Obligation if declined a pilot slot

TheLT007

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Hello all. I’m currently enlisted in the USAF, and I’m getting out next year to do ROTC. Hoping to be a future Pilot, I was just curious, does anyone know the obligation to active duty if declined a pilot slot? Asking because if I’m declined, I’d rather pursue Physical therapy school and then come back to the military as an officer instead of being stuck in a career field that I wouldn’t enjoy as much. Any info from guys who’ve done ROTC would help. Thanks.
 
I have. I figured starting out at a community college was a better route for me instead due to the choices I made academically in high school
 
My assumption would be that you will owe the 4 yrs like any other non-rated ROTC grad. Of course you can always try to apply for an ED slot if not selected for rated.

The thing you need to realize is that when you go up for rated it is 4 slots. Pilot, CSO, RPA and ABM. You may ask for pilot, but get offered RPA. On top of that, not everyone will wing out of UPT, actually a nice chunk won't make it, however they are still on the hook for the commitment time of 4 yrs. ADAF
~ This does not include if they have to send you to a school. IE they send you to Intel school, then PCS you. That clock(PCS) starts again when you arrive at that base, but it runs concurrent with your original ROTC commitment. IOWS, if you wash out at UPT 2 months before you wing, then wait 4 months to start a new school that takes 6 months to complete, that yr counts toward the commitment, but because you still owe 2 yrs they are allowed to PCS you for a 3 yr assignment. You now owe 5 yrs ADAF instead of the original 4 from a non-rated world aspect.
 
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Thanks for that information. Something to take into account, I have one more question if you don’t mind. Say I change my mind about pursuing the pilot route. Would ROTC still be the best option if I wanted to be an active duty physical therapist? Considering I’d have to go to doctorate school for 3 years after my bachelors
 
ROTC has a program for people who want to be doctors and lawyers where you spend 4 years doing ROTC undergrad and then you are allowed to go finish your graduate studies before you EAD. I am not sure what the program is called, but from my det we had 1 lawyer and 1 dentist go through it. I would contact your ROTC recruiter to find more information about this program.

Lastly, in the situation you are in with kinda being on the fence with going up for a pilot slot. You can apply for the rated board and decline the slot if you decide you do not want that route. I am not sure what the process would be for you to request an EAD deferment to go pursue your graduate studies after that. However, people whoo decline their rated slots are given a non-rated AFSC with a commitment of 4 years and you CANNOT apply for another rated slot down the road.

Like I said, I would talk to your recruiter because if you could still go to grad school on an EAD deferment program then I would still apply for the rated board. This way if you get a slot you can accept it, or if you decline it you can still go to PT school.
 
ROTC and the academies are poor options for pursuing anything other than becoming an officer. I suppose if you went Guard or Reserves you might be able to continue your education while doing so. Sometimes one can pursue their advanced degree right after their bachelor's degree, but it's rare.

Capt MJ's response on your other thread is probably your best bet.... or serve your time as an officer, do an additional hitch, and then do graduate school on the GI Bill.
 
My daughter wanted to be an active duty PT but was not physically qualified for the Academy or ROTC (Spondylolisthesis surgery). She went to State U for undergrad and her DPT and is now working as a civilian physical therapist at Great Lakes. I am not saying that you should follow that path, but I wanted to say a few things about what she (and I) learned along the way. There is a PT program at Baylor for military PTs that you apply for as an undergrad in ROTC. It is a fully paid program and you are paid as a 2Lt while going to school. It is a highly competitive program and has a low number of available slots (I think 12 per year), but it is something to look into.

https://www.baylor.edu/graduate/pt/index.php?id=27029

Also, if you do go to civilian DPT school and then want to go active duty, the competition for jobs is fierce and you will need at least two years of PT experience post-Doctorate to apply.

Stealth_81
 
It seems from what I read, if you want to continue go into law or the medical professsion, your better bet would be to not do Rotc but rather continue your education and when you finish join the military. One of my clients son finsihed his law degree, passed the bar and join the Marine as part of their Jag program. As others have mentioned, there are ways to do it through Rotc, but you will be competing with lots of people for small number of spots. As for your time commitment, you basically owe 4 owes if you have a non rated job. If you have a rated job, then each position has a required number of years. My son being a pilot, i can tell you it is 10 years after graduating UPT. RPA is six years and so on. As others have mentioned, becoming a pilot is filled with land mines. One, you have to be selected, two you have to pass the medical physical. Three you have to pass IFT where they teach you how to fly a plane and then lastly you have to pass UPT
 
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