lots of prior threads on this over the past couple of years.
My recollection:
- Respect due to Academic Prestige: ROTC at a well ranked college will prepare cadets academically as well as an Academy will. Possible exception is large Public research Universities, which are prestigiouls, but whose budget is by and large devoted to graduate students. This means class sizes much, much larger than those at the Academy. At less rigorous college ... no.
- Respect from other Officers through O1 and probably also O2: For ROTC out of a prestigious college, and the Academy, no difference. Less rigorous college, maybe some unspoken questions
- Respect from other Officers once O3 and beyond -- no difference.
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Other differences between ROTC commissioning and Academy commissioning discussed in prior threads not relating to Respect:
- Military exposure, knowledge, protocols, bearing, tactics: Academy by far, but only through O1 and probably also O2. Beyond O2, no difference.
- Production of a good % of cynical, sarcastic 2LTs: Academy by far. Somewhere during or soon after Beast, wide eyed innocence dies for a lot of cadets. Whether this is good or bad, I can't say. It just is.
- Ability to understand and make effective decisions amidst civilians, internationals, and military contractors: Probably ROTC due to having to navigate the civilian college obstacle course for four or five years.
- Ability to socialize with ease with the opposite gender, and civilians, both US and international: ROTC by far.
- Ability to choose to serve in National Guard or Army Reserves: ROTC only.
- % of commissionees brancing Infantry and Aviation: ROTC by far. (this is not true of NROTC and USNA... % appointed into each of the Communities are within 1% of each other)
- % of commissionees branching Military Intelligence and other Support and Force Sustainment Branches: ROTC by far.
- Active Duty Service Obligation (assuming ROTC cadet goes Active): 5 yrs. Academy, 4 yrs. ROTC Scholarship Cadet, 3 yrs. ROTC non-scholarship cadet.