into it, and become enlisted because they want to be in the "real Army".

Any chance these are people that have found college harder than expected and this is a way to leave while saving face?

Thought there were many assignments that don't require power point preparation all day long. Love to hear other's insight on this.
 
We may be getting a little off center. I think the OP is wanting to go ahead and be an officer, just experience basic.
 
QA1517 said:
I think the OP is wanting to go ahead and be an officer, just experience basic.

I think they want to not go AD, but still be an officer. Who would give up AD chances to attend BCT? If so, that is the path.

I am AF, and it was pretty clear to me, going BCT meant AD was at risk. I am not a rocket scientist.
 
Agree, but that is easy to solve also without going to basic. After LDAC you simply choose national guard or reserves and not AD. No need to do it before that point. Or am I missing something.
 
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