NROTC for Purdue University

puzzled

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Feb 22, 2018
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I was wondering if anyone has experience in the NROTC battalion for Purdue.
More specifically, being a college program mid in the battalion.

I was not awarded a NROTC scholarship, but committed to Purdue to study Data Science (which is not even listed on the majors for NROTC).

Thanks!
 
They don't list all possible majors on the list of majors. Some schools will call a major by a different name than NROTC does. Call the unit at Purdue and they can let you know in what tier your major falls. I'm guessing it's a Tier 2 major, but they would know for sure.

Life as a college programmer there, as in any other unit, will be no different than that of a scholarship midshipman, with one exception - you will not be able to participate in summer training until you receive a scholarship or advanced standing. You will be issued the same uniforms as the scholarship midshipmen. You will have the same leadership opportunities. You will take the same classes and PT with them as well.

If you have specific questions, or specific questions regarding Purdue, then fire away. I'm confident there are people here who are familiar with Purdue.

Do you plan on pursuing Navy Option or Marine Option?
 
They don't list all possible majors on the list of majors. Some schools will call a major by a different name than NROTC does. Call the unit at Purdue and they can let you know in what tier your major falls. I'm guessing it's a Tier 2 major, but they would know for sure.

Life as a college programmer there, as in any other unit, will be no different than that of a scholarship midshipman, with one exception - you will not be able to participate in summer training until you receive a scholarship or advanced standing. You will be issued the same uniforms as the scholarship midshipmen. You will have the same leadership opportunities. You will take the same classes and PT with them as well.

If you have specific questions, or specific questions regarding Purdue, then fire away. I'm confident there are people here who are familiar with Purdue.

Do you plan on pursuing Navy Option or Marine Option?
Thank you for your reply. I am planning on pursuing the Navy Option.
 
They don't list all possible majors on the list of majors. Some schools will call a major by a different name than NROTC does. Call the unit at Purdue and they can let you know in what tier your major falls. I'm guessing it's a Tier 2 major, but they would know for sure.

Life as a college programmer there, as in any other unit, will be no different than that of a scholarship midshipman, with one exception - you will not be able to participate in summer training until you receive a scholarship or advanced standing. You will be issued the same uniforms as the scholarship midshipmen. You will have the same leadership opportunities. You will take the same classes and PT with them as well.

If you have specific questions, or specific questions regarding Purdue, then fire away. I'm confident there are people here who are familiar with Purdue.

Do you plan on pursuing Navy Option or Marine Option?
Thank you for your reply. I am planning on pursuing the Navy Option.
I don't go to Purdue but I am currently a college program MIDN who reapplied for (and was selected for) a national scholarship. Feel free to reach out with any questions about life in the battalion!
 
My son goes to Purdue but at AF Rotc. It is a wonderful school and you will have a great time there. All I can tell you about NROTC at Purdue is that there hair is cut way shorter than the AF Rotc
 
My DS was a Marine Option at Purdue and graduated a few years ago. Its a solid unit but as I have said in the past, so much depends upon the professional military officers running it at the time. They turn over every 3 years or so, so the "culture" can change quite a bit over time. Kinnem's comments on college program mids were valid. I have noticed that the unit has gotten much more involved with social media recently. There is a Facebook page and other social media platforms that show the life of a midshipman at Purdue. Recommend you start with their webpage.
 
My son goes to Purdue but at AF Rotc. It is a wonderful school and you will have a great time there. All I can tell you about NROTC at Purdue is that there hair is cut way shorter than the AF Rotc
I am considering Purdue AFROTC as well. I can't wait to get there!
 
My DS was a Marine Option at Purdue and graduated a few years ago. Its a solid unit but as I have said in the past, so much depends upon the professional military officers running it at the time. They turn over every 3 years or so, so the "culture" can change quite a bit over time. Kinnem's comments on college program mids were valid. I have noticed that the unit has gotten much more involved with social media recently. There is a Facebook page and other social media platforms that show the life of a midshipman at Purdue. Recommend you start with their webpage.
Thank you. I am also going to email the battalion officer there to get some more information about the program.
 
Puzzled: Not sure if you live near enough, but my DS visited the school and coordinated a visit with the unit. It just so happened that they had a drill session that day and were cleaning a local Marine reserve unit's pistols. They were given a class on proper handling and then care/ cleaning of the firearms. DS got to sit in and participate. It made his day and definitely motivated him to return the next fall as an incoming MO Midshipman. During that visit, he also met with some of the staff.
 
My son goes to Purdue but at AF Rotc. It is a wonderful school and you will have a great time there. All I can tell you about NROTC at Purdue is that there hair is cut way shorter than the AF Rotc
I am considering Purdue AFROTC as well. I can't wait to get there!
They are a good group of guys. This last fall they have large freshman group and those in command are relatively new (maybe 2 years) so the program should continue as is for the foreseable future. I would advise joining Arnold Air although it is time consuming your first semester
 
Has anyone on this forum had any personal experience with the Purdue NROTC unit? Has anyone visited or anything like that? What was your experience and what stuck out to you? I received an NROTC scholarship, placed at Purdue University. I will be visiting within a few weeks, and I will be sure to post my observations, but I always like to hear other viewpoints as well. Thanks to all!
 
My DS and I visited Purdue and the NROTC unit there two years ago. We were very impressed with the university and the NROTC unit seemed to be squared away from what we were told by the Lt. who met with us. As has been stated in other threads, pick a school, not an NROTC unit. The curriculum for all units is the same. While there may be some differences in the culture, traditions and operations of individual units, the quality of a unit can fluctuate as staff and members float in and out. Most of your time will be spent as a university student and it is important that you are happy and fulfilled in that role.
 
I was wondering if anyone has experience in the NROTC battalion for Purdue.
More specifically, being a college program mid in the battalion.

I was not awarded a NROTC scholarship, but committed to Purdue to study Data Science (which is not even listed on the majors for NROTC).

Thanks!
I'm in the same position as you currently. Applied, but did not receive the scholarship, so I applied for the college program at Purdue. Have you heard anything back yet?
 
I was wondering if anyone has experience in the NROTC battalion for Purdue.
More specifically, being a college program mid in the battalion.

I was not awarded a NROTC scholarship, but committed to Purdue to study Data Science (which is not even listed on the majors for NROTC).

Thanks!
I'm in the same position as you currently. Applied, but did not receive the scholarship, so I applied for the college program at Purdue. Have you heard anything back yet?
No I have not. It said on the paper that it would take them a few weeks to respond. If we both make it, hope to see you there!
 
I was wondering if anyone has experience in the NROTC battalion for Purdue.
More specifically, being a college program mid in the battalion.

I was not awarded a NROTC scholarship, but committed to Purdue to study Data Science (which is not even listed on the majors for NROTC).

Thanks!
I'm in the same position as you currently. Applied, but did not receive the scholarship, so I applied for the college program at Purdue. Have you heard anything back yet?
I just heard back today that I was accepted to the program. Have you heard anything back as well?
 
Yes, congrats! I got an acceptance email back on June 4th. See you soon.
For sure!

Seeing as how we are both gonna be college program mids...

I'm majoring in Data Science, and my academic advisor wants me to either dump English my first year and take it later, because taking English and Naval Science courses together isn't a thing apparently.

If I don't dump ENGL I'm looking at 19 credit hours, but without English I'm looking at 15.

What did your academic advisor say about taking Naval Science courses?
What's your major?

*To everyone else...sorry for kicking this thread back up. I'm unable to PM rrossman and I don't know why*
 
@puzzled - As far as PMing you may not have enough posts yet.

Navy requires that you take English Composition. If that's the English course you are dropping, and it's usually taken freshman year, I would recommend against it. English composition will help you succeed in all your other courses. If you can't write cogently, you cannot succeed in college (OK, I'm using a broad brush). If you must drop a course I'm sure there are others you can consider dropping.

Also, keep in mind that your first semester in NROTC is probably the easiest semester you will have in NROTC. Over time your responsibilities as a leader will increase, and consume more of your time. By senior year I think DS was spending about 20 hours a week on NROTC. I often wondered if he was majoring in history or NROTC. You'll also be taking your easiest college courses at this time. On the other hand, I'm also a firm believer in only taking 15 or 16 hours first semester of freshman year. You will already have plenty to adjust to going off to college and enrolling in NROTC. Wait until second semester to tackle so many credit hours.

Personally I alternated... 15 hours one semester and 18 to 21 the next. With credits I was awarded for courses I tested out of, senior year I was able to coast with only 12 hours each semester.

I'm sure I'm not any help discussing some of the angles you should consider... but you need to do so. Good luck on your decision.
 
Hello! I will also be joining the NROTC unit at Purdue in August on a scholarship. I will enter the First year Engineering Program and I plan on taking 16 credits (including the 5 credits for NROTC) during my first semester. Feel free to PM me. It would be great to meet someone else before New Student Orientation!
 
@puzzled - As far as PMing you may not have enough posts yet.

Navy requires that you take English Composition. If that's the English course you are dropping, and it's usually taken freshman year, I would recommend against it. English composition will help you succeed in all your other courses. If you can't write cogently, you cannot succeed in college (OK, I'm using a broad brush). If you must drop a course I'm sure there are others you can consider dropping.

Also, keep in mind that your first semester in NROTC is probably the easiest semester you will have in NROTC. Over time your responsibilities as a leader will increase, and consume more of your time. By senior year I think DS was spending about 20 hours a week on NROTC. I often wondered if he was majoring in history or NROTC. You'll also be taking your easiest college courses at this time. On the other hand, I'm also a firm believer in only taking 15 or 16 hours first semester of freshman year. You will already have plenty to adjust to going off to college and enrolling in NROTC. Wait until second semester to tackle so many credit hours.

Personally I alternated... 15 hours one semester and 18 to 21 the next. With credits I was awarded for courses I tested out of, senior year I was able to coast with only 12 hours each semester.

I'm sure I'm not any help discussing some of the angles you should consider... but you need to do so. Good luck on your decision.
Im not sure if enough posts is the problem, as I've had conversations over PM before. The English course at Purdue is one year long. I did consider dropping other courses, but they are required for my major and I figured I would get them out of the way. Seeing as how I only need one year of English both major wise and NROTC wise, I thought about pushing English back to senior year. My academic advisor also said I could take English over summer. Since I'm not on scholarship, that seemed like a good idea to me.
 
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