Difference between ROTC and Westpoint

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mintyfresh

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What is the difference between going to a college with an Army ROTC and going to Westpoint?

If i am reading correctly, when you graduate from both, both will be a Second lieutenant.

Thanks
 
The end result is the same as graduates of both Rotc and WP will be 2nd Lieutenants. The journey is quite different. Doing Rotc is going to a regular college where you spend 4-5 hours a week being trained in the military way. Going to WP or any other academy is spending 100% of your time being trained in the military way while being educated. There are those in this board who can give you a better explanation but that is the difference in general. Each has its pros and cons.
 
Humey is correct. End result is the same, but many differences along the way.

At USMA (West Point)
  • You are immediately considered Active duty as a plebe.
  • You live the military life 24/7....much more restrictive than a regular college.
  • You are exposed to many VIP visitors and guest speakers with many from the Pentagon.
  • Prestige and network for decades after service
  • All cadets are given a STEM exposure.
  • All expenses are paid for.
  • Guaranteed Active Duty upon graduation
At Army ROTC at a regular college:
  • Normal college life. Fraternities and Sororities etc.
  • You can choose almost any college major.
  • Scholarship usually pays for tution and fees but not room and board (some colleges will waive the R & B).
  • My DS worked part time as a snowboard instructor during weekends. (can't do that at WP).
  • If he wanted, DS could come home most every weekend.
  • Not as much exposure to rigid military life. Uniforms once or twice a week. PT three times a week if you are fit. Every day if you are not.
  • Not as prestigious as West Point on your resume.
  • Not guaranteed Active Duty upon graduation. Based on merit.
For some, the regimented life of WP made them successful.
For others the non-regimented life of ROTC made them successful.

The best choice varies based on the cadet.

Good luck!
 
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@mintyfresh How are you applications going Minty? Did you finish your Army ROTC application? With the exception of the essays and the PT test, you can do it in a few hours.
How is your USMA application going? Both ROTC and USMA come to the same result-although with ROTC it generally only pays for tuition and you must find another way to do room and board--(depending on the school-if you look at the ROTC thread in the forums you can find a list of schools that provide room and board for students with ROTC scholarships) and also, there is no guarantee that you will have a full time, active duty job as an Army officer when you graduate; you could very well end up in the Reserves or opt into the National Guard. Hope this helps you to think about the differences.
 
DrMom said:
@mintyfresh How are you applications going Minty? Did you finish your Army ROTC application? With the exception of the essays and the PT test, you can do it in a few hours.
How is your USMA application going? Both ROTC and USMA come to the same result-although with ROTC it generally only pays for tuition and you must find another way to do room and board--(depending on the school-if you look at the ROTC thread in the forums you can find a list of schools that provide room and board for students with ROTC scholarships) and also, there is no guarantee that you will have a full time, active duty job as an Army officer when you graduate; you could very well end up in the Reserves or opt into the National Guard. Hope this helps you to think about the differences.
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I kind of gave up on it lol. I didn't perform well in highschool academically and it seems as if that's the majority of what the application is looking for (as all colleges do). I am also started too late in the year for the application so things are too rushed. I have talked to my army ROTC on campus here at the college I go to and I am most likely transferring in next semester- I will go to basic training this summer (4 weeks).

I read on these forums that when I finish basic training, and still want to get into USMA, I can apply as a "soldier" applicant. Can some one briefly describe what the difference is? Is it a guaranteed nomination from a service connected some one? And after the nomination do I have to complete the normal application that all applicants must complete? (I should probably make a new post about this question).

Thanks
 
mintyfresh said:
I have talked to my army ROTC on campus here at the college I go to and I am most likely transferring in next semester- I will go to basic training this summer (4 weeks).
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Are you in college ROTC as an SMP cadet?

Do you mean Basic "camp" this summer (for college ROTC cadets who skipped a semester or two of ROTC) or do you mean National Guard Basic Training which is for SMP?
 
mintyfresh said:
I read on these forums that when I finish basic training, and still want to get into USMA, I can apply as a "soldier" applicant.
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From what you said in your post above, you will be attending ROTC Basic Camp. This is not the same as enlisting and going to BCT. You can still apply for the USMA but it won't be as a soldier, it will be as a regular applicant, the only additional thing you'd be able to do is get an AROTC Nomination which is something you'll be able to talk to your Cadre about when the time comes.
 
Nice choice Minty. Good luck. I hope you enjoy it and learn a lot and meet nice people.
 
For Army ROTC... Is there any summer requirement before freshman fall semester begins? West Point has plebe summer, does AROTC have any training or time commitment the summer prior to starting?
 
The unit at an individual college may ask you to report a week early for individual unit , but there is no hard and fast rule you can follow for all of AROTC.
 
mintyfresh said:
What is the difference between going to a college with an Army ROTC and going to Westpoint?

If i am reading correctly, when you graduate from both, both will be a Second lieutenant.

Thanks
Click to expand...
When you graduate from ROTC it will say Reserve Officer on your Commission. On the Commission of a West Point Graduate it will say Regular Army. It means all the difference in the world and don't let the ROTC instructors tell you differently. They like to say your bars are the same gold color but going to the Academy matters. Your military education is also better. Am I saying you can not be competitive in the Army and that there are not some goobers with West Point Commission. No! With that said, if you can get into the Academy and you are really serious about making the Army a career, that is the way to go.
 
SFRanger said:
When you graduate from ROTC it will say Reserve Officer on your Commission. On the Commission of a West Point Graduate it will say Regular Army. It means all the difference in the world and don't let the ROTC instructors tell you differently. They like to say your bars are the same gold color but going to the Academy matters. Your military education is also better. Am I saying you can not be competitive in the Army and that there are not some goobers with West Point Commission. No! With that said, if you can get into the Academy and you are really serious about making the Army a career, that is the way to go.
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Not necessarily. It depends on the year. My wife received an RA commission through ROTC, while mine was a reserve commission. For a while there was talk of giving some West Point grads reserve commissions.
While I was in the type of commission you had was scrubbed from your ORB. As a matter of fact, when I pinned on major I decided to get out- ask for a REFRAD (Release from Active Duty)- before taking the RA oath. My assignments officer assumed I was RA and told me I couldn’t get out of the “swell” assignment he had for me as I owed a year for pinning on O-4. I pointed out that I was a reserve officer and asking for a REFRAD, not an RA officer resigning. He just assumed I was RA.
 
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@SFRanger - Uhhhh... I'm pretty sure everyone who goes active duty, regardless of commissioning source, is commissioned as an officer in the Regular Army.
 
kinnem said:
@SFRanger - Uhhhh... I'm pretty sure everyone who goes active duty, regardless of commissioning source, is commissioned as an officer in the Regular Army.
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Not necessarily. Things may have changed, but when I was commisioned only a fraction us from ROTC were given RA commisions. I was a reserve officer. It used to be a big deal to be picked up for RA, but then the requirement to be picked up was dropped. It just became automatic after you pinned on O-4. But I will admit that I am not up on the current policy/regulations.
 
SFRanger said:
mintyfresh said:
What is the difference between going to a college with an Army ROTC and going to Westpoint?

If i am reading correctly, when you graduate from both, both will be a Second lieutenant.

Thanks
Click to expand...
When you graduate from ROTC it will say Reserve Officer on your Commission. On the Commission of a West Point Graduate it will say Regular Army. It means all the difference in the world and don't let the ROTC instructors tell you differently. They like to say your bars are the same gold color but going to the Academy matters. Your military education is also better. Am I saying you can not be competitive in the Army and that there are not some goobers with West Point Commission. No! With that said, if you can get into the Academy and you are really serious about making the Army a career, that is the way to go.
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General Colin Powell - From Wikipedia

"He also participated in ROTC at CCNY and received a commission as an Army second lieutenant upon graduation in June 1958. His further academic achievements include a Master of Business Administration degree from George Washington University."

I think he did okay going through AROTC
 
UHBlackhawk said:
kinnem said:
@SFRanger - Uhhhh... I'm pretty sure everyone who goes active duty, regardless of commissioning source, is commissioned as an officer in the Regular Army.
Click to expand...
Not necessarily. Things may have changed, but when I was commisioned only a fraction us from ROTC were given RA commisions. I was a reserve officer. It used to be a big deal to be picked up for RA, but then the requirement to be picked up was dropped. It just became automatic after you pinned on O-4. But I will admit that I am not up on the current policy/regulations.
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Thanks for giving us good information. I am pretty sure every west Point Graduate goes straight to Active Duty and gets a Regular Army commission. I think you are saying that some of the ROTC officers get RA commissions and the rest get Reserve commissions based on class ranking. Then when you get promoted to O-4 you are automatically transferred to a Regular Army Commission. Is that correct?
 
Humey said:
SFRanger said:
mintyfresh said:
What is the difference between going to a college with an Army ROTC and going to Westpoint?

If i am reading correctly, when you graduate from both, both will be a Second lieutenant.

Thanks
Click to expand...
When you graduate from ROTC it will say Reserve Officer on your Commission. On the Commission of a West Point Graduate it will say Regular Army. It means all the difference in the world and don't let the ROTC instructors tell you differently. They like to say your bars are the same gold color but going to the Academy matters. Your military education is also better. Am I saying you can not be competitive in the Army and that there are not some goobers with West Point Commission. No! With that said, if you can get into the Academy and you are really serious about making the Army a career, that is the way to go.
Click to expand...

General Colin Powell - From Wikipedia

"He also participated in ROTC at CCNY and received a commission as an Army second lieutenant upon graduation in June 1958. His further academic achievements include a Master of Business Administration degree from George Washington University."

I think he did okay going through AROTC
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No one is saying there are not good ROTC Officers and that many have not been very successful. What I am saying is that it matters and gives you a very big leg up.
 
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