ROTC commitment

[thefireman]

I'm starting my sophomore year in august and have been giving thought to joining ROTC. I just want to know that if I decide that I am not yet ready to commit when the time comes during college, will it hurt my chances if I apply to OCS after college?

Many thanks ahead of time!

 

[AROTC-dad]

The needs for officers are first filled by the service academies, then secondly through ROTC.

LASTLY, if there is still a need, OCS is used to fill the remaining spots.

 

[bfrat93]

I had several classmates who joined AROTC after freshman and even sophomore year and earned commissions; it's not too late if you want to go that route. One was dropped from AFROTC after fall semester sophomore year, joined Army, and got an active duty infantry (he'll go to Intelligence later) slot. OCS might be more difficult but it is possible. In my BOLC class, there were several LTs who commissioned through OCS (active duty contracts) without prior military service. However, most of them had grad degrees; including a couple of PhDs. Again, this is all from the Army side; you should make sure to gather facts from the other branches. If I were in your position, I'd give ROTC a try for the semester. The worst that can happen is you decide it's not the right fit and drop; without it being a dead end to commissioning. Take advantage of the summer and do some research. Bottom line, if you truly desire to commission, do you research and seriously consider taking any opportunity.

 

[NiceTaco]

I had several classmates who joined AROTC after freshman and even sophomore year and earned commissions; it's not too late if you want to go that route. One was dropped from AFROTC after fall semester sophomore year, joined Army, and got an active duty infantry (he'll go to Intelligence later) slot. OCS might be more difficult but it is possible. In my BOLC class, there were several LTs who commissioned through OCS (active duty contracts) without prior military service. However, most of them had grad degrees; including a couple of PhDs. Again, this is all from the Army side; you should make sure to gather facts from the other branches. If I were in your position, I'd give ROTC a try for the semester. The worst that can happen is you decide it's not the right fit and drop; without it being a dead end to commissioning. Take advantage of the summer and do some research. Bottom line, if you truly desire to commission, do you research and seriously consider taking any opportunity.

I'm assuming you went to Penn State by your profile pic. I'll be starting there as a freshman this fall for AFROTC. Why was one of the cadets dropped from AFROTC after fall semester sophomore year?

 

[Bender]

I'm assuming you went to Penn State by your profile pic. I'll be starting there as a freshman this fall for AFROTC. Why was one of the cadets dropped from AFROTC after fall semester sophomore year?

Many things could have caused this. In my Det., people get dropped for medical causes that just flew under the radar before, and makes up most of the cases. Cadre can also recommend you for dis enrollment if they do not see satisfactory progress.

 

[Jcleppe]

Many things could have caused this. In my Det., people get dropped for medical causes that just flew under the radar before, and makes up most of the cases. Cadre can also recommend you for dis enrollment if they do not see satisfactory progress.

Interesting advice considering your other recent post.

 

[NorwichDad]

Interesting advice considering your other recent post.

I was thinking the same thing!

 

[AROTC-dad]

Sometimes, (not always) a person who is really down, will reach out to help others in order to feel better about themselves.

 

[kinnem]

+1 to AROTC-dad. Also, I see no need to mix up threads... let's keep the comments here pertinent to this thread.

 

[bfrat93]

I'm assuming you went to Penn State by your profile pic. I'll be starting there as a freshman this fall for AFROTC. Why was one of the cadets dropped from AFROTC after fall semester sophomore year?

He received a minor underage drinking charge that put him on grounds for dismissal from AFROTC but AROTC was willing to waive it and gave him a fair chance. Don't think for a second that this means you can do the same thing, get charged, and find some sort of grace from another branch; it does not always work that way. I am happy that my friend was able to commission despite what happened, but he was very lucky. The point I am making is that you can join an ROTC program relatively late (there is a limit of course) and successfully complete the program. Secondary to that is what many of us have said on these forums: those who want to earn a commission need to consider every possible path.