AROTC: University of South Florida vs. University of Tampa

JLur

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Jun 9, 2016
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I am posing this question because it is one that I am only beginning to look at and I value all of the feedback here as it has guided me well. Here is my current situation:

USF and UT are 3 and 2 respectively on my school on intent list for the AROTC 4-year scholarship. I currently consider them equal. I have been admitted to both schools. I know that UT offers R and B for ROTC scholarship cadets. I just received a $12,000 a year merit scholarship offer from USF. This would allow me to pay for R and B if I were to theoretically get the 4 year scholarship there. I am fairly and cautiously confident I will get a 4 year scholarship through ROTC although I know things can always change. So the golden question: Money not being an issue, which program is better? Which program will give me the best opportunity to go to the most military training and set me up the best to eventually become an Infantry Officer?
I know I have a while for this decision but I figured I would throw the question out there.
Thanks in advance to all responses.
 
The school you feel is the best fit is the school where you will succeed the most. You need to visit both, visit the the dets also and see which one feels right to you. Remember leadership does change over every few years so a current PMS might be gone before you arrive. Ask about success rates of the number of scholarship and Non-scholarship Cadets who stay in the program, how many get their first pick of AD or reserves, how many get their first pick of branch. Are the dets about the same size? Some might feel a large det is better than a small det, this is 100% a personal decision. What extra activities are there from drill teams, volunteer work, stadium clean up, honor guard, mandatory study hall... again preferences here are personal. It sounds like if you earned a scholarship, finances are about the same. If that is the case, you also need to 'what if' with your parents. There are no guarantees in ROTC. What if you get hurt, hate it, decide military life isn't for you, etc.What school would make the most sense then? What is most affordable? Good luck.
 
1000% agree with Navy. I would add that you should visit, but call before you go and ask to meet some cadets in your intended major. Do not have your parents hang with you. Meet the folks later at a selected place and time. The reasons why are simple:
1. Cadets will talk differently if the folks are around. If it is just you than they will see it more like peer to peer and not the dog and pony show for the folks. They can give you an honest feedback.
~ Dets are different from personality/feel aspect too.
2. Meeting the folks later will allow you a few minutes to walk around the campus like you would as a freshmen. I don't know if it is the solitude where you can think before being peppered with questions by the folks, or just being able to imagine yourself there as a student next year. Students will bump into you as you walk without a 2nd thought thinking you are just another student, whereas, when you do the school tour as a gaggle of people with the parents, it is like the parting of the seas when you walk by them. They give wide berth. It just doesn't have the same feel.

We did this for our DS. His number 3 school immediately jumped to number 1. For him it was a feeling not only after meeting cadets in his intended major, but also desired career field. They spent an hr. playing xbox in the cadet lounge and shooting the breeze about life there as an AFROTC cadet. Such as things like Navy stated extra activities.

Good luck
 
Jlur,

Our DS is currently an MS3 at UT. He absolutely loves the business school there. What is your intended major? The main reason our DS chose UT was the small class sizes. I don't know of many classes at USF that are small. DS was awarded a 3 year scholarship, however went on to crush PT test and got an upgrade to 3.5 year. He loves his instructors and has never had anything bad to say about the program at UT. I know he has some friends in the ROTC program at USA, however he still says he is. Glad that he chose UT.
 
Jlur,

Our DS is currently an MS3 at UT. He absolutely loves the business school there. What is your intended major? The main reason our DS chose UT was the small class sizes. I don't know of many classes at USF that are small. DS was awarded a 3 year scholarship, however went on to crush PT test and got an upgrade to 3.5 year. He loves his instructors and has never had anything bad to say about the program at UT. I know he has some friends in the ROTC program at USA, however he still says he is. Glad that he chose UT.

My intended major is Political Science
 
Well, ultimately it's your choice. I think everyone here has given you good ideas for making your determination. I would suggest a visit to each during the day to get a feel for them.
 
I just received a $12,000 a year merit scholarship offer from USF. This would allow me to pay for R and B if I were to theoretically get the 4 year scholarship there.
Keep in mind that some colleges pull their merit dollars if you get ROTC. You should call the school and ask.
 
It is important to realise that ROTC is only one component of your college experience and the two schools are very different. USF is a large school that has a wider variety of majors, different options should you decide to change majors and more extra curricular activities on campus. It does come at a cost - the classes are much bigger-much much bigger in some cases (entry level classes can be up to 500 students vs an avg of 30 students at UT. You will likely need to live off-campus at USF sooner than at UT. It will be harder to get the attention of professors at USF vs UT simply because of the size. That will factor in the ROTC experience as well- USF Suncoast Battalion is larger than UT Spartan Battalion.

The other thing to consider is your options if you decide not to pursue ROTC and therefore forgo the scholarship - in that case the cost of UT is much higher than USF. If money is not an issue, even without the scholarship then you should go to the school that you feel fits you best - big school or smaller school. What I would not do is make that choice solely (or even majorly) based on the ROTC program. Remember you are there to get an education and part of being successful in the ROTC is being successful in school -you can't have the former without the latter.

Source: I have a child at one of the schools.

BTW - what is your #1?
 
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