Not Qualifying for Active Duty

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Elizathief

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Feb 26, 2019
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My son is an MS3 with a 3 yr AROTC scholarship. He wanted to enlist right out of HS (good student, lots of athletics, NHS, etc.) but we (parents, older siblings) pressured him into college. He's done very well in ROTC but the rest of the college experience has been rough. He desperately wants active duty but was told it's pretty much going to take a miracle because of his GPA (should be about 2.65 at the end of this semester).

Looking for words of wisdom and options. Is it fairly easy to go from the Nat Guard or Reserves to active? Afraid recruiter will blow smoke up our butts. He's talking about quitting college after this year (junior year) and letting them take him as enlisted. There's tons of blame to go around but bottom line is he's wanted to be a Ranger since he was little and the dream is slipping away. Thanks in advance.
 
I wish your son the best. I would say that he won't get to choose if he pays back his scholarship as enlisted or gets a bill. Might be something he talks over with cadre (not a recruiter) before making such a life changing decision. Good luck to you and your son, I am sure this is a very stressful time.
 
+1 to Dckc88. It's more likely DS will be required to pay back the scholarship than to allow him to enlist. Which course it taken is up to the Army. Going from Guard or Reserves to Active is not a normal thing, otherwise everyone who wanted active duty originally would be doing it. I hate to say he brought this on himself but it is normally the case. It's worth a chat with cadre about the chances of enlisting before he makes a final decision.

Does he need help/tutoring that he's not asking for? Is he busy with "extra-curriculars" that is taking him away from his studies? Or do you think it's a case of college not really being for him at this time? Based on your comments I'm thinking it might be the latter. Is there any chance to turn his academics around at this point?
 
kinnem said:
+1 to Dckc88. It's more likely DS will be required to pay back the scholarship than to allow him to enlist. Which course it taken is up to the Army. Going from Guard or Reserves to Active is not a normal thing, otherwise everyone who wanted active duty originally would be doing it. I hate to say he brought this on himself but it is normally the case. It's worth a chat with cadre about the chances of enlisting before he makes a final decision.

Does he need help/tutoring that he's not asking for? Is he busy with "extra-curriculars" that is taking him away from his studies? Or do you think it's a case of college not really being for him at this time? Based on your comments I'm thinking it might be the latter. Is there any chance to turn his academics around at this point?
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He definitely brought this on himself, although my husband & I take some of the blame for pushing him so hard in a direction he didn't want to go. No "extra-curriculars", just didn't put effort into it because he didn't want to be there. He's not a party-er at all. He's working hard now, finally found a Spanish tutor and taking some advanced major classes, which he likes but the light bulb went off about a year too late. So, the 2.65 is assuming he has a stellar semester. If he had 1 more semester after this one to get the GPA up further it would probably be ok but apparently the decision is made at the end of their junior year & Advanced Camp this summer.
 
@kinnem the OP said her son is an MS3, I think for Army, only their grades up through the end of their MS3 year count towards their OML for component and branching. Also, their record APFT from Fall and Spring, and at Advanced Camp are the scores that count for OML. Also it is the recommendation this spring from his PMS that is important going into camp. So digging in and putting in as much effort as he possibly can for the remainder of this semester might improve that recommendation as well. Effort is a huge factor in showing the qualities of a future leader.

On top of what I mentioned above, his performance at camp also matters for his OML. Last year, it seemed like the AD component went deeper than it had in years past, meaning the line between AD and NG/Reserves was lower than past years, due to the current need for officers. Hopefully that is still the case. This might be a case of he might just have to ride it out and see where his component ends up, which will be early in the fall. As far as scholarship accrued, not much will change between now then, except for that one additional semester. I applaud you for trying to find out as much information as you can to advise him. If my DD was in his shoes (which she wants Active Duty very badly, and so she actually could be), I would advise her to go through the entire process. Go to camp and wait for the component to come out in early fall. Maybe someone can remind me, is it in September? Also, if he learns his component is NG, then he can take a little bit of time to let that digest and learn all of his options. But at this point, saying it is unlikely to happen, instead of it actually having happened is literally six-seven months away from knowing for sure. Depending on the cost of his schooling, it could be tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands he might actually owe. In my DD's case, it would be six figures, she understands that if she gets National Guard, she will be serving 8 years and finding a job. Not her preference, but it is what she signed up for. Your son might choose to go another route, but depending on the bill he receives, being an enlisted soldier, just might make that bill hard to swallow given what his earning potential would be.

Good luck to you and your son, again, this has to be really stressful.
 
@Elizathief - cross posts, you beat me to the junior GPA deadline! Hey, we all do the best we can as parents. At the end of this, with a 2.65 gpa, or not, if he follows through, he will be a college graduate, and no one can take that from him. And Reserves or not, he will still be an officer. It's the whole lemonade out of lemons lesson. I guess now the best anyone can do is to let him know the real financial consequences he might be facing to help him make the best decision possible.
 
Dckc88 said:
@Elizathief - cross posts, you beat me to the junior GPA deadline! Hey, we all do the best we can as parents. At the end of this, with a 2.65 gpa, or not, if he follows through, he will be a college graduate, and no one can take that from him. And Reserves or not, he will still be an officer. It's the whole lemonade out of lemons lesson. I guess now the best anyone can do is to let him know the real financial consequences he might be facing to help him make the best decision possible.
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Thank you so much for your input. Not freaking out right now wasn't an option on my list but waiting until the fall to see how everything shakes out sounds like a viable alternative. Best of luck to your DD!
 
One thing to consider, If your son competes for AD and does not get it, he will then start looking at different NG units. The one thing about the NG is that he will not need to compete with other cadets that are going AD for his branch. IF Infantry and later Rangers is what he is interested in then he can search NG units that have an opening for an Infantry 2LT, he can apply and if given the slot he would then go to IBOLC and then Ranger School. Once he is eligible the opportunity would still exist for him to apply for the Ranger Regiment. There are good opportunities in the NG, he may want to start his research now so all his bases are covered. It would be wise for him to finish school and commission with not tuition debt to pay back.
 
Thank you so much. This is exactly why I posted on this forum, ya'll are a wealth of good information.
 
Elizathief said:
Thank you so much. This is exactly why I posted on this forum, ya'll are a wealth of good information.
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I'll add that a lot-- not all, but a lot-- of reserve component SF/SOF positions are full-time. They may not be full-time military, but even technician pay is pretty good. However, full-time positions are rarely offered to new CGO's. Usually, they are withheld until the applicant is fully qualified (1-2 years minimum).

If he goes ARNG, keep in mind that it is critical to build a relationship with the unit beforehand. The Guard does not have unlimited officer billets available, and often like to provide internal commissioning opportunities before allowing outside applicants a chance. It is not like AD-- it's more like a civilian job.

For best results, find a few ARNG units now that seem attractive and begin a conversation with them. Showing up in person is even better.
 
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