AFROTC vs. West Point Appointment

[FlyBoyd]

Hi all. I recently received an AFROTC Type 7 Scholarship to use at the University of Georgia, and I also have an appointment to West Point. My main career goal is flying; I've built up a lot of my resume to focus on flying (ie: pilot's license, instrument rating, pursuing commercial etc.). My dilemma is choosing between AFROTC at the University of Georgia or accepting the appointment to West Point in the hopes of becoming a military pilot in their respective branches. Does anyone have experience with these options and if so would you be able to share some pros and cons of each pathway. Thank you for your help

FYI: If it at all affects your answers, I am medically qualified through DoDMERB though I do wear glasses for near-sightedness; my vision, however, is correctable and there is no astigmatism or other disqualifying factors with that regard.

 

[Thunderbolt462]

I commissioned via a 4-year a type 7 AFROTC scholarship at a state university. I fly heavy aircraft now. I don't feel qualified to comment on the Army side, but here's what I love about my job:

Great quality of life. Air Force bases for the most part are leagues better than any other branch's bases. Also, deployments are pretty cool too. Some of my friends in my unit have been "deployed" to the Caribbean or Guam. Granted, you've still got trips to the Middle East, but being at a large air base is a more comfortable existence than a forward airfield.

Variety of aircraft. We've got fighters, transports, helicopters, bombers, reconnaissance, you name it. The only thing we don't do is launch from a boat.

Aerial warfare isn't just a part of our mission, it is our mission. We have a large pilot community with a variety of different skills and experiences. As a pilot, you are the tip of the spear for the Air Force. Everything else exists so you can do your job.

Stuff I loved more specifically about ROTC vs a Service Academy:

Freedom. I could leave campus whenever I wanted. I wore a uniform only a few hours a week. I could live in an apartment and not have upperclassman checking my window sill for dust or get in trouble for owning a mini fridge. My weekends were my own.

Diversity of thought: The Service Academies certainly have this. However, there is a greater variety at a public university. This could be for better or worse. I'd have a history class taught by a retired Army Colonel followed by a sociology class taught by a card-carrying socialist. Weird at times, but eye opening. Also, you may be other students first exposure to someone in uniform. I was fortunate enough to be met with curiosity, but never any hostility.

I could honestly fill a book with reasons I loved doing AFROTC. If you've got any other questions, just let me know.

 

[MidCakePa]

No pros or cons, but a few things to consider:

Air Force, as noted above, flies a wide variety of airframes. Army leans hard toward rotary wing.

Air Force officers do the flying in that branch. Warrant officers do most of the flying in the Army, with commissioned officers having a relatively shorter active flying tenure.

Now two questions:

In which tribe are you a better fit? The missions are different, hence the culture is too.

What if you can’t become a pilot? It happens, despite best intentions. In that case, consider which branch provides you with a more appealing Plan B.

 

[Supersix00]

I commissioned via a 4-year a type 7 AFROTC scholarship at a state university. I fly heavy aircraft now. I don't feel qualified to comment on the Army side, but here's what I love about my job:

Great quality of life. Air Force bases for the most part are leagues better than any other branch's bases. Also, deployments are pretty cool too. Some of my friends in my unit have been "deployed" to the Caribbean or Guam. Granted, you've still got trips to the Middle East, but being at a large air base is a more comfortable existence than a forward airfield.

Variety of aircraft. We've got fighters, transports, helicopters, bombers, reconnaissance, you name it. The only thing we don't do is launch from a boat.

Aerial warfare isn't just a part of our mission, it is our mission. We have a large pilot community with a variety of different skills and experiences. As a pilot, you are the tip of the spear for the Air Force. Everything else exists so you can do your job.

Stuff I loved more specifically about ROTC vs a Service Academy:

Freedom. I could leave campus whenever I wanted. I wore a uniform only a few hours a week. I could live in an apartment and not have upperclassman checking my window sill for dust or get in trouble for owning a mini fridge. My weekends were my own.

Diversity of thought: The Service Academies certainly have this. However, there is a greater variety at a public university. This could be for better or worse. I'd have a history class taught by a retired Army Colonel followed by a sociology class taught by a card-carrying socialist. Weird at times, but eye opening. Also, you may be other students first exposure to someone in uniform. I was fortunate enough to be met with curiosity, but never any hostility.

I could honestly fill a book with reasons I loved doing AFROTC. If you've got any other questions, just let me know.

Great stuff. Thank you!

 

[FlyBoyd]

I commissioned via a 4-year a type 7 AFROTC scholarship at a state university. I fly heavy aircraft now. I don't feel qualified to comment on the Army side, but here's what I love about my job:

Great quality of life. Air Force bases for the most part are leagues better than any other branch's bases. Also, deployments are pretty cool too. Some of my friends in my unit have been "deployed" to the Caribbean or Guam. Granted, you've still got trips to the Middle East, but being at a large air base is a more comfortable existence than a forward airfield.

Variety of aircraft. We've got fighters, transports, helicopters, bombers, reconnaissance, you name it. The only thing we don't do is launch from a boat.

Aerial warfare isn't just a part of our mission, it is our mission. We have a large pilot community with a variety of different skills and experiences. As a pilot, you are the tip of the spear for the Air Force. Everything else exists so you can do your job.

Stuff I loved more specifically about ROTC vs a Service Academy:

Freedom. I could leave campus whenever I wanted. I wore a uniform only a few hours a week. I could live in an apartment and not have upperclassman checking my window sill for dust or get in trouble for owning a mini fridge. My weekends were my own.

Diversity of thought: The Service Academies certainly have this. However, there is a greater variety at a public university. This could be for better or worse. I'd have a history class taught by a retired Army Colonel followed by a sociology class taught by a card-carrying socialist. Weird at times, but eye opening. Also, you may be other students first exposure to someone in uniform. I was fortunate enough to be met with curiosity, but never any hostility.

I could honestly fill a book with reasons I loved doing AFROTC. If you've got any other questions, just let me know.

Thank you so much! I've been told I can't go wrong either way, but now I am leaning more towards AFROTC it seems. Always worried about my eyes though...

Do you happen to know if AFROTC will let you get vision surgery (PRK, etc.) like USAFA does? I applied to USAFA and USNA as well but did not get in, so now it is a contest of my plan B's haha.

 

[Thunderbolt462]

They will. I'm not entirely sure how funding works, but it's allowed. You may not need it though. My roommate at UPT had some pretty thick glasses, and even hooked a T-38 formation ride because his prescription wasn't strong enough and he couldn't see the guy off his wing (he got a new one and now flies F-16s). So as long as your vision is correctable with glasses and you don't have any other issues, you may not need any surgery.

 

[Beamer]

I just wanted to add my thoughts. I was in the same situation that you were in up until this Sunday. I was hoping for a USAFA appointment or maybe even a USNA one. I had an appointment to USMA and a Type 2 Scholarship for AFROTC. I had talked to all the West Point representatives and even a West Point Grad pilot. I realized in my heart that I wanted to fly jets and going to West Point would just cancel an opportunity to fly them. I chose the AFROTC scholarship for reasons stated in posts above. I plan on reapplying to USAFA and USNA for next year, but right now I'm giving it my best to prepare for AFROTC. It was hard to decline my USMA appointment especially because you had to confirm it a few times before actually denying it. Both are great options, but sometimes a great opportunity isn't the right one. That is what I learned. If your heart isn't in it for the Air Force, then join the Army or vice versa.

 

[franknd]

My main career goal is flying; I've built up a lot of my resume to focus on flying (ie: pilot's license, instrument rating, pursuing commercial etc.).

FYI: If it at all affects your answers, I am medically qualified through DoDMERB though I do wear glasses for near-sightedness; my vision, however, is correctable and there is no astigmatism or other disqualifying factors with that regard.

You've kind of answered your own question, haven't you? I can see the hesitation in turning down West Point. It's West Point after all. But that's not the right path for your career goal.

If it helps you in any way, just know that tons of kids -- whether preparing for a military commission or not -- turn down schools considered more prestigious than the one they attend (but I don't need to tell you that U-Ga is a great school in its own right). I did. And they do it for all kinds of reasons. In fact, my college roommate turned down WP for an AROTC scholarship. He ended up being a career guy and had no regrets. Your reason to do so is an excellent one.

Good luck.

 

[Percy]

I did 11 years Army (enlisted, 2 career fields: Airborne Infantry and then Intel) before transferring to Air Force (2 career fields: enlisted investigations and then commissioned JAG). I knew in 1988, as an Infantryman corporal when we stopped en route to the UK at Loring AFB Maine -- and they called me "sir" at the DFAC and I got my own room -- that I would eventually transfer.

Army is characterized by major muscle movements in troop and equipment placement...hurry up and wait and little reliance on individual judgment and discretion. Air Force is more tactical in its decision-making, which relies on airman discretion across the function and rank structures. Army Strong - Air Force Smart.

Despite that I had nothing but great experiences in the Army and wouldn't change a thing, I dissuaded DS from AROTC and USMA (and, especially Texas A&M) because he is too much of a critical and independent thinker and would have been easily frustrated by "stupid" (and, esp. artificial/coerced esprit de corps)...for which I have a high tolerance, personally.

He got full rides from NROTC and AFROTC (denied by USAFA) at a Tier 1 school and is choosing NROTC over AFROTC because the NROTC program at this school is truly exceptional and isn't cross-town. Navy also helped him get into the school when AF couldn't get their s*** together for the second board and would have been no help after the 1 April regular decision admissions. Thus, Navy loved him first and he'd already made a 2-month relationship with the NROTC cadre and C/O who did his interview.

He, too, wants to fly and we've had the discussion that there's 100+ reasons he might wind up on a sub and, almost surely, will be away for long periods at a time even if he flies. He's up for the "Join the Navy, see the world [at sea]" adventure no matter how it shakes out. But if things go badly for flight school, USAF would probably have been the wiser choice. I suspect the same would be true for you if you go Army but don't fly. The very accurate comment about warrant officers doing the Army's flying is even more of factor if you thnk you'd strongly prefer to fly than lead soldiers...which is an Army officer's primary directive: Lead.

I know all of this isn't directly on point for you, but I share it to urge you to consider your own predilections and tolerances as you decide what is right for you. There's a service for everyone and identifying the one with the culture most closely aligned to your own personality is important.

 

[BigThunk42]

Another thing to consider about ROTC, specifically AFROTC is how limited the spots to commission are right now. Being on scholarship doesn't automatically give you a slot to Field Training, and the selection rate has been super low this year. If you end up not getting a spot to field training, you get taken off scholarship, and at that point would have to pay out of pocket for school if you don't have any other scholarships. If you work really hard in the program you can definitely still get one, just the actual process of commissioning is less guaranteed via AFROTC.

I also have no insight on how hard it is to get a pilot slot out of USMA, but AFROTC has also been super selective about giving out pilot slots, so if flying is your ultimate goal that's another thing to consider.

Again it is still very possible to commission out of AFROTC, and get a pilot slot, it might just be more of a competition than it is at USMA.