Post- NROTC Advice (Grad School and Service Selection)

hockeygirl

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Dec 24, 2015
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It has been a minute since I have posted to this forum (almost 4 years I think). During that time I have almost completed a BS in Nuclear Engineering and have been an active in the NROTC program at my school. This was the best decision I have ever made for myself and I am glad that my BGO suggested for me to submit an application. Now that I am looking at post-commissioning options I have run into another crossroads of decisions.

I will be entering in to my 1/C year at this university with a 3.0 GPA (filled with C's in calculus in physics, along with some major specific C's). I have worked hard to get to this point and I am proud of my academic progress since there has never been a point where I wasn't doing everything I could, just that Nuclear Engineering is hard. To add a little more amplifying information; I have also been a Physics TA and will be assisting with research in the fall. I have also been an active member of the school community and have held several different leadership roles as well as participated in many different activities (Nuclear Society, newspaper, Greek life, etc.) in addition to the billets I held in NROTC (treasurer, MWR). I think that my extracurricular activities help to demonstrate that I am capable and involved - since my grades paint a picture of slacking off.

For service assignment I am feeling very indecisive about what I will be putting down. I do not want to fly and am leaning towards not wanting to go Subs. My reasoning for subs is that most of the women I have interacted with in this community (junior and senior LTs) have all stated that getting your masters before going to NPS is the best method to balancing the whole wanting to have kids and also helping to increase the longevity of their careers. I do not want to close a door on myself and know that if I went submarines that the likelihood of lateral transferring from the community would be very narrow and I would probably be looking to get out of the Navy to have kids.
I will not be able to get to grad school before NPS as my GPA is not very competitive and since NROTC only allows very few to access these benefits I have already been told "no" by my CoC. Maybe some else has more of an opinion or depth on this, and if so please provide your 2cents as it will be greatly appreciated.

Otherwise I am debating SWO- Nuke and SWO ED as my top choices. Again the Nuke option is going to limit when I can have kids and I worry that I can't do both a graduate degree and kids (maybe this is just a fear I am creating?). SWO ED is very selective but is the reason I wanted to get into the Navy - especially with the whole graduate degree time set aside for you. Following these 2 choices I am going to put down SWO CW/Intel/IP/Oceanography; although I know that I will have to opportunity to transfer into these communities it would provide the peace of mind knowing that (again) there is time set aside in the career progression for a masters degree AND shore time that will allow me to start a family if I wanted.


I guess I am just looking for guidance on the whole graduate school thing, I have read the ROD (4-40 to be specific) on what my options are but maybe someone with a little more life experience could help to guide me. My advising LT has been very realistic with me regarding my GPA but I would like to hear another opinion if there is one. Thank you for your help, as always.
 
Hey! Talk about a blast from the past. Welcome back! Sit back and stick around for a while.

I couldn't tell you one thing about the communities you're interested in. One thing I can suggest is to talk to your adviser LT about how he/she got to where they are. Seems to me that getting a Master's while serving as an NROTC adviser might be something do-able. It certainly was for your adviser. I'm sure people far more knowledgeable than I will be able to chime in, perhaps even @Capt MJ . Good luck. I'm confident you will, once again, find your path.
 
Welcome back and congratulations on a successful 4 years in NROTC.

The vast majority of officers, men and women, get their Master’s after the first operational tour, or later on. It’s expected you will have one before coming up for O-5 promotion board. There is time! There are many ways to do it: full-time student at Naval Postgraduate School or a civilian university, after-hours classes at a base university extension or local college, or distance classes, in a Navy-approved curriculum, using Tuition Assistance money. NPS and Naval War College both offer remote classes as well as after-hours classes in major home ports. You can also roll to shore duty as an NROTC instructor and get your Master’s there. You can do the NPS Master’s and Company Officer tour at USNA. Plenty of USNA Company Officers and NROTC instructors start their families during those tours. And yes, you do not have to be a USNA grad to have duty at USNA. Diversity!

Be aware any Master’s on the Navy’s time or dime or both, incurs additional service obligation, which may run concurrently (yay!) or consecutively with other ADSO.

Don’t forget about your VA Post 9/11 GI Bill Education benefit. SA and ROTC grads have to serve 36 months after the initial ADSO concludes to be eligible for 100% of this generous benefit. Va.gov has info.

Some anecdotes from our USNA sponsor family of female submariners:

- First tours done, rolled ashore for 2 year full-time Georgetown U Foreign Affairs Master’s, also got married and had a baby. Submarine husband got DC shore duty. Sub husband plans to get out, use his GI bill, get remote job in coding, follow her around after she returns to sea duty, cover the childcare front.
- First sea tours done, rolled ashore with sub husband for shore duty, both did after-hours MS in Engineering Management, had baby. Both eventually got out and got excellent jobs in a well-known science-tech company. Just had third child. Team effort by both to manage it all.
- First sea tours done, married to sub officer, both went to Naval Postgraduate School, had first baby, then both went back to sea duty, in staggered cycle boats, figured out the child-rearing.

First, take a breath. You have no idea how your life will unfold, what bumps and detours will occur, how your goals may change, what decisions you will make, who will be in your life. Be flexible and open. Plan, but look around.

Second, choose the community you think is the best fit for YOU. If you are happy in your choice, you will thrive and be successful, giving you the most leverage with your career choices. Certainly, talk to others, but they are not you and their experiences, needs, hopes are different. The class of 2010 sent the first women to the nuke pipeline. Policies change, career flexibility may be increasing to better retain those officers who bear the physical burden of carrying a child.

Let us know how it goes.

Oh - and it’s fairly common for military women to date and marry military men. No one else seems to get us. 😉
 
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Was looking into this as well. Current 1/C graduating in May ‘21. What did you ultimately end up getting assigned? Which school? Think we might have been in the same year group for Cortramid, wishing the best!
 
Was looking into this as well. Current 1/C graduating in May ‘21. What did you ultimately end up getting assigned? Which school? Think we might have been in the same year group for Cortramid, wishing the best!

Hi! I got assigned SWO-Nuke (which btw was my 3rd option) and go to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Since I got SWO-N I decided to call off trying to get my masters via the co-term program at my school (which would have gotten me a Masters in 1yr). This decision is solely based on the fact that my request would have been most likely denied due to the designator I was assigned. This being said SWO-N is going to open some different doors for me in the future.

If you got SWO or anything aviation and are still thinking about graduate school- definitely think about your options as your request has more of a chance to be approved. DM me if you want to talk about this further
 
Hi! I got assigned SWO-Nuke (which btw was my 3rd option) and go to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Since I got SWO-N I decided to call off trying to get my masters via the co-term program at my school (which would have gotten me a Masters in 1yr). This decision is solely based on the fact that my request would have been most likely denied due to the designator I was assigned. This being said SWO-N is going to open some different doors for me in the future.

If you got SWO or anything aviation and are still thinking about graduate school- definitely think about your options as your request has more of a chance to be approved. DM me if you want to talk about this further
Curious about your experience as a SWO(n). I'm guessing you would only have recently reported to your first ship- conventional power. DS graduates this spring and is going SWO(n).
 
Curious about your experience as a SWO(n). I'm guessing you would only have recently reported to your first ship- conventional power. DS graduates this spring and is going SWO(n).
Actually, I will be commissioning this spring as well. Looking forward to possibly meeting your DS and working with them!
 
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