Please don't pin your hopes on NROTC or any others...

FloridaDad said:
If you don't need the scholarship it might be better to get a degree and do OCS later. 17/18 is very young to decide on your long term future so at least the kids get an extra four years to think about their careers. They would also have the option of doing post grad courses prior to commissioning, which will help them get promoted once in the military.
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Is it possible to go straight to OCS without any prior enlistment?
 
jdalv2 said:
Is it possible to go straight to OCS without any prior enlistment?
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Yes.

OCS produces the largest percentage of officers I think. Someone posted stats on this site and more officers come through OCS than ROTC or the academies.

When my son interviewed for AROTC the PMS liked him that much that he said come back if you don't get a scholarship. He said he would help him get the loans to do college with the view to going through OCS and getting the loans paid off.
 
I'd look into the OCS - the goarmy forums are full of how the OCS process is even tighter right now than ROTC - Green to Gold would be another route too, but it requires enlisting and then coming back to ROTC and college (unless you just enlist direct from college ie. no spots in OCS). These soliders bring real battlefield experience to the college ROTC program - their is a man in OU's AROTC that is Green to Gold, DS loves to talk with him! Yes, its a shame, youth is wasted on the young but they have to start their paths somewhere!
 
Do you have a link to those stats? This really surprises me. I only encountered USMA and ROTC officers during my time in the Army. Maybe times have changed.

I personally think ROTC or a service academies the way to go. You have 4 years to mature before going in, and the system seems totally organized around this much more than OCS.

One more thing: Four to five years active duty is NOT a career. Most junior officers, in fact, leave the service once they have held up their end of the bargain and go on to great careers in law school, medical school, business school or a host of other civilian jobs that are falling over themselves to hire junior officers. They serve as leaders in business, government, education, state police, FBI, Customs, and virtually every other facet of our society. Four years does NOT a career make.
 
I live amongst career service people. On my street of 48 houses we have: 4 Army Colonels, 3 AF Colonels and a Navy Captain. Its a fairly upmarket street, 3500 square foot minimum, and a gated country club. Most get 20-25 years service and then retire on good pensions in their early 40s. The following Monday they are back at the base working in civilians roles earning more than they did before plus the pension on top of that.

Don't discount the benefits of making a career out of the military.
 
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I was not being negative about careers in the military. I was simply pointing out that students considering an ROTC scholarship as a high-school student are NOT making decisions about their careers. Rather, that decision is not made until they are already on active duty and are nearing the end of their service obligation. It is at that point where they decide whether to stay in or leave.

I totally agree that there are ENORMOUS benefits to a military career. Just like the military sweetens the pot by offering scholarships to entice college students to serve as officers for a defined period of 4-5 years, it also sweetens the pot to entice officers to STAY in the military. My father was a career Army doctor and absolutely LOVED his 33+ years. Military retirees have a very comfortable situation, as you point out.
 
OCS is used to 'take up the slack,
when lots of officers are needed, OCS can pump'em out
when they are cutting back (like now), it is the easiest to scale down quickly.

So right now OCS slots are going to be very few and far between.
 
If planning on OCS, a candidate should do the:
"Enlistment Program 9D, U.S. Army Officer/Warrant Officer Enlistment Program"
AR 601-210 pg 90 Link

Consists of joining the Army under the delayed entry program (DEP) in the Junior year college -
going to Basic training that summer. Upon successful completion of Basic and a getting a 4 year degree,
the candidate is guaranteed a slot at OCS.

FWIW:
Also used for high school students to go to warrant officer flight school.
 
Not every career field gets the "sweeten the pot". Not only that, but people forget what I keep saying "the devil is in the details"... PCS, take TA, take promotions, take bonuses and they GOT YOU.

Also, for those who take flying it is not 4-5 yrs, it is 10!

I can't count on my hands and feet, plus, my BFFs hands and feet how many officers I know who couldn't jump at 4,5 or even 10. I think if I calculated how many who could jump when their ROTC or UPT commitment was over in the 21 yrs Bullet served it was 2 or 3. They had to stay on because they took TA or PCS or a promotion.

People believe it is so easy to leave, but in reality, at least for the AF it isn't.

Joe Schmoe gets commissioned AD in May 2011.

He attends SP school in Dec. 2011. Graduates in March 2012...clock starts ticking Dec 2011 for the 4 yrs.

March 2012 he is assigned to Eglin for 3 yrs. While there he decided to get his Masters using TA, and the last time he applied was Sept 2013. He now must pay back until Sept 2016.

His assignment at Eglin ends at Mar 2015, so he accepts an assignment to Germany for 3 yrs because he owes 18 months. Now he is stuck in Germany...try getting a job in the US! So to PCS back he accepts a new assignment with a payback...this is 2018. Even with a 2 yr commitment he is at 2020...which now puts him up for O4. He is married, has kids, car pmts and a mtg, hard thing to walk away from a sure paycheck when you have that hanging over your cranium.

The reality is the scholarship is the way to hook people because life has a funny way of getting into the way.
 
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