NROTC Dorm Room Mate

NJROTC-CC

NJROTC-CC

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DS is thinking ahead. He is concerned about waking up his room mate when he gets up early for unit PT. He thinks he should request a NROTC-MO room mate so they can be on the same sleep schedule. Is that a good idea?
 
My unit has all the NROTC freshmen live on one floor (we're a consortium, so in reality there's only eight of us here) so your DS' unit might take care of that for him. My roommate is Navy option, but we're on the same wakeup schedule anyways.

My friend's roommate dropped early on in the semester, but she's a good sport about the early mornings.
 
I should note that the majority of my floor is non-ROTC, so we have had to ask people to quiet down when it gets to be late and we're looking ahead to PT/drill the next morning. Never a dull moment!
 
Good details above. Recommended for the reasons you and other poster stated above plus you can "follow the crowd at chowtime" (A Few Good Men reference) and get your evals, reports, assignments or to events on-time by reminding each other. They keep each other locked in too on getting to the gym, going for a run, even nutrition, etc.

I would think having a non-ROTC roommate coming in at 2AM multiple nights when you have to be on the field at 4:45 would be pretty rough. and for that roommate, your alarm pinging at 4:30AM 3x per week while you get your gear on in a hurry? You will not be on that roommates Jelly of the Month subscription list if you mess with their REM cycles.
 
Herman_Snerd said:
Good details above. Recommended for the reasons you and other poster stated above plus you can "follow the crowd at chowtime" (A Few Good Men reference) and get your evals, reports, assignments or to events on-time by reminding each other. They keep each other locked in too on getting to the gym, going for a run, even nutrition, etc.

I would think having a non-ROTC roommate coming in at 2AM multiple nights when you have to be on the field at 4:45 would be pretty rough. and for that roommate, your alarm pinging at 4:30AM 3x per week while you get your gear on in a hurry? You will not be on that roommates Jelly of the Month subscription list if you mess with their REM cycles.
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Yes!!! This has been by far the most helpful aspect of having other ROTC people in my dorm. We bang on each other's doors if we're getting close to showtime for PT, double check wakeup times, and often eat at least one meal together. We have our obligatory group chat with our squad leader, but we also have one with just 4/Cs for venting, trying to figure out what's going on, and general mischief.

Also, very good point about roommates coming in late/early. Another friend of mine has a roommate who dropped ROTC and frequently returns to the dorm at 1-2 AM, oftentimes with company. There are many days when she will mention that she slept for three or four hours because her roommate brought so and so over. I think it's awfully inconsiderate of her roommate, but not my monkey.
 
Penn State actually has a living option for ROTC. So that is probably the case at a lot of big schools. My DD chose a regular dorm and just made sure her incoming roomie was preparted. Hasn't been a problem at this point.
 
To some degree, it depends on the school. DS university did not have segregated ROTC dorms nor allow roommate requests. So, he had to fill in the questionnaire for housing which asked about sleep schedules. He was matched and had no problems.
 
My freshman year when I was in the dorms, my roommate wasn't in ROTC but still woke up super early for some reason.

It was nice to have someone to be up at the same time as me, in case I overslept or something.

He wasn't in ROTC, so I wasn't having to share the sink to shave or do my hair.

Benefits and downsides to both, I would say just having someone who wakes up at the same time is a huge plus, and really all you need.
 
I would take into consideration how good of a sleeper your son is, as well. My DS has a non- ROTC roommate. They did pick each other through some sort of page on Instagram so DS was upfront about being in ROTC & wanting a roommate that wasn’t going to get them in trouble & was serious about academics. They have different schedules but both seem to be good sleepers so it hasn’t been an issue. The roommate did pledge & is going to live in his house next year so it looks like it will be a one & done but I can tell they will still stay friends…. I think it also takes consideration too - we were there early on Saturday for the football game & to take DS out for breakfast - DS met us outside because the roomie was still sleeping 😴.
 
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NJROTC-CC said:
DS is thinking ahead. He is concerned about waking up his room mate when he gets up early for unit PT. He thinks he should request a NROTC-MO room mate so they can be on the same sleep schedule. Is that a good idea?
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Very considerate of him! With 3 in college at the same time, I just bought them a townhouse. You could consider that or renting an off-campus apartment. Many of my son's fellow cadets do that so they can focus on their busy schedules without the dormitory drama (oh, and it can be cheaper too).
 
Two of my kids did not have ROTC roommates or fellow cadets on their floor. It worked great - they are now best friends. The other plus is that it helps ensure you have a diversity of friends to socialize with and not just hang out with fellow cadets all the time. My youngest is in a 4 student unit with two bedrooms. He shares his bedroom with a fellow cadet by mutual choice and the other two are not ROTC. But his ROTC roommate leaves every weekend to hang out with his girlfriend!
 
OldAFRet said:
Very considerate of him! With 3 in college at the same time, I just bought them a townhouse. You could consider that or renting an off-campus apartment. Many of my son's fellow cadets do that so they can focus on their busy schedules without the dormitory drama (oh, and it can be cheaper too).
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I am sure he will want to move off campus after freshman year. It’s probably better if he lives on campus his first year. However he has some friends who will be upperclassman at both schools and who might wanna live freshman year if he has the chance
 
NJROTC-CC said:
DS is thinking ahead. He is concerned about waking up his room mate when he gets up early for unit PT. He thinks he should request a NROTC-MO room mate so they can be on the same sleep schedule. Is that a good idea?
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Absolutely yes. Best decision Ive ever made
 
FastFood44 said:
I'll give a different opinion... non ROTC roommate was the best decision I ever made. Being with the same person 24/7 would make me go crazy, could not imagine having class, workouts,eat then having to live with same person all the time.
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In DS’s case he will likely be driving cross-town at 5:30 a.m. to do PT at the host school. It would help to have a buddy with him and I doubt they would be majoring in the same subject so they wouldn’t be in classes together except for naval science. But thanks for a different perspective
 
FastFood44 said:
I'll give a different opinion... non ROTC roommate was the best decision I ever made. Being with the same person 24/7 would make me go crazy, could not imagine having class, workouts,eat then having to live with same person all the time.
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Make sure you don’t start a business with a future spouse who likes to workout. 🤣
But I hear you.
 
When I did ROTC I roomed with a best friend of mine from high school. It was really nice to room with a non-ROTC roommate because you get the whole room to yourself for the morning. Rooming with ROTC guys is awesome as well. It is kind of one of those things you figure out as you go along and get closer to people in your unit.
 
When my DD was going into her 4/C year, prior to school the Battalion sent all incoming the emails of all the incoming Mids. They were able to connect on whatever App they use and found dorm mates that way.
 
NJROTC-CC said:
DS is thinking ahead. He is concerned about waking up his room mate when he gets up early for unit PT. He thinks he should request a NROTC-MO room mate so they can be on the same sleep schedule. Is that a good idea?
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Your DS is correct. He should try to room with another NROTC-MO midshipman.

My DD is in AROTC and thankfully her AROTC battalion assisted incoming cadets with rooming with other cadets, and it has been really helpful, especially with morning PT.

Although many years ago, I can speak from my own experience as an AROTC cadet that didn’t room with other cadets. It doesn’t always go well. I went through a couple of roommates before I finally was able to find one that was also an early riser.
 
airborne1030 said:
Your DS is correct. He should try to room with another NROTC-MO midshipman.

My DD is in AROTC and thankfully her AROTC battalion assisted incoming cadets with rooming with other cadets, and it has been really helpful, especially with morning PT.

Although many years ago, I can speak from my own experience as an AROTC cadet that didn’t room with other cadets. It doesn’t always go well. I went through a couple of roommates before I finally was able to find one that was also an early riser.
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Apparently my DD's non ROTC roommate is a heavy sleeper and never hears her leave in the morning. So it's a win-win for both of them.
 
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