Dropping full AFROTC to join AROTC uncontracted

I know this sounds really ridiculous but as of late I have been thinking of handing in my full AFROTC scholarship (I am a freshmen so that means no payback) to join AROTC as a noncontracted cadet. I am confident that I can get another Army scholarship as over last summer I won both an Air Force ROTC scholarship and a Army Scholarship.

The reason I want to do this is because AFROTC isn't quite what I expected it to be. There isn't a true brotherhood (at least in my detachment), people just follow orders, march, and show up to PT and class.

In Army, I know I can do other stuff like Ranger challenge and I also really want to jump (can I do this is AFROTC)?

Any guidance would be appreciated. Maybe it's just me thinking its greener on the other side.

Keep in mind (and I'm sure you are) that we're talking about more than your college years here. It's what comes after on active duty as well. And speaking of active duty, it's not guaranteed in Army. Good luck with your decision.

If your decision rests solely with your confidence in getting the AROTC scholarship, I would recommend you think twice because there is no guarantee that if you give up the AFROTC scholarship you will be awarded the AROTC scholarship. You are assuming you will get the AROTC scholarship, but that is a very big assumption on your part. Can you afford to stay in school at your current university without the scholarship? If you can't, have you discussed alternative financing with your parents? Have you researched the AROTC unit at your current university, or are you assuming the AROTC unit is better? The band of brotherhood you are seeking doesn't happen overnight, and since you are only a freshman you may not have allowed sufficient time for the AFROTC unit to bond. If you are truly not satisfied where you are then by all means change your course because as Kinnem pointed out, there is more at stake than just your college years, but base your decision on research and things you have control of rather than thinking the grass is greener in the AROTC program.

kinnem said:

Keep in mind (and I'm sure you are) that we're talking about more than your college years here. It's what comes after on active duty as well. And speaking of active duty, it's not guaranteed in Army. Good luck with your decision.

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Agree with these thoughts. Unless you want to be in the Army vice the Air Force career-wise, then I'm not sure switching is the right answer. The two services are very different. If you see yourself as a better fit for the Air Force following commissioning, perhaps think about what you can do as a cadet to improve the level of cohesiveness within your unit. I've seen individual midshipmen in NROTC make big impacts on their class and their battalion. Similarly, I've seen individual officers make big impacts on the culture of their wardrooms.