Army ROTC or USMA? I'm feeling pressured...

AROTC-dad said:
Five years ago, after being TWE'd by USMA and USNA, my DS had the choice of attending an SMC or a local state school.

He ultimately chose a "normal" college experience because he saw his older siblings enjoy their regular schools. There were no regrets and he balanced academics, Army ROTC, and being a snowboard instructor during his four years at his university. He truly loved his four years of college. He is now a 2LT at Armor school and has no regrets about not reapplying to the SA's.

But that was him, you must choose for yourself.

Don't end up with regret decades from now wondering "what if." Choose what will make you happy, not your parents.
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This is really a great story to hear...every reply seems to ease my fears a little bit more ;)
 
Stealth_81 said:
Moderator note: I merged these two identical threads into one since they both already had replies. It is not necessary to post a thread multiple times.

Stealth_81
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Sorry about this! I did not realize I shouldn't post the same thread to different platforms
 
icestorm3500 said:
This makes me feel a whole lot better...my parents seem to be very concerned with the fact that others will look down upon you for becoming an officer through ROTC and not from the service academies (those who come from the academy possibly thinking that "Oh she doesn't really understand what the army actually entails" or "She hasn't been through the same struggles as us"), which made me doubt myself and my desire for "regular" college.
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My DS is at Armor school and he has made friends with his fellow 2LT's from all over the country including several West Pointers. He feels emphatically that NO ONE CARES where they went to school! They all started from scratch at ABOLC and it is purely what they are doing now that counts.
 
icestorm3500 said:
This makes me feel a whole lot better...my parents seem to be very concerned with the fact that others will look down upon you for becoming an officer through ROTC and not from the service academies (those who come from the academy possibly thinking that "Oh she doesn't really understand what the army actually entails" or "She hasn't been through the same struggles as us"), which made me doubt myself and my desire for "regular" college.

And as I have found out from other posts to my same thread in USMA, I can do my ROTC scholarship for a year and then decide that I want to go to USMA at a later date if desired (I would have to pay them back though wouldn't I for those other three years that they would have offered money...???).
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1. The first year of ROTC is free. Should you decide to leave, you will not owe any money until you start your sophomore year in college. If you leave for an academy, you won't owe any money at all, regardless of how long you do ROTC.
2. My son was made the leader of a particular sub-section of his headquarters unit several months back. He got the job because the Academy grad wasn't getting the job done. His colonel turned to DS and said you are the guy that I think can tackle this job aggressively. What matters is results, not where you went to school.
 
You can drop ROTC after the first year with no payback obligation. I will also say that many universities have active IM and club level sports teams. My DS has participated in several IM sports for fun, exercise and bonding. I think most of these teams were comprised mostly or solely of his NROTC battalion mates.
 
Just curious, are either of your parents West Point graduates and is that fueling their desire for you to attend?
 
kinnem said:
1. The first year of ROTC is free. Should you decide to leave you will not owe any money until you start your sophomore year in college. If you leave for an academy you wont owe any money at all regardless of how long you do ROTC.
2. My son was made the leader of a particular sub-section of his headquarters unit several months back. He got the job because the Academy grad wasn't getting the job done. His colonel turn to DS and said you are the guy I think can tackle this job aggressively. What matters is results, not where you went to school.
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1. Real quick clarification: so hypothetically, I could attend my college on an ROTC scholarship for 3 years and then go to USMA and not have to pay anything back because I'm continuing my service in the army?

2. Wonderful story!
 
ProudDad17 said:
Just curious, are either of your parents West Point graduates and is that fueling their desire for you to attend?
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Neither of my parents attended West Point. My dad attended Naval Officer School back in the day but dropped out...
My grandparents on each side of the family were a part of the military.
 
1) Why are you feeling pressure to "decide" this now? At this point there isn't anything to decide since one of the options isn't an option (at least yet).

2) If you do end up having a choice to make (a good problem BTW) -- and I know there are differing opinions on this -- part of the consideration IMO should be what the ROTC option is. What school and major? If the Army thing ends up not working out, then that becomes highly relevant IMO.
 
icestorm3500 said:
1. Real quick clarification: so hypothetically, I could attend my college on an ROTC scholarship for 3 years and then go to USMA and not have to pay anything back because I'm continuing my service in the army?

2. Wonderful story!
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#1 - Yes. An SA appointment would trump any ROTC obligation. So hypothetically you could do 3 years of ROTC and then go to USMA and not have to pay back the ROTC scholarship. You would have to start over though :-(
 
franknd said:
1) Why are you feeling pressure to "decide" this now? At this point there isn't anything to decide since one of the options isn't an option (at least yet).

2) If you do end up having a choice to make (a good problem BTW) -- and I know there are differing opinions on this -- part of the consideration IMO should be what the ROTC option is. What school and major? If the Army thing ends up not working out, then that becomes highly relevant IMO.
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1. I'm feeling pressured because my parents really want me to go to USMA if I get in. But, even if I do get an appointment, I'm still doubting myself whether I want USMA or ROTC.

2. My home school is Colorado State University and the major would be Biomedical Engineering and/or Biological Life Sciences. But I would 100% use my AROTC scholarship if I attended.
 
BBQ-Devil said:
#1 - Yes. An SA appointment would trump any ROTC obligation. So hypothetically you could do 3 years of ROTC and then go to USMA and not have to pay back the ROTC scholarship. You would have to start over though :-(
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Haha! Definitely why it's a hypothetical ;)
 
My DD is in the same boat as you. She has the 4 Year ROTC scholarship and is waiting to hear back from some very prestigious schools that she really likes. She is 3Q with 2 congressional and 2 presidential nominations, but still has not been offered an appointment for USMA. For a while, she seemed poised to accept USMA the moment she is offered an appointment. Two weeks later, she says she is considering both options if she is offered an appointment. The decision may be decided for both of you - i.e. you may not get the offer of appointment. Cross that bridge when/if it becomes available. Both choices are amazing, and neither one is wrong. Give yourself some time and don't make a hasty decision. Definitely make it your own decision, not one your parents want - it is your life and they will be proud of you either way. I advise re-visiting the ROTC schools and the Academy if at all possible (if not a financial/time hardship). You will know which one you like most. Again, you can apply for USMA after 1 year of ROTC, but not the other way around, so that is the less risky option. Go with your gut.
 
Hey icestorm,

I was in a similar position as you were: USMA or ROTC w/scholarship. Obviously, the end goal of both programs are to produce officers. But what occurs within that four years is what makes the difference. Do you like that 24/7 strict disciplined military lifestyle or do you like to have that college experience? I would advise you to list out the pros and cons. For me, I am reapplying to West Point. It has always been my dream to go there for many reasons but you will have to find your own. I am currently in ROTC and its great: great PMS, cadets, ranger challenge, etc. But in my view I want to be challenged in all aspects. I do not want to take the easy route. I like that strict environment that West Point entails. These are my few reasons.
 
Coming from a USMA grad, I couldn't care less where someone went to college. My best LT buddy went to IUP (I had never even heard of it before) and was a workhorse. I worked with other USMA LTs at the same time and my IUP buddy was a better officer than all of them. I knew your parents weren't USMA grads (no disprespect intended), bc if they were they would never say that a USMA grad looks down upon a ROTC grad. Go ROTC. Good luck!
 
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My oldest DS had always leaned towards USMC. He applied to 3 SA's and for two ROTC Scholarships. He was first awarded a 4 year Navy ROTC and then a 3 year Army ROTC. He received the TWEs and accepted the Navy scholarship at an SMC because he didn't want the traditional college experience and he felt that he would do better in a more regimented environment, especially if he was going to commission. In the end, he felt that his end goal was to commission, not to necessarily commission from a specific source. Also, for the longest time, he leaned towards commissioning as a USMC officer and I was certain that when he attended CORTRAMID this summer, he would solidify that plan. While he did say the Marines have the best "toys", he felt that aviation is where he wants to be. Apparently, what the summer training experience did was finalize what he had (unbeknownst to us, his parents) already decided. He would like to become a Naval pilot. My first comment was, "WTH...I thought you're afraid of heights!" He said, "I'm not afraid of heights...just afraid of falling from them." The irony still astounds me but my DS is older now than my father when he went to Vietnam and it's time for me put aside my concerns or worries and rejoice that he is a confident, young man who can make sound decisions about his future.
 
tkbdvm said:
My DD is in the same boat as you. She has the 4 Year ROTC scholarship and is waiting to hear back from some very prestigious schools that she really likes. She is 3Q with 2 congressional and 2 presidential nominations, but still has not been offered an appointment for USMA. For a while, she seemed poised to accept USMA the moment she is offered an appointment. Two weeks later, she says she is considering both options if she is offered an appointment. The decision may be decided for both of you - i.e. you may not get the offer of appointment. Cross that bridge when/if it becomes available. Both choices are amazing, and neither one is wrong. Give yourself some time and don't make a hasty decision. Definitely make it your own decision, not one your parents want - it is your life and they will be proud of you either way. I advise re-visiting the ROTC schools and the Academy if at all possible (if not a financial/time hardship). You will know which one you like most. Again, you can apply for USMA after 1 year of ROTC, but not the other way around, so that is the less risky option. Go with your gut.
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Congratulations to her as well!

I was exactly the same...since September, I really wanted to attend a service academy and recently decided USMA was my favorite option since October. I applied to ROTC (my parents didn't think it was very necessary at first) and then received the scholarship. After I got the scholarship, I've been thinking ever since and have become more and more convinced of regular college because I really would like a normal experience.

Thanks for the advice ;)
 
icestorm3500 said:
I live only 25 minutes from CSU and have been on the campus multiple times...I do like it a lot.
I want to go on a visit to USMA in the future, but now that might not even be relevant.
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@icestorm3500, when this is no longer hypothetical, go visit. If CSU is really where you want to be, then go there. What we think doesn’t matter. Do what will work for you. Your parents will eventually come around. USMA will challenge you in ways nothing else will. So what. And, I’m a believer in the idea that you won’t survive USMA unless you are there because of your own drive, not your parents’. Best of luck and I hope you have some hard decisions to make.

Luge?
 
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