UNG and VT have some obvious differences (tuition, size, location, football vs non football, one branch vs multiple branches, etc.) but wondering if their ARMY ROTC programs are pretty much the same or any differentiators that would help with decison making betweeen the two? Also UNG has Colombo and Rifle team, does VT have anything similiar? Thanks.
UNG and VT Army ROTC - differentiators?
- Thread starter kk2023
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Thanks. We really enjoyed our visit there. I have to say I found the food really good. I'm just trying to be carefully neutral with DS other than providing any facts he should consider in making his decision as I figure one of his first big "adult" decisions. Given I think he could make the most of any of the options he has in front of him.
I would think about a few more things
Proposed major- If your interested in Engineering than VT is probably the route to go. The same is true for Economics. If you are looking at languages or Criminal Justice then UNG is a good option. Some programs (History) would be a toss up.
Location- How often will you be traveling if far from both. Costs will probably be easier to get to UNG (proximate to ATL) than VA Tech which is only close to Roanoke if you need to do Air travel. So expenses will probably be higher if you need to rely on air travel.
ROTC wise both are probably similar in nature as SMCs. You have a bigger ROTC department with a Colonel (O6) PMS. Non SMCs typically have LTCs or MAJs. UNG is near Camp Merrill the Mountain phase of Ranger Training Brigade. VT will have opportunities at Fort Pickett and AP Hill which are fairly robust VA National Guard bases but fewer active opportunities.
Proposed major- If your interested in Engineering than VT is probably the route to go. The same is true for Economics. If you are looking at languages or Criminal Justice then UNG is a good option. Some programs (History) would be a toss up.
Location- How often will you be traveling if far from both. Costs will probably be easier to get to UNG (proximate to ATL) than VA Tech which is only close to Roanoke if you need to do Air travel. So expenses will probably be higher if you need to rely on air travel.
ROTC wise both are probably similar in nature as SMCs. You have a bigger ROTC department with a Colonel (O6) PMS. Non SMCs typically have LTCs or MAJs. UNG is near Camp Merrill the Mountain phase of Ranger Training Brigade. VT will have opportunities at Fort Pickett and AP Hill which are fairly robust VA National Guard bases but fewer active opportunities.
AlwaysAProudParent
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As my wife and I told our DS. Who was committed to Norwich then changed to VT. ROTC Scholarship Winner. Tell me WHY VT and DON'T told tell me about Food, Main Street, or the campus looks nice. He did over night at both and from him it came down to this. Distance was about the same 500 Miles from home. Plane to Norwich from Newark 1 Hr for 100$ or 9 hr Train from Central NJ to Roanoke same 100$ one way. Bus to campus from Train . So that was a wash for him he said. He is a language - International Relation major so the language options were more plentiful at VT. 1 - 0 VT, Any semblance of life off campus. 2-0 VT. As Norwich was extremely rural. Big time Sports school VT 3-0 as it added to his overall college experience. Weather hands down VT 4-0, Being a small percentage in a large student body has said made him feel different in a good way. VT-5 0 Me having to pay his Room and Board as VT does not zero out for Scholarship winner but Norwich does VT 5 - Norwich 1. All in all when we first started this journey I thought the small class / campus was better for him coming from an all boys Catholic prep school. NOPE my wife I were dead wrong as he knew what excited him and that allow him to be able to function taking 19 credits a semester, little sleep and do well. And being part of those football games with all the pomp and circumstance he said makes those in the corps he said feel special. So feeling good he said is the number one motivator in doing well and getting over those tough days which will be plentiful early on.
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Thanks for all the feedback so far. We did visit Norwich too but he didn’t end up applying there. Jokingly, what I really like about VT is Growley the dog. I am curious about how much time ends up being spent on ROTC and Corp activities during average week. I am trying to get him to make a weighted pro/con list with some data points as right now he really seems to like both places for different reasons, which isn’t helping much with decision making. Logistically either place would work for us. He is not going to be an engineering major. I do wonder the same thing about whether a smaller school would be better or not really matter to him as UNG campus is defn smaller than VT.
He loves rappelling and going off backpacking, etc. so he sees this as a plus, plus A.T. near by. I believe during frog week they go to Camp Merrill for one day. That really interests him. I know it is just the first week and can’t base a choice just based on this, but reading about frog week at UNG, I can tell he would be interested in all that. Can’t seem to find the same level of detail of what happens during new cadet week at VT so hard to compare.
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AlwaysAProudParent
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During that week is depends on the company my son said. Some are hard into marching, some lots of PT and the others a healthy mix as a week later parents are invited to come back to VT and see the newbies march on what is called the Drillfield. ( The large oval area the the campus encircles. ) information and the band plays as they parade with cannons firing and band marching as week. DS said they do a lot of obstacle course work Repel, Walls Climb, Crawl and runs etc. He said it was fine. But if you out of shape your in trouble. Then if you parents are there you get leave for the weekend ( Most of them just sleep for 2 days in the hotels beds LOL )
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If you are Army, chances are good that you will end up at some point in your career doing PT in high humidity. (Benning, Bragg, Hood, Knox, etc.)
I was just having this conversation with a few folks about the humidity of a JRTC rotation at Fort Polk in August or a field problem in a Korean rice patty in July. If you are in the Army you quickly learn you can adjust to extreme heat or cold.
