AFROTC vs NROTC

M

MA Homeschool Dad

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DD got great 100% scholarship offers to both. Assuming she esteems each branch equally...

I notice that AFROTC requires 4 years active duty vs 5 years NROTC.

Also notice that NROTC has a heck of a lot more summer requirements, seems you are on a boat for maybe 2 months for 3 or 4 summers. In contrast, AFROTC requires a 2 week basic training, sometime during 1 of the summers.

Now, I assume that's the minimum requirement and that AFROTC will have a lot more summer positions available, should you want one.

But, given those 2 things. It seems like AFROTC is the better, or at least more flexible, deal. Am I missing anything?

**

One more question: what is the 5 year "inactive service" requirement after the 4 yr active? I assume this is 5 years in the national guard or such? 1 weekend a month, 2 weeks a year, maybe $1,200/month pay + great benefits? But, I need to educate myself more on what the last 5 years of that 9 year commitment would entail.

DD is very excited to serve! But we're not a military family and have a lot to learn.

thank you all in advance!
 
She should choose the service branch — not the ROTC program — that best fits her goals and whose mission she feels most affinity for. A year is not much difference, and the whole commitment will feel much better and more rewarding if she’s aligned with the mission and doing an MOS that’s rewarding.

AFROTC and NROTC have been churning out commissioned officers for a very long time. Trust that they do that job well, regardless of how it’s described on paper or may look to an outsider. Your DD will be well prepared regardless of which direction she goes.
 
Inactive reserve (the part after AD which will total 8yr) is spent being “inactive.” No weekend or summer training, just infrequent musters.

As an NROTC Mid I feel the need to plug the navy, but absolutely second what MidCakePa says about choosing the service first. Take a look at potential duty stations, jobs available, education opportunities available, and quality of life. Note that not all navy sailors go to sea, just as not all airmen and women fly. There are endless options in both.

Encourage your DD to talk to units she’s interested in. They’ll likely reach out so be prepared with questions! No shame in getting every last drop of info before deciding.

as far as summer trainings, both come with their requirements, but for the navy option, they aren’t a drag- they’re highly exciting and fun opportunities that every single mid looks forward too. Good luck to your DD.
 
For NROTC mids on scholarship there is a training block each of their 3 summers. These are typically about 4 week blocks and mids are paid during those training blocks. There is generally some flexibility in scheduling them, but ultimately the mid goes when it is scheduled. As @CuriousMid1001 pointed out, these summer trainings seems to be quite enjoyable and give them exposure to active duty service members. For NROTC, as long as the mid meets all requirements of the program and earns their degree, they will be commissioned as active duty ensigns upon graduation. As I understand it for AFROTC, the cadet must be selected for Field Training, I believe between sophomore and junior year in order to continue in the program. If not selected for Field Training, they are dis-enrolled. Not sure how that affects repayment of scholarship benefits. Selection for Field Training is based upon whether you intend to got rated (aviator) or non-rated and whether your major is a technical major or not. Look into this to be sure I have it right.
 
I think the advice above to choose the service is good. But after watching my three kids go through comparing AFROTC and NROTC at various schools, I'd also recommend having communication with the units and also taking this into consideration. There are differences in units and to us a positive sign was being communicative and answering our questions. We've had some units that never responded to emails, or responded without much thought. But we've also had units who replied right away and were very comprehensive with their replies and information - these ones were smart in that they were trying to recruit applicants (they can see who picked their college).
We also looked at the websites. Some were robust and cadet run (USC AFROTC and UCLA NROTC come to mind), and really helped with considering the unit. We found others that had old info, weren't kept up to date, and/or just a lack of info. I know this might sound trivial to some, but to us the fact that a unit didn't put effort into social media and their website was reflective of a possible lack of energy and maybe not a dynamic unit.
As an example of where units might be lacking, one of my kids never heard of summer opportunities and had to research these. Another kid had a cadet and AD command who were very proactive in getting opportunities to the kids.
As an observation from watching 3 kids go through this process, I was really surprised by the differences in ROTC units (no experience with Army) - some reached out and were very proactive in trying to attract/recruit cadets, while some had no communication with my kids at all. It was an interesting process to watch.
Good luck!
 
unkown1961 said:
I think the advice above to choose the service is good. But after watching my three kids go through comparing AFROTC and NROTC at various schools, I'd also recommend having communication with the units and also taking this into consideration. There are differences in units and to us a positive sign was being communicative and answering our questions. We've had some units that never responded to emails, or responded without much thought. But we've also had units who replied right away and were very comprehensive with their replies and information - these ones were smart in that they were trying to recruit applicants (they can see who picked their college).
We also looked at the websites. Some were robust and cadet run (USC AFROTC and UCLA NROTC come to mind), and really helped with considering the unit. We found others that had old info, weren't kept up to date, and/or just a lack of info. I know this might sound trivial to some, but to us the fact that a unit didn't put effort into social media and their website was reflective of a possible lack of energy and maybe not a dynamic unit.
As an example of where units might be lacking, one of my kids never heard of summer opportunities and had to research these. Another kid had a cadet and AD command who were very proactive in getting opportunities to the kids.
As an observation from watching 3 kids go through this process, I was really surprised by the differences in ROTC units (no experience with Army) - some reached out and were very proactive in trying to attract/recruit cadets, while some had no communication with my kids at all. It was an interesting process to watch.
Good luck!
Click to expand...
Just curious as to which option your 3 selected and why. I had 2 go directly to NROTC.
 
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