3 Year AD Scholarship & Reserves

RBI90VMI

RBI90VMI

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Joined
Mar 20, 2022
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My son is a Rat at VMI and has a 3 Year AD ROTC Scholarship. His MSI instructor asked him if he was interested in joining the reserves. He has a meeting with the recruiter tomorrow.

My son asked me what I thought and honestly I don't know enough about how that would look.

I asked him what benefits he would gain?

I know there is the monthly pay and the added training. What happens next year when his scholarship kicks in? How will the two week annual training conflict with whatever ROTC summer training is available?

What happens to his reserve obligation when he commissions 4 years from now? Will his MOS in the reserves have any bearing on what branch he'll commission in (he wants Corps of Engineers).

Thanks in advance!
 
Sounds like the Simultaneous Membership Program (SMP). Here is one description:

Simultaneous Membership Program (SMP) - Army ROTC

You may be able to take advantage of a program that allows you to participate in ROTC and enlist in the Army National Guard or Army Reserve at the same time, provided a vacancy exists in either a Guard or Reserve unit.
www.uab.edu www.uab.edu
 
CatDog99 said:
Sounds like the Simultaneous Membership Program (SMP). Here is one description:

Simultaneous Membership Program (SMP) - Army ROTC

You may be able to take advantage of a program that allows you to participate in ROTC and enlist in the Army National Guard or Army Reserve at the same time, provided a vacancy exists in either a Guard or Reserve unit.
www.uab.edu www.uab.edu
Click to expand...
One of the qualifications is to have completed Basic or AIT which my son has not.
 
RBI90VMI said:
One of the qualifications is to have completed Basic or AIT which my son has not.
Click to expand...
Plus, I always thought that the primary benefit of SMP was tuition assistance . . . which a scholarship cadet doesn't need.
 
Don’t know, but doing SMP - will this limit him to a Reserve vs active duty slot at graduation?
 
glen said:
Don’t know, but doing SMP - will this limit him to a Reserve vs active duty slot at graduation?
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From everything I've read, SMP does not limit him to a reserve commission.

Don't get me wrong, there are definite benefits to the program, I just don't believe that in my son's specific case the benefits outweigh the disadvantages not including the fact that he currently isn't eligible.

He has not completed basic or AIT
He is not a sophomore, junior or senior
 
To be on scholarship and do SMP it does require you to commit to the Guard or Reserves…your scholarship has to be converted to GRFD and the scholarship will preclude him from many of the normal SMP benefits. What the recruiter will tell you the advantages are is more experience, experience as an enlisted soldier that will make you a better officer, and you start your retirement clock earlier. My personal opinion on is none of those are valid reasons. They will also tell you that you can still go AD, but it requires being released from GRFD, which is difficult to get. If your Cadet wants to serve part time after college it’s a good option if he can balance it.
 
Did you get any feedback from your DS meeting on Friday?

I was at the Parade yesterday, the Corps and Rat Mass looked sharp!
 
CatDog99 said:
Did you get any feedback from your DS meeting on Friday?

I was at the Parade yesterday, the Corps and Rat Mass looked sharp!
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The recruiter never contacted him to meet! My son said he's not going to reach out, but will meet if the recruiter does contact him. I do think that my son isn't seeing much of a benefit as of right now.

I was at the parades as well! Game was good, but the rain finally convinced me to leave for the relative dryness of my tailgate!

1663000143983.png
 
RBI90VMI said:
The recruiter never contacted him to meet! My son said he's not going to reach out, but will meet if the recruiter does contact him. I do think that my son isn't seeing much of a benefit as of right now.

I was at the parades as well! Game was good, but the rain finally convinced me to leave for the relative dryness of my tailgate!

View attachment 12888
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That's great! My DS is 2023 in Bravo. I had to leave after the parade, unfortunately. Best of luck to your Rat! Awesome that you were there to support at the first tailgate of the season. RahVaMil
 
Can't wait until after breakout so I can display this in
CatDog99 said:
That's great! My DS is 2023 in Bravo. I had to leave after the parade, unfortunately. Best of luck to your Rat! Awesome that you were there to support at the first tailgate of the season. RahVaMil
Click to expand...
Can't wait until after breakout so I can display this instead!

1663007141120.png
 
VMI Commandant Colonel Bogart posted on LinkedIn regarding an SMP Cadet. Pasted here:

8 October 2022. Virginia Military Institute Parade Ground, Lexington, VA. VMI Pride! Andrew Partridge is currently a 2nd Class Cadet at Virginia Military Institute and works part time in the Virginia Army National Guard through the Simultaneous Membership Program (SMP). As the U.S. Army tells us, SMP is an Army National Guard, Army Reserve, and the U.S. Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) program which offers qualified full time college students the opportunity to become members of the Army National Guard and Reserve. The Simultaneous Membership is a 2 to 3-year program whereby Cadets serve in the Army National Guard or Army Reserve as an Officer in Training; or paid internship; and attend Army ROTC classes 'simultaneously". This is a special program available only to Non-Scholarship and Guaranteed Reserve Force Duty contracted cadets accepted into the Advanced Course of Army ROTC. These Cadets get to use the skills they have developed in Army ROTC in real military unit as officers in training. Cadet Partridge is one of many SMP Cadets at VMI and serves with great pride in the National Guard. Cadet Partridge also spends a great deal of time accurately capturinglife as a Cadet and this Family Weekend, he had a special focus of the great Parade for our Family.
 
I did SMP at the other Lexington university and went active duty, but I was not scholarship.
I don’t know if it’s still the case, but read the fine print in the “guaranteed reserve scholarship”. My DW was “guaranteed reserve” SMP. Her senior year she was called into the the PMS office and congratulated- she was getting an RA commission. DW was confused. “Regular Army Reserves?” No. Regular Army. She told the PMS there was a mistake. She was guaranteed reserve, accepted to grad school, getting married. The PMS said he would make some calls and fix it.
A few days later she’s called in again. The fine print on the contract: “Needs of the Army”. She was going active duty. To Korea.
Her fiancé broke up with her- he didn’t want to follow her. No grad school.
But it was her lucky day. She met me on her first assignment. I was her “rebound”. She’s been thanking her lucky stars ever since. 🙄 Or something like that.
 
UHBlackhawk said:
I did SMP at the other Lexington university and went active duty, but I was not scholarship.
I don’t know if it’s still the case, but read the fine print in the “guaranteed reserve scholarship”. My DW was “guaranteed reserve” SMP. Her senior year she was called into the the PMS office and congratulated- she was getting an RA commission. DW was confused. “Regular Army Reserves?” No. Regular Army. She told the PMS there was a mistake. She was guaranteed reserve, accepted to grad school, getting married. The PMS said he would make some calls and fix it.
A few days later she’s called in again. The fine print on the contract: “Needs of the Army”. She was going active duty. To Korea.
Her fiancé broke up with her- he didn’t want to follow her. No grad school.
But it was her lucky day. She met me on her first assignment. I was her “rebound”. She’s been thanking her lucky stars ever since. 🙄 Or something like that.
Click to expand...
It's not often you see a love story on these forums! Lucky you!
 
UHBlackhawk said:
I did SMP at the other Lexington university and went active duty, but I was not scholarship.
I don’t know if it’s still the case, but read the fine print in the “guaranteed reserve scholarship”. My DW was “guaranteed reserve” SMP. Her senior year she was called into the the PMS office and congratulated- she was getting an RA commission. DW was confused. “Regular Army Reserves?” No. Regular Army. She told the PMS there was a mistake. She was guaranteed reserve, accepted to grad school, getting married. The PMS said he would make some calls and fix it.
A few days later she’s called in again. The fine print on the contract: “Needs of the Army”. She was going active duty. To Korea.
Her fiancé broke up with her- he didn’t want to follow her. No grad school.
But it was her lucky day. She met me on her first assignment. I was her “rebound”. She’s been thanking her lucky stars ever since. 🙄 Or something like that.
Click to expand...
Ummm…did you show her this version of the story, specifically WRT to whose lucky stars should be thanked. 🤣
 
RBI90VMI said:
My son is a Rat at VMI and has a 3 Year AD ROTC Scholarship. His MSI instructor asked him if he was interested in joining the reserves. He has a meeting with the recruiter tomorrow.

My son asked me what I thought and honestly I don't know enough about how that would look.

I asked him what benefits he would gain?

I know there is the monthly pay and the added training. What happens next year when his scholarship kicks in? How will the two week annual training conflict with whatever ROTC summer training is available?

What happens to his reserve obligation when he commissions 4 years from now? Will his MOS in the reserves have any bearing on what branch he'll commission in (he wants Corps of Engineers).

Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
If you live outside of VA and join the VA National Guard while attending, I believe you would also qualify for instate tuition which would save him $20K per year...but since he is 3AD, not sure there is any other reason for years 2-4
 
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