Please let me clarify now that I have the whole story. Our DD is coming to the end of her freshman year of college. She has been enrolled in AROTC from the start of her freshman year. She has been medically qualified from Dodmerb. She is being told she is on track for a 3 yr scholarship that would cover years 2,3,and 4 of college. Last week at the college, a National guard recruiter had an info nite at school and said that since the scholarship is not in effect until the end of this year, she could enlist in the guard, attend summer training and when her scholarship kicks in in August or September the National guard would discharge her. They are telling her the extra training and PT would greatly benefit her in her Army career. My question is, Does this sound right? She is also speaking to her cadre.
It may be technically correct but extremely risky. Sounds like the Cadre are in her corner for a possible 3 year scholarship which is great.
Think of it this way, the Battalion uses the scholarship as a recruitment tool, they want to lock in the good cadets by offering the scholarship and signing a contract early. This allows them to have another contracted cadet with an obligation to the Army, it's good for both the cadet and the Battalion. If your daughter enlists in the National Guard (NG) to attend BCT this summer then she will now be obligated to the Army. The Battalion will no longer need to offer her a scholarship because she will now be able to become a SMP cadet through the guard and she will already be obligated to the Army. The Battalion can now offer that scholarship to another cadet so they can increase the number of contracted cadets leaving your daughter out in the cold. Now the only option your daughter would have for a scholarship would be one from the Guard which would obligate her to the Reserve/NG upon commissioning with no chance at all for Active Duty.
Your daughter would have to attend AIT as well to get any benefits above drill pay which could mean she would have to miss a semester of school or go the following summer, which would mean that she would miss out on training that would be available to her as a contracted cadet. Not only this but she will now be required to attend drill one weekend every month while at school. Even if the Battalion still offers her the scholarship they will be in no rush and could wait until the end of her sophomore year, meaning she would miss out on having one year's tuition paid and would be drilling once a month.
Simply going to BCT over the summer will do nothing to benefit her Army career as an officer. BCT is basic training for enlisted soldiers, that's what it is designed for, it has nothing to do with preparation to become an officer, that's why she is in ROTC.
NG recruiters have these "Info Nights" at a lot of schools, they do a great job of making it sound so easy and wonderful and they always seem to get some cadets to bite the hook.
Your daughter has done well enough to put herself in a position that the Cadre is talking about offering her a scholarship. If she enlists she removes that incentive from the Cadre to offer her that scholarship.
I mention "Enlist" because that is what it is. They may be presenting it as just a formality so she can go to BCT but it is what it is, Enlistment. Once she signs that paper she belongs to the NG, if the Battalion doesn't offer her the scholarship she can't simply leave the Guard, the Guard now owns her and they will have to give a formal release even if the Battalion offers her the scholarship and that release is not guaranteed.
One other thing for her to consider, and it's a big one. She is now qualified through Dodmerb, which means they are serious about the scholarship. BCT is physical and people do get hurt, even if an injury is minor it is required to be reported to Dodmerb. She could easily be DQ'd and then require a waiver which means the scholarship offer is now off the table until she is requalified, the Battalion is now free to offer that scholarship to another cadet.
I'll be honest, if it were one of my son's facing this decision I would do all I could to talk them out of it. The risks far out weigh and benefits they push in their sales pitch.
