campus & battalion visits

educateme

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My son will be doing campus/battalion visits in the spring. I know you are all pretty anxious about this year's board results, and answering this question may let you take your mind off of it for a few minutes: wink, wink!

He will be visiting DC schools (ROTC cross town affiliate arrangement galore), and one or two in the Boston area. these are his top choices. And a few more: haven't decided yet

We will be visiting both the colleges/universities themselves and the battalions. I would like advice from the wise parents/candidates here.

*** What should we be looking for both from the colleges/universities officials and the battalion officers.

***What kind of questions should we be asking?

*** It's less obvious whether there is something about the colleges/universities officials about their attitudes/policies toward the ROTC and their relationship in general that we should be aware of or concerned about. Is this a factor to begin with?

Your input would be greatly appreciated.
 
Well, rather late in the game, we discovered that there are different housing options for ROTC cadets. You might find it worthwhile to ask if they are spread out all over campus or housed together. If housed together, is it mandatory or optional? All cadets or just upper classmen?
 
some good questions to ask ROTC battalions are

how many cadets get their first choices for jobs after commissioning

how do the cadets perform at LDAC

what extracurriculars does the program offer

is the student body at the school supportive of the ROTC program

how large is the battalion? does this affect cadet performance

does being in ROTC affect cadets grades. how do they balance the workload

do many cadets participate in extracurriculars outside of rotc? if yes what kind of activities do most cadets do?

I suggest that you put all the questions you choose to ask on a piece of paper so that you can remember them, and take them with you when you talk to the PMS. asking a lot of questions is really good because it not only gives you info, but it shows that you are interested in the battalion.
 
One of goaliegirl's schools was visited on a federal holiday that wasn't a school holiday (classes were running). As a result, no cadre on campus. Problem? No. The assistant hockey coach grabbed a couple of the senior ROTC cadets (easy to find in fatigues) in the cafeteria and we had lunch together. Gave us an entirely different view of the operation than ROO run tours. Were able to get a different perspective as to what makes a successful cadet in their unit, as these guys knew the whole battallion very well. Also gave us an idea of what type of leaders the unit produces (good stuff).
 
Make an appointment well in advance and then confirm 2 weeks out and then week of visit.

Send resume with appointment request.

Yes, have student write down some questions and you have some also.

Expect to be able to speak with PMS/Scholarship officer with your son, but do not be surprised if they also want to speak with him alone.

Ask if there are cadets around for him to talk to.
 
AFVet

One of the keys that determined where my son wanted to go to and his list of choices are what the individual ROTC program offered at that individual school, ie. Free room and board, books paid for ect. Not all Colleges or Universities have these. They only pay for tuition. And having a son currently in a private college his books this semester were over $600. That's on top of what he paid last semester, $575 and most were used! I can't wait till next semester (He has trimesters) These are very important things to consider.
 
My son will be doing campus/battalion visits in the spring. I know you are all pretty anxious about this year's board results, and answering this question may let you take your mind off of it for a few minutes: wink, wink!

He will be visiting DC schools (ROTC cross town affiliate arrangement galore), and one or two in the Boston area. these are his top choices. And a few more: haven't decided yet

We will be visiting both the colleges/universities themselves and the battalions. I would like advice from the wise parents/candidates here.

*** What should we be looking for both from the colleges/universities officials and the battalion officers.

***What kind of questions should we be asking?

*** It's less obvious whether there is something about the colleges/universities officials about their attitudes/policies toward the ROTC and their relationship in general that we should be aware of or concerned about. Is this a factor to begin with?

Your input would be greatly appreciated.

-school officials won't volunteer much info. not very involved with ROTC.
-No school in the DC consortium offers room and board.
-you can choose to use part of your ROTC scholarship towards room and board when your school gives you an academic scholarship.
-army is broke. no student is guaranteed a scholarship right now. It is highly competitive academically and physically
-When visiting DC. Hoya battalion at Georgetown, get in touch with Captain Angela Bevill.
- Also it is a good idea to contact the batallion before hand and arrange for your son to stay with a cadet overnight and go to classes with them. He will get a foretaste of what lays ahead.
 
-you can choose to use part of your ROTC scholarship towards room and board when your school gives you an academic scholarship.
Are you sure this is correct? I thought you could use the scholarship for either tuition OR room and board, but not partially for both. Great deal if you can combine it with school merit aid and use it for the total expense of college.
 
Are you sure this is correct? I thought you could use the scholarship for either tuition OR room and board, but not partially for both. Great deal if you can combine it with school merit aid and use it for the total expense of college.
I heard the same thing as algages. And if you go for the room and board option is is SIGNIFICANTLY less money.
 
Campus Visits

The Major at my son's #1 choice where he was accepted and given a $12,500 per year merit scholarship told him he could not use it if he got the four year scholarship.You would think they would let these kids use them as it would save the Army some money.
 
The Major at my son's #1 choice where he was accepted and given a $12,500 per year merit scholarship told him he could not use it if he got the four year scholarship.You would think they would let these kids use them as it would save the Army some money.

I've probably mentioned this before, but each school has different policies on whether or not their school scholarships can be used in conjunction with a ROTC scholarship. I've found a few different scenarios.

1) The few schools that give free R&B (or other bonuses) to scholarship winners. I think there is a sticky thread in the ROTC section with a list of these schools.

2) Schools that give specific awards for specific achievements. Some of these (check with the school) can be applied to R&B, some cannot.

3) Schools that give need-based aid. Unless you are very poor, you will likely lose all of your need based aid, as the ROTC scholarship, book allowance, and stipend generally count agains these awards.

4) Schools that give merit aid, but limit it to your match your EFC. This looks a lot like #3 above, except that it based upon your grades and your need.

Ultimately, you should talk to the FA officer at each school on your list to find out what the policies on their institutional aid for ROTC scholarship recipients. They will tell you exactly what you need to know.

I agree that it is a shame that schools that discount tuition for almost everyone (even a $5k scholarship) will not discount R&B for students who bring in full tuition from Uncle Sam.
 
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