AFROTC Scholarship

[usnamidshipmenhopeful]

I was awarded a HSSP Scholarship (4 Year) for this Fall and have accepted it. I talked to the host unit and they stated that I could do the 3 Year Scholarship Option and take AS250 classes.

Advantages/Disadvantages to doing the 3 Year vs 4 Year Program?

 

[ArmycadetMS19]

Cons of 3 years program: you miss out on the first year, where you learn the basics of the USAF and learn how to be a professional. You're also given less time to prove yourself to the commander and increase your cadet rankings, which are important when it comes time for Field Training slots.

Pro of 3 yrs: you get to graduate 1 year earlier. It probably wont impact your career down the line.

Cons of 4 year: you graduate more slowly and might feel like youre being dragged down if you're really high-speed.

I'd honestly just take the 4-year. college should be an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime experience

 

[tibreaker]

I would take the 4 year. All the AS 250's I know are doing a lot of catch up and have had to do a lot of cramming before field training. Also keep your academic schedule in mind because as an AS 250, you have to take both the AS 200 and AS 100 course work simultaneously.

 

[Sled]

Do the 4 year, it'll make you better in the long run, schooling is still paid for, and you'll have more free time to keep your GPA up. College is a great time and you'll meet some people that you'd like to spend that extra year with.

 

[Pima]

Are you intending to go rated? If so, do you have any flight hours? The reason I ask is that if you go the 3 yr route, you will be up for rated boards @18 months from now. Rated boards meet @Feb. of your AS300 yr. Flight hours will give you a boost and can mean the difference from getting Pilot or RPA.

I do agree with everyone do 4 yrs. The 4 yr will allow you keep your gpa up. To keep your scholarship you must be awarded an SFT slot as a 250. If not they have the right to disenroll you from AFROTC. Statistically lately your chances are high to get that slot, but there have been years where it was as low as 55% overall, and if you are non-tech/non-rated than it is the lowest chance, low = think around 20%. Your gpa will matter a lot. It is part of the scoring process for selection. It will also be part of the score for your career field.
~ AFROTC might say that you need a min gpa of 2.5, but the fact is that gpa will not be something you want when it comes to boards, be it SFT or AFSC.

The final pro is from a Mom's pov. You will spend at least 4 yrs ADAF. I get wanting to fly the coop and start your career sooner than later, but as a wife of a now retired O5, and a Mom of an O3, you do not realize how deep your family roots are planted. If you do the 3 yr. expect to report to your 1st assignment in 3 1/2- 4 yrs (usually it is @6-9 mos. after commissioning). That assignment can be in Japan, it could be Clovis NM, it could be Fairbanks AK.
~ In the 21 yrs Bullet served, we moved 11 times. The closest we ever came to being by our family was 4 hrs away, and that was at the 15 yr marker. DS has been in the AF for 5 yrs now (pilot) has moved 3 times. (UPT in TX, school house in ARK, Operational TX). Just saying to think about it from a different perspective. One more holiday at home. One more spring break. I can testify and so can my son and his wife, one of the hardest parts of serving is calling home on Thanksgiving and hearing the family noise as the phone or Skype is passed around so you can say hi! It will hit you like a brick. It does not matter if you are going to someone's house or people are coming to yours, you will miss not being there eating and laughing with them. Thus, doing 4 yrs impo is about making more memories with those love and support you, that you will carry with you when you are far away from home.

 

[usnamidshipmenhopeful]

Are you intending to go rated? If so, do you have any flight hours? The reason I ask is that if you go the 3 yr route, you will be up for rated boards @18 months from now. Rated boards meet @Feb. of your AS300 yr. Flight hours will give you a boost and can mean the difference from getting Pilot or RPA.

I do agree with everyone do 4 yrs. The 4 yr will allow you keep your gpa up. To keep your scholarship you must be awarded an SFT slot as a 250. If not they have the right to disenroll you from AFROTC. Statistically lately your chances are high to get that slot, but there have been years where it was as low as 55% overall, and if you are non-tech/non-rated than it is the lowest chance, low = think around 20%. Your gpa will matter a lot. It is part of the scoring process for selection. It will also be part of the score for your career field.
~ AFROTC might say that you need a min gpa of 2.5, but the fact is that gpa will not be something you want when it comes to boards, be it SFT or AFSC.

The final pro is from a Mom's pov. You will spend at least 4 yrs ADAF. I get wanting to fly the coop and start your career sooner than later, but as a wife of a now retired O5, and a Mom of an O3, you do not realize how deep your family roots are planted. If you do the 3 yr. expect to report to your 1st assignment in 3 1/2- 4 yrs (usually it is @6-9 mos. after commissioning). That assignment can be in Japan, it could be Clovis NM, it could be Fairbanks AK.
~ In the 21 yrs Bullet served, we moved 11 times. The closest we ever came to being by our family was 4 hrs away, and that was at the 15 yr marker. DS has been in the AF for 5 yrs now (pilot) has moved 3 times. (UPT in TX, school house in ARK, Operational TX). Just saying to think about it from a different perspective. One more holiday at home. One more spring break. I can testify and so can my son and his wife, one of the hardest parts of serving is calling home on Thanksgiving and hearing the family noise as the phone or Skype is passed around so you can say hi! It will hit you like a brick. It does not matter if you are going to someone's house or people are coming to yours, you will miss not being there eating and laughing with them. Thus, doing 4 yrs impo is about making more memories with those love and support you, that you will carry with you when you are far away from home.

I am planning on going for a path in Cyber Operations. I have all my GE's completed from my AP Credits. I am a Computer Science major and have those classes left to complete.
Is graduating early a pro in terms of seeking graduate school education after? For example, going for a graduate degree program upon commissioning for AFIT or NPS?

 

[Pima]

You will need to check with your academic advisor to see if you actually can graduate in 3 yrs. Just because you have completed your GE courses does not necessarily equate to graduating in 3 yrs. Many programs are set up for specific courses only being offered 1x a yr. For example, let's say you need Computer Lab 101 to take Lab 202, but Lab 101 is only offered in the spring and 202 in the fall. That means you are still on the 4 yr path, this is why you see many kids doing dual majors because either way they are going to be there for 4 yrs to get their degree.
~ All of my children entered with not only AP, but also did CC jump start. Iows they did not have to take Psych, English, etc. They immediately jumped those courses, but in all of their cases it only meant that they could take fewer courses and graduate with 1 degree or take more courses and graduate with 2 degrees. They all did the latter.
~ Most colleges these days are accustom to the fact that a lot of their students will enter with a ton of APs and jump start. Colleges are businesses, thus they have changed their programs to find a way to keep them around for at least 3 1/2 yrs.

Graduating early to the best of my knowledge has absolute no impact on getting a graduate school slot. AFIT is very competitive. Even out of USAFA only about 15% will get a slot for grad school. It is going to come back to the same thing again. Your OML.