I was offered a Type 2 4-year scholarship by NROTC and a technical 4-year scholarship by AFROTC. I am thinking I may want to do medical school after undergrad, which means I should most likely go to AFROTC (since there's a higher chance I'll be able to go to med school). However, I wanted to know whether med school aside, there were good reasons I should choose one over the other?
-Does one have a better quality of life during and after college?
-Is PT harder at one?
-How is the culture (esp with me being a short Asian female)?
-Is it easier to travel at one? (my family is currently abroad, so I hope to be able to visit... is that even possible?)
(My family is an Army family and everyone told me not to do Army, so I only applied to AF and Navy. Now that I got both I have no one to ask...) Thank you!
During college: AFROTC- Freshman & Sophomore years are GMC, General Military Course, and take the AFOQT. Sophomore Spring you have to be selected for, go to, and complete field training (FT). FT is the summer between sophomore and junior year. Junior & Senior years are Professional Officer Course, POC.
NROTC on a 4 year scholarship has New Student Indoctrination between high school and freshman year of college three summer cruises. Both Field Training and New Student Indoctrination are like mini boot camp. Nothing to worry about, follow the instructors and have fun with your classmates!
After college depends on your job and where you’re stationed. Air Force has locations in the middle of the United States that can be cold, Minot, Spokane, or Alaska. The Air Force typically has shorter deployments and you have more “home time”. In the Navy you can be stationed on a ship that has long deployments and away from home for a long time. Locations in the United States are the big 4: Bremerton, WA; San Diego, CA; Norfolk, VA; Jacksonville, FL.
Tarmac’s are hot in the summer & cold in the winter. All ships rock and roll.
The Navy has four main communities: Aviation, Surface, Subsurface, and Special Warfare.
The Air Force has a broader scope of communities; Aviation, Civil Engineering, Aviation Maintenance, Security, Intelligence, Logistics, etc. I can’t remember all of them.
PT in both the Air Force and Navy are very similar. Larger emphasis placed on PT in the Army and Marines. However if you do go AFROTC or NROTC it is still a Big part of the program. Do yourself a favor and get ready before you go. Don’t wait to get in shape!
As for the culture, if you treat your airman/sailors with respect they will return it tenfold. Preform your job well and represent the command/unit & Air Force/Navy well and the officers above will reward your performance. As far as being a short Asian female my peers and I looked at everyone the same. I‘m prior enlisted and one of my best friends was Japanese American. He had dual citizenship being born in Japan while his dad was in the Air Force. His family lived on an Air Force base in Japan but his father was deployed to the Philippines when his mom was ready to deliver. She could not find the base OB/GYN so being Japanese she delivered him in a local hospital. Both the Air Force and Navy have a large presence in the Western Pacific. The Navy has the largest of the two.
As for travel military space-a can be inconsistent. Give yourself some extra time on both ends. Japan Airlines & Korean Air have lots of flights from the West Coast to Hawaii to locations in the Western Pacific.
As for choosing between Air Force & Navy do some research on possible jobs, what is in high demand, locations, and which branch do you think you would be most comfortable in if you don’t get the job/location you want. I would take the advice of BJD16, ROTC is not the path for a doctor. Congratulations on a scholarship in both AFROTC & NROTC! Good luck to you in whatever you choose!