Am I Making a Mistake

[Pima]

This is exactly what I was willing to do for my son.

Unless, I read the OP's post incorrect his parents are not taking out the loan. This is on the soon to be cadet's dime.

I am not trying to flame. I am just saying you incurred that loan debt. In the OP's case, he is incurring the loan with a rigid repayment schedule.
~ You take it in your name as his parents. You turn and say we agree you will pay back the loan with specific terms. No legal documentation, just trust out of love. Banks typically don't have that same feeling when they say the repayment of 162.50 is due on the 1st compared to the parents. The kids will not call up the bank and say, OBTW, look I bought a new car, and bc I said yes to be the best man at my friend's wedding 2000 miles away which I have to fly to, and rent a hotel, would you mind if you don't ding my credit rating if I am a week late? The OP is stuck if their parents can't do that option which you were willing to do for your child.

It does not mean they don't love them less. It means this OP is on their own and this student loan debt is on their own dime.

Personally, for me, as a parent, my advice would be go ROTC at the non-SMC school.
Maybe, I am the only that saw this, but...

As of right now, I’ve been accepted into my state scholar’s college with more than a full ride scholarship, which I also plan to participate in their ROTC program

Key word MORE
I know with my DS's college, MORE included for the honors/scholars program, extra perks, such as a laptop, cost of books, fees etc.

People forget those little costs add up too.

 

[theamericanexperiment]

Guys that transfer in end up in this wierd place where they're out of alignment with their class.

How weird exactly? Putting three years of work in an SMC won't account for anything? I understand that transfers will go to their introductory year(Rook/Knob/Rat) but afterward, they would go to Basic Camp and then academically be a junior, then going off to Advanced. That seems to be an average line of progress for a cadet, or do I have something mistaken. A friend of mine said I would easily rise to the higher ranks of a non-SMC ROTC but if I were to transfer I wouldn't have that much of an upward movement, even if I showed promise, which doesn't really sway me away from transferring to one because I feel the immersion would be healthy for my pursuit of an active duty commission.

Do I have something mistaken?

 

[Falcon A]

I would refer you to the 3rd part of my previous post

Also, this thread my be helpful: https://www.serviceacademyforums.com/index.php?threads/smc-or-rotc-program.67498/

 

[Dckc88]

@theamericanexperiment

Hey, it sounds like loans aren’t an option for you, so you will be going to the non-SMC school and doing ROTC? Is that correct? If so, just know it will be okay. It will be okay if you stay all 4 years, and it will be okay if you transfer. Just “bloom where you are planted so to speak” and you will be fine. You will absolutely drive yourself crazy second guessing and over analyzing. The goal is a commission and you will get there on either path.

Things will change, including your perception on things, in even one year. So it makes me think of a saying one of my mentors early in my career said to me once when I was struggling to get it “all figured out”. He told me that sometimes you just need to go up the hill a little bit until you can see over the other side, then your path will get clearer. Good luck with year 1, I am confident you will get it figured out, just probably not today.

 

[BlueBulldog]

This is exactly what I was willing to do for my son.

Unless, I read the OP's post incorrect his parents are not taking out the loan. This is on the soon to be cadet's dime.

I am not trying to flame. I am just saying you incurred that loan debt. In the OP's case, he is incurring the loan with a rigid repayment schedule.
~ You take it in your name as his parents. You turn and say we agree you will pay back the loan with specific terms. No legal documentation, just trust out of love. Banks typically don't have that same feeling when they say the repayment of 162.50 is due on the 1st compared to the parents. The kids will not call up the bank and say, OBTW, look I bought a new car, and bc I said yes to be the best man at my friend's wedding 2000 miles away which I have to fly to, and rent a hotel, would you mind if you don't ding my credit rating if I am a week late? The OP is stuck if their parents can't do that option which you were willing to do for your child.

It does not mean they don't love them less. It means this OP is on their own and this student loan debt is on their own dime.

Personally, for me, as a parent, my advice would be go ROTC at the non-SMC school.
Maybe, I am the only that saw this, but...

As of right now, I’ve been accepted into my state scholar’s college with more than a full ride scholarship, which I also plan to participate in their ROTC program

Key word MORE
I know with my DS's college, MORE included for the honors/scholars program, extra perks, such as a laptop, cost of books, fees etc.

People forget those little costs add up too.

I assumed OP want's a military style education as along with the opportunity to serve I gave him an opinion on the best way to get the most out of the experience . If he's looking for least expensive way to get from here to commission it seems he's already found that

 

[BlueBulldog]

Guys that transfer in end up in this wierd place where they're out of alignment with their class.

How weird exactly? Putting three years of work in an SMC won't account for anything? I understand that transfers will go to their introductory year(Rook/Knob/Rat) but afterward, they would go to Basic Camp and then academically be a junior, then going off to Advanced. That seems to be an average line of progress for a cadet, or do I have something mistaken. A friend of mine said I would easily rise to the higher ranks of a non-SMC ROTC but if I were to transfer I wouldn't have that much of an upward movement, even if I showed promise, which doesn't really sway me away from transferring to one because I feel the immersion would be healthy for my pursuit of an active duty commission.

Do I have something mistaken?

I can only speak to Citadel but I suspect it's similar in other places.

Say you do a year of college then come to Citadel as a knob, maybe with scholarship from one of the ROTC departments. Excellent - people do it all the time. You rock out during the 4th class system. Now you're going to be a second class cadet when you return in the fall so you'll need to get a second class rank slot, squad sergeant to SgtMajor - you're not going to get one of the higher ranking sergeant slots even if you had the ability that spills over to your first class year - you're not going to be a company commander because you didn't get experience of being a 'sword bearing' nco

Citadel used to allow you to take a rank aligned with your 'knob' class but again they're not going to give you the higher ones because another guy needs that to prepare him to become company / battalion commander one day.

The traditional military college system was set up as a 4 year system and in my opinion works best when all four years are taken. Look at why the federal academies absolutely require it. The have the advantage of having essentially all the money in the world, an exaggeration to make a point.

Knowing these limits take the decision that best fits your goals.

 

[Dckc88]

Yes, I think that was the type of advice the OP was looking for. From what he has shared, the first year he has to do at the ROTC college, that isn’t in debate, and looking for advice if he should stay with that or transfer after one year.

I think this is all good information to think about, but I suspect until he experiences his first year at his ROTC college, and takes the info of what transferring will be like to balance with that.