ROTC/enlisting

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armygak546

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Feb 9, 2019
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Hi, I'm going to be a freshman in college next year in ROTC at VT.

However, currently I'm in the process of enlisting but there's been a problem. I'm trying to get it authorized so I can ship out earlier to make it to tech in time for New Cadet Week. If it works out, it'd be split option with the mos of 15p.

But if that doesn't work out, I was planning to defer my enrollment a semester and get my training done all at one time. For this, I'd go 35f or 35s, which is what I want to do but not available with split option.

Has anyone experienced or seen this? I'd be enlisting reserves and doing ROTC as soon as I get to VTech.
 
Are you on scholarship? Why do you want to enlist?
 
kinnem said:
Are you on scholarship? Why do you want to enlist?
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I’m not on a scholarship. And simply because I want to now and I want to go through it. I’ve waited my entire life and I don’t wanna wait anymore. Also saves me time after I graduate of going through more training.
 
I hate to burst your bubble but you WILL go through more training after commissioning before you get to your first command. You will attend some sort of BOLC. Before I signed anything I would speak to the ROO at VT prior to enlisting. They know the ins and outs of doing this properly for ROTC cadets. It is not straight-forward and you open yourself up for some risks, which you may be willing to take, but make sure you understand them. You can always call them and have this conversation now.
 
kinnem said:
I hate to burst your bubble but you WILL go through more training after commissioning before you get to your first command. You will attend some sort of BOLC. Before I signed anything I would speak to the ROO at VT prior to enlisting. They know the ins and outs of doing this properly for ROTC cadets. It is not straight-forward and you open yourself up for some risks, which you may be willing to take, but make sure you understand them. You can always call them and have this conversation now.
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No, I do know I’ll have more training but with this I’ll have my mos training already at least. I know I can’t do ROTC if I go a semester late and I also do know my specific school can work with which ever unit I’m with.

What do you mean by not straight forward?
 
There is a whole thread on here where this topic was discussed thoroughly within the past month. I'd suggest you read through that.

The route you are choosing is a valid route. It is a risky route, and most of the time will make your commissioning process more challenging.

armygak546 said:
And simply because I want to now and I want to go through it. I’ve waited my entire life and I don’t wanna wait anymore.
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I'd check that impatient attitude now. It will not serve you well in your career, especially as an officer.

armygak546 said:
Also saves me time after I graduate of going through more training.
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No it won't. Officer training is not the same as enlisted training. For any MOS. You will still have to go through post-graduation training for your officer MOS.
 
Tbpxece said:
There is a whole thread on here where this topic was discussed thoroughly within the past month. I'd suggest you read through that.

The route you are choosing is a valid route. It is a risky route, and most of the time will make your commissioning process more challenging.

armygak546 said:
And simply because I want to now and I want to go through it. I’ve waited my entire life and I don’t wanna wait anymore.
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I'd check that impatient attitude now. It will not serve you well in your career, especially as an officer.

armygak546 said:
Also saves me time after I graduate of going through more training.
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No it won't. Officer training is not the same as enlisted training. For any MOS. You will still have to go through post-graduation training for your officer MOS.
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Just out of curiosity, what makes it more difficult? I’m just not aware of how much more it is.

Im only impatient about this. Usually it’s much different. Also I knew that there was more training but I didn’t know it’d be MOS training again.
 
Talk to your ROO before you enlist. SMP can work for financial reasons, but for many it just makes it harder to commission due to drill obligations.
 
AROTC-dad said:
Talk to your ROO before you enlist. SMP can work for financial reasons, but for many it just makes it harder to commission due to drill obligations.
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No one can give me a straight answer, but what makes it harder to commission?
 
If you want to go guard, you'll have to go to basic and AIT, which could possibly take an academic year away from you.

You'll have to drill on the weekends, which for some it's not big deal. However, there will be some weeks you'll be stressed, because you have stuff to do, but you have to go drill.

If you are not SMP, then you have the possibility of deploying, which then takes another semester out of your college career.

You also may rethink about commissioning, and stay enlisted (this could be a good or a bad thing though). I know many people who have rethought their life once they enlist (mostly because they decide the military isn't for them, while in reality being junior enlisted is a different lifestyle than being a junior officer).

I'd say that could be harder on commissioning, and my cousin can personally vouch. It is going to take him 2 years extra to commission, because of how much the guard took him away from school.

Just because you are enlisted and have an MOS, does not mean you can skip "some" officer training. You might be enlisted infantry, and then branch field artillery as an officer. Even if you did branch infantry as an officer, you still get no shortcuts, because officers do not get the same training that enlisted do. Enlisted and officers are two completely different roles.
 
A far better decision may be enlist in the NG or Reserves now....do your basic this summer, drill over the winter, do your AIT next summer, then drill and advance while in college (no ROTC). When you graduate you will have the inside track into OCS at Ft Benning, and come out a 2nd Lt. Be careful going ROTC while you enlist, because often drill and ROTC obligations conflict, especially during Ranger Challenges (competition against other colleges) which help your ROTC track and expose you to different opportunities, Going thru enlisting and starting ROTC may cause problems with basic training and possible activation (during natural disasters, in need for combat, or by Presidential or Governor's order), not to mention drills in NG and school and MS requirements. check with your ROO to make sure ROTC will excuse ALL NG absences without consequence.
 
Impulsive said:
A far better decision may be enlist in the NG or Reserves now....do your basic this summer, drill over the winter, do your AIT next summer, then drill and advance while in college (no ROTC). When you graduate you will have the inside track into OCS at Ft Benning, and come out a 2nd Lt. Be careful going ROTC while you enlist, because often drill and ROTC obligations conflict, especially during Ranger Challenges (competition against other colleges) which help your ROTC track and expose you to different opportunities, Going thru enlisting and starting ROTC may cause problems with basic training and possible activation (during natural disasters, in need for combat, or by Presidential or Governor's order), not to mention drills in NG and school and MS requirements. check with your ROO to make sure ROTC will excuse ALL NG absences without consequence.
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So the thing is for this, in order to make it to school on time, I have to get an authorization to ship out earlier since I'm a HS senior currently. This would only be my path if that doesn't come through. If it does come through, I'll do split option just fine. If it doesn't, I'd miss my first semester of college to get all my training, not do ROTC that year, classes over summer, and then start ROTC my sophomore year.

My school/ROTC can excuse all these absences as there are several other cadets who do the same exact thing already. My college is large on ROTC and lots of different paths within that. Plus, I need to be in ROTC to go SMP (non-scholarship).
 
Well, it sounds like you got it planned out.

Don't forget that any delays in your graduation equal delays in your commission date, which means that if that happens (and odds are decent that it will), all your ROTC peers and friends will outrank you nearly your entire career. Plus you will be permanently tossing away ~$37 grand for each year you delay your commission. Plus any opportunities you miss because you are too junior in rank by a year or two to take them.

Good luck, thanks for wanting to serve, and have fun.
 
Tbpxece said:
Well, it sounds like you got it planned out.

Don't forget that any delays in your graduation equal delays in your commission date, which means that if that happens (and odds are decent that it will), all your ROTC peers and friends will outrank you nearly your entire career. Plus you will be permanently tossing away ~$37 grand for each year you delay your commission. Plus any opportunities you miss because you are too junior in rank by a year or two to take them.

Good luck, thanks for wanting to serve, and have fun.
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About missing school though, if I were to miss my fall semester, I could just take classes over the summer (which my school will offer) and be back on track by sophomore year, correct? and then graduate right along my peers. I just wouldn't be able to do ROTC my freshman year and I'm not sure how the process of joining sophomore year goes.
 
armygak546 said:
and then start ROTC my sophomore year.
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ROTC is a 4 year program. They are going to expect you to be there anyway. There may be a way to do it in 3 years which would be a great conversation to have with an ROO.

Not all classes are offered over the summer. Some of the classes that are offered will have prereqs that you do not have yet, and cannot get yet. Certainly the military science classes and labs will not be offered over the summer, and as I said that's a 4 year program. It's not just the MS academics, it's the 4 years of leadership and there is no one there to be lead over the summer.

All anyone here is really suggesting is that you discuss with with the ROO at VT and make sure you understand all the trade-offs from folks who are expert in this. If my son wanted to hurry down the path you desire I'd be smacking him up against the side of the head to have that conversation with the ROO. Make sure yo have a realistic plan, with the desired outcome, before you proceed.
 
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