Navy ROTC Colleges

Thank you for the info, we will be doing just that. Question for you...did your daughter go to one of the schools and how is she liking it? My only worry is the cost of either school - he is applying for an NROTC scholarship, but we all know how hard those are to get. DS is my oldest and neither my husband or I are military, so this whole process has been a learning experience to say the least.
 
Senior Military Colleges https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senior_Military_College This group of colleges (which includes VMI and The Citidale) will all have a corp of cadets and would be worthy of your consideration.
  • University of North Georgia; Dahlonega, Georgia.
  • Norwich University; Northfield, Vermont.
  • Texas A&M University; College Station, Texas.
  • The Citadel; Charleston, South Carolina.
  • Virginia Military Institute; Lexington, Virginia.
  • Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Blacksburg, Virginia.
Only one, Texas A&M is west of the Mississippi. East coaster here, could anyone suggest for the OP some west of the Mississippi "corp of cadet like" colleges.
 
DaGrubs said:
Thank you for the info, we will be doing just that. Question for you...did your daughter go to one of the schools and how is she liking it? My only worry is the cost of either school - he is applying for an NROTC scholarship, but we all know how hard those are to get. DS is my oldest and neither my husband or I are military, so this whole process has been a learning experience to say the least.
Click to expand...

She chose VMI after visiting both, and she absolutely loves it. She is a current 4th class cadet (freshman) at VMI.

A bit of her story is that she was a Sea Cadet, and so like your son in JROTC she had been exposed to the military lifestyle firsthand and knew the military was what she wanted (she plans to be career). During high school she had no interest in the typical teen parties or drama. She was the odd duck that would rather be productive than party. She zero desire to continue that into college with those same kinds of people. She wanted....more.

Last November, as she was applying to USNA, we found this forum and discovered the SMC's. We hadn't ever really heard of them before, (and I will forever be grateful to this forum for leading her to VMI!). While all the SMC's had their perks, she was drawn to only VMI and the Citadel, since they were the only two that the entire school was in the corps of cadets. I'm not knocking the other schools at all - it was simply her preference to be in a military environment all day, every day and not just some of the days.

After applying and being accepted into both VMI and the Citadel, we visited both schools for overnights and she fell in love with VMI. The Citadel she didn't care for, but it just wasn't her favorite "flavor". She still hadn't heard about USNA at that point, but we paid the deposit at VMI to secure her plan B. She also applied for the Navy ROTC scholarship. She'd wavered between Navy and Marines but could only choose one and she chose Navy.

She had a nomination to USNA, but was turned down in late March. Also turned down for the Navy scholarship. She immediately opened another USNA application and started another NROTC application - this time choosing the Marine option.

After being at VMI for a just couple months she withdrew the USNA application; she was exactly where she belonged. She would not want to leave VMI even if offered an appointment to USNA.

As for the steep tuition at both schools (especially for out of state, as we are), the sticker price can be a shocker. We never paid the deposit or started any type of financial aid application at the Citadel so I can't offer anything about there. But I can say that VMI is very generous and has an amazing alumni association that has a gigantic endowment. My daughter was offered a very large merit scholarship, which brought the out of state tuition down to roughly the same cost we pay for my oldest at a nearby civilian state U, bringing VMI into reality for us.

She arrived at VMI last August and knocked it out of the park as a Rat. The Marine Colonel at VMI wrote her an astounding recommendation letter for the NROTC MO scholarship. She won the scholarship on the early board last November. She could not be happier on her path.
 
EOD/SEALmom said:
DaGrubs said:
Thank you for the info, we will be doing just that. Question for you...did your daughter go to one of the schools and how is she liking it? My only worry is the cost of either school - he is applying for an NROTC scholarship, but we all know how hard those are to get. DS is my oldest and neither my husband or I are military, so this whole process has been a learning experience to say the least.
Click to expand...

She chose VMI after visiting both, and she absolutely loves it. She is a current 4th class cadet (freshman) at VMI.

A bit of her story is that she was a Sea Cadet, and so like your son in JROTC she had been exposed to the military lifestyle firsthand and knew the military was what she wanted (she plans to be career). During high school she had no interest in the typical teen parties or drama. She was the odd duck that would rather be productive than party. She zero desire to continue that into college with those same kinds of people. She wanted....more.

Last November, as she was applying to USNA, we found this forum and discovered the SMC's. We hadn't ever really heard of them before, (and I will forever be grateful to this forum for leading her to VMI!). While all the SMC's had their perks, she was drawn to only VMI and the Citadel, since they were the only two that the entire school was in the corps of cadets. I'm not knocking the other schools at all - it was simply her preference to be in a military environment all day, every day and not just some of the days.

After applying and being accepted into both VMI and the Citadel, we visited both schools for overnights and she fell in love with VMI. The Citadel she didn't care for, but it just wasn't her favorite "flavor". She still hadn't heard about USNA at that point, but we paid the deposit at VMI to secure her plan B. She also applied for the Navy ROTC scholarship. She'd wavered between Navy and Marines but could only choose one and she chose Navy.

She had a nomination to USNA, but was turned down in late March. Also turned down for the Navy scholarship. She immediately opened another USNA application and started another NROTC application - this time choosing the Marine option.

After being at VMI for a just couple months she withdrew the USNA application; she was exactly where she belonged. She would not want to leave VMI even if offered an appointment to USNA.

As for the steep tuition at both schools (especially for out of state, as we are), the sticker price can be a shocker. We never paid the deposit or started any type of financial aid application at the Citadel so I can't offer anything about there. But I can say that VMI is very generous and has an amazing alumni association that has a gigantic endowment. My daughter was offered a very large merit scholarship, which brought the out of state tuition down to roughly the same cost we pay for my oldest at a nearby civilian state U, bringing VMI into reality for us.

She arrived at VMI last August and knocked it out of the park as a Rat. The Marine Colonel at VMI wrote her an astounding recommendation letter for the NROTC MO scholarship. She won the scholarship on the early board last November. She could not be happier on her path.
Click to expand...
Amazing story, your DD is the spitting image of my DS :) Her plans mirror exactly what my son's plans are :)
 
It sounded like they are very similar, so I thought I'd share. Feel free to message me if you have any questions!
 
DaGrubs said:
Thank you for the info, we will be doing just that. Question for you...did your daughter go to one of the schools and how is she liking it? My only worry is the cost of either school - he is applying for an NROTC scholarship, but we all know how hard those are to get. DS is my oldest and neither my husband or I are military, so this whole process has been a learning experience to say the least.
Click to expand...
Briefly went through the comments on this thread. Texas A&M has the largest NROTC program in the United States and it is also one of the best. Our Marine Option Midshipmen consistently win honors at OCS almost every summer.

I myself visited VMI and was sold on it. Then I visited Texas A&M. If awarded a scholarship of at least $4,000/yr your DS will receive in-state tuition at A&M, I don't believe VMI does this.

I would also be remiss if I didn't mention the opportunities only offered at Texas A&M. In the past year I've had the opportunity to spend two weeks in Israel and one week in Washington DC. These trips were completely paid for by the Office of the Commandant here at Texas A&M and were incredible learning experiences. I am currently a cadet here at A&M and will be the Commanding Officer of an outfit next year. If you or your DS have any questions please PM me
 
JAGman said:
DaGrubs said:
Thank you for the info, we will be doing just that. Question for you...did your daughter go to one of the schools and how is she liking it? My only worry is the cost of either school - he is applying for an NROTC scholarship, but we all know how hard those are to get. DS is my oldest and neither my husband or I are military, so this whole process has been a learning experience to say the least.
Click to expand...
Briefly went through the comments on this thread. Texas A&M has the largest NROTC program in the United States and it is also one of the best. Our Marine Option Midshipmen consistently win honors at OCS almost every summer.

I myself visited VMI and was sold on it. Then I visited Texas A&M. If awarded a scholarship of at least $4,000/yr your DS will receive in-state tuition at A&M, I don't believe VMI does this.

I would also be remiss if I didn't mention the opportunities only offered at Texas A&M. In the past year I've had the opportunity to spend two weeks in Israel and one week in Washington DC. These trips were completely paid for by the Office of the Commandant here at Texas A&M and were incredible learning experiences. I am currently a cadet here at A&M and will be the Commanding Officer of an outfit next year. If you or your DS have any questions please PM me
Click to expand...
Thank you for the information, every little bit helps and it is nice to hear from someone that is currently a cadet at one of the colleges. If you don't mind my asking, why did you ultimately choose Texas A&M over VMI?
 
@DaGrubs

There were a variety of reasons but I think what really won me over was the friendliness of Texas A&M and the opportunities offered by the Corps here. I once saw something from A&M that said, "The official greeting of Texas A&M is 'Howdy!' The fact that we say 'Howdy!' means we're the friendliest university in the world". While they were certainly making a joke it isn't too far from the truth. I have never visited a campus as friendly as the one located in College Station, TX.

I alluded to the opportunities for travel in my previous comment. I think that A&M also offers opportunities as a university that other schools might not be able to offer. One of these is our alumni network. I know VMI has a very strong one, especially in the military, but within the business world, A&M is second-to-none. Two years ago we had three Fortune 100 CEOs. The new CEO of ExxonMobil, replacing Rex Tillerson, is also an Aggie. When this article was written we were tied for First Place with number of Fortune 100 CEOs. http://today.tamu.edu/2015/06/29/aggies-prominent-among-fortune-100-ceos/ Last year I sat down at the same table as the COO of a Fortune 100 company and had a job offer by the end of the night. I'm joining the Navy so I had to decline, but that is the power of our Aggie Network.

Other opportunities available specific to the Corps of Cadets here: Semester Exchanges with Helmut Schmidt University in Germany (a military school) and the Australian Defence Force Academy. Potential for travel to leadership conferences held at other schools around the United States and internationally.

While I learned about most of this when I got to A&M I think it's something your DS should take into account. I would encourage you and your DS to visit Texas A&M, do a fall JCAP program (he will spend the night with the Corps and also attend an Aggie Football Game in Kyle Field), and I trust that he will be sold on A&M upon hearing his first "Howdy!"

"From the outside looking in, you can't understand it. And from the inside looking out, you can't explain it."
 
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JAGman said:
@DaGrubs

There were a variety of reasons but I think what really won me over was the friendliness of Texas A&M and the opportunities offered by the Corps here. I once saw something from A&M that said, "The official greeting of Texas A&M is 'Howdy!' The fact that we say 'Howdy!' means we're the friendliest university in the world". While they were certainly making a joke it isn't too far from the truth. I have never visited a campus as friendly as the one located in College Station, TX.

I alluded to the opportunities for travel in my previous comment. I think that A&M also offers opportunities as a university that other schools might not be able to offer. One of these is our alumni network. I know VMI has a very strong one, especially in the military, but within the business world, A&M is second-to-none. Two years ago we had three Fortune 100 CEOs. The new CEO of ExxonMobil, replacing Rex Tillerson, is also an Aggie. When this article was written we were tied for First Place with number of Fortune 100 CEOs. http://today.tamu.edu/2015/06/29/aggies-prominent-among-fortune-100-ceos/ Last year I sat down at the same table as the COO of a Fortune 100 company and had a job offer by the end of the night. I'm joining the Navy so I had to decline, but that is the power of our Aggie Network.

Other opportunities available specific to the Corps of Cadets here: Semester Exchanges with Helmut Schmidt University in Germany (a military school) and the Australian Defence Force Academy. Potential for travel to leadership conferences held at other schools around the United States and internationally.

While I learned about most of this when I got to A&M I think it's something your DS should take into account. I would encourage you and your DS to visit Texas A&M, do a fall JCAP program (he will spend the night with the Corps and also attend an Aggie Football Game in Kyle Field), and I trust that he will be sold on A&M upon hearing his first "Howdy!"

"From the outside looking in, you can't understand it. And from the inside looking out, you can't explain it."
Click to expand...
I will definitely share this information with him and also look into the JCAP program. I was also told that TAMU could actually be considered as his "in state" school of choice because if you are a cadet at TAMU you are eligible for in state tuition. My son doesn't want to go to an in state school, so that will make him happy.
 
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