ED,
As I mentioned I attended our DS's graduation dining out this weekend. LG Fadok (Commander and President, Air University, Maxwell AFB --- he is also in charge of AFROTC) was the keynote speaker.
He delivered a great speech to these kids because he was brutally honest about the AF and their future. One thing he said which I hope every cadet took to heart was this:
THERE WILL BE FAILURES IN YOUR FUTURE I PROMISE YOU! He told them he had failed along the way, but it is what you do after that will be more important than if you had succeeded in the 1st place.
He is a living example you can still pin on 3 stars even if you stumble along the way.
Not everyone has a golden brick road to follow, some have to take their own path, but if they are determined to succeed they will make it.
I think the idea of writing down things is a great idea. I would add it might be best to write down things you don't want to think about. For example:
I go AROTC, hate the college love the unit, will I be able to maintain a high enough cgpa for my OML to get my 1st choice?
~~~ Every kid believes they can, but reality is college life is a factor, and those who hate the school typically do worse academically just because of the motivation factor.
I go AROTC, want anything in the Army, but Public Affairs or Finance. What if you get PA/Fin and S Korea right out the gate?
~~~ It can happen. As a military dependent ask your folks how many times they got their "dream" assignment, and how many times they were told where they would go? That is reality in the military
I don't go ROTC, but to the other college and regret it, what is your Plan B, C, D?
There is one option the OP did not think about, transferring colleges after a yr. It is not as if they are being given a prison sentence and must stay there for 4 yrs.
The OP can take their freshman yr and really decide. Entering ROTC as a soph will have very little impact when it comes to commissioning. If they maintain their grades, most colleges will accept him as a transfer. On top of that traditionally most colleges will accept almost all, if not all of the credits if you are staying in the same major. They usually start nit picking at the 45-60 credit level regarding this issue. 30 credits shouldn't be an issue, and even if they only take 24 credits, they would only need to take 2 more classes over the next 3 yrs to be on target.
The downfall for this is most kids bond as freshman, and it is hard to leave the college because of those bonds/friendships. The OP needs to ask, what if I fall in love, will I be able to cut the cord and transfer, or will I stay?
~~~ Life is funny, it gets in the way more often than you can imagine. People plan, God Laughs!
Be your own devil, ask the hardest questions you can think of, and be honest with your answers. After you do, and depending on your relationship with the folks, maybe you should share what you wrote down. Your parents know you, and if they think you are having 2nd thoughts, they will be honest with you regarding your answers if you are sugar coating your answers. They will throw up the BS flag. This is great because you will talk it out. It is amazing when you say it out loud defending yourself, because 9 times out of 10, the person you are saying it to will have the same response: "You have your answer, you just said it"!
Good luck.