School specific AROTC research

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CkzErz

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What’s the best way to find out about the AROTC unit at a particular school?

My son has researched and visited a number of schools but wasn’t focused on AROTC at that time. Now that it’s getting closer to the time when decisions will need to be made, what’s the best way to make sure that he chooses a school that’s not only right for him but whose AROTC unit is also a good fit?

He told his interviewer that Maryland, Delaware and Rutgers were his top choices. Mentioning these details in case anyone on here happens to have particular knowledge of (or a contact at) those schools. Thank you!
 
I DMed bunch of people in Vandy ROTC thru instagram to find more about the program. They were very nice and some offered a phone call to discuss the details.
 
CkzErz said:
What’s the best way to find out about the AROTC unit at a particular school?

My son has researched and visited a number of schools but wasn’t focused on AROTC at that time. Now that it’s getting closer to the time when decisions will need to be made, what’s the best way to make sure that he chooses a school that’s not only right for him but whose AROTC unit is also a good fit?

He told his interviewer that Maryland, Delaware and Rutgers were his top choices. Mentioning these details in case anyone on here happens to have particular knowledge of (or a contact at) those schools. Thank you!
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If the campuses are open for a visit, I suggest he visit the campus and the AROTC unit. If they’re not open, schedule a virtual meeting and see if current cadets can be available to meet, as well.
 
airborne1030 said:
If the campuses are open for a visit, I suggest he visit the campus and the AROTC unit. If they’re not open, schedule a virtual meeting and see if current cadets can be available to meet, as well.
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Thank you, he did visit all of the schools pre Covid but didn’t connect with the AROTC units. He’ll try to connect with them in person or virtually now.
 
foxtailsean said:
I DMed bunch of people in Vandy ROTC thru instagram to find more about the program. They were very nice and some offered a phone call to discuss the details.
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Foxtailsean - What was your impression of the Vandy detachment? My DD is also interested in Vandy and has been in touch with the detachment recruiter. It has shot up to the top of her list (a late add after she was awarded a 4-year AROTC scholarship). Just curious.
 
Personally I would say it was overwhelmingly better than any other AROTC battalions in the country. I contacted Wake Forest as well but they weren't that impressive as Vanderbilt's Go Gold Battalion neither was UMiami's battalion. Besides the fact that Vanderbilt is a great school that is up there with the Ivy leagues, the recruiter as well as the Cadets told me that there's like 90%+ chance of getting the first branch choice when commissioning. That's better than West Point which only has 70% chance of Cadets getting their first choice branch and 95% chance of getting "one of the three top choice branches" and is simply impossible to happen in other AROTC battalions in the nation. Also, since Vandy campus is about an hour away from Fort Knox KY, one cadet there even said you could get Air Assault out of your way during winter break! He added that because you only need to compete within the battalion which is about 100 cadets in size, it is so much easier to get an Air Assault, Airborne School slots compared to West Point (I know, he was biased and was trying to make me choose Vandy over West Point). But overall, I'd say Vanderbilt Army ROTC is one of the best ROTC battalions out there based on my research.
 
Fort Knox is the location for Cadet Command. Air Assault near Vandy is at FT Campbell. Slots for all schools are divided evenly by the separate Brigades. Vanderbilt does have quite a few students with big brains (vernacular for “smart kids”) so it would not be surprising to see them a little higher on the order of merit list.
Slots for schools are earned... smart and physically fit Cadets at every other University have the same odds of getting a slot as a student at Vanderbilt. The days of “walk ons” for schools went away years ago. Once in a great while Cadre will try to pull a favor with friends working at school. When they are caught it gets ugly for the Cadre. BDE and Cadet Command make it very clear that this practice is not approved.
Branching doesn’t work that way either. Be wary of what you “hear“. Unless it comes from an authority like a PMS, SMI or senior Army leadership It may only be rumor. The branching model is also in large part based on Cadet performance (student, athlete, leader). Each branch also gets a vote on who they select.
Nothing against Vanderbilt, but every ROTC program has the same things available for every Cadet. I am very familiar with 7th BDE - great programs at Notre Dame, Indiana University, Western Michigan, Michigan State...
 
Is it also true that for purposes of OML and branching, all schools are equal? If you are at an Ivy League school with a GPA of 3.0 you could be ranked below someone at a regional university with a GPA of 3.3, for example. I understand that there are other factors that come into play but my understanding is that the GPA is not weighted at all based on the competitiveness of the college.
 
SF_DAD said:
Fort Knox is the location for Cadet Command. Air Assault near Vandy is at FT Campbell. Slots for all schools are divided evenly by the separate Brigades. Vanderbilt does have quite a few students with big brains (vernacular for “smart kids”) so it would not be surprising to see them a little higher on the order of merit list.
Slots for schools are earned... smart and physically fit Cadets at every other University have the same odds of getting a slot as a student at Vanderbilt. The days of “walk ons” for schools went away years ago. Once in a great while Cadre will try to pull a favor with friends working at school. When they are caught it gets ugly for the Cadre. BDE and Cadet Command make it very clear that this practice is not approved.
Branching doesn’t work that way either. Be wary of what you “hear“. Unless it comes from an authority like a PMS, SMI or senior Army leadership It may only be rumor. The branching model is also in large part based on Cadet performance (student, athlete, leader). Each branch also gets a vote on who they select.
Nothing against Vanderbilt, but every ROTC program has the same things available for every Cadet. I am very familiar with 7th BDE - great programs at Notre Dame, Indiana University, Western Michigan, Michigan State...
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The branching percentage of 90% info came from the PMS and his assistant. Last year, every single MS4 got their first choice and only one got his second choice. Thanks for correcting me on FT Campbell.
 
tgtl said:
Is it also true that for purposes of OML and branching, all schools are equal? If you are at an Ivy League school with a GPA of 3.0 you could be ranked below someone at a regional university with a GPA of 3.3, for example. I understand that there are other factors that come into play but my understanding is that the GPA is not weighted at all based on the competitiveness of the college.
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It’s true.
GPA is important, but just as important is academic major.
One example is nursing students. 100% of nursing students that pass the NCLEX get their first choice... They branch Nurse Corp.
High GPA students with a STEM major would end up very high on an OML. However, if the same student scores toward the bottom on physical fitness and not so well at camp then the numbers would change pretty drastically. The question to ask them is what role PT and CST played during the COVID year. Each University was able to skew their own numbers. I guarantee that this was a one off and there is no way ROTC programs can profess to have better percentages than West Point over any period of time other than a one off year.
Having worked in an ROTC program it was often frustrating to see the Academy get more school slots (by percentage of Cadets), get more training dollars, get a higher percentage of branch of choice, have earlier Commissioning dates, which equates to earlier date of rank for their year group... In the end it is OUR premier leadership training institution, so it’s set up that way for a reaso. The same reason that USAFA gets the lion’s share of pilot slots.
 
For AROTC, here's the basics as I know them. Ultimately, the higher you rate on the OML, the greater your chance to get the branch you want and to serve on active duty. This may have changed over since I last check, which was in 2018.
  • An MSIV's placement on the OML determines whether you're selected for Active Duty or Reserves/National Guard. It also determines your branch.
  • What goes into the OML (Bold Type categories are worth the most)
    • Academic Outcomes (Accessions GPA - through junior year, CLA+, Academic Discipline, Language/Cultural Awareness)
    • Leadership Outcomes (PMS Observations, PMS OER - Rating Potential, PMS OER - Ranking, Advanced Camp, Cadet Training/Extra Curricular, Maturity & Responsibility -
    • Physical Attributes (APFT - Fall/Spring, Athletics - Varsity, Intramurals, Community Teams)
  • Active Duty or Reserve Duty
    • GRFD Scholarship guarantees reserve duty
    • If you volunteer for reserve duty, you will be selected for reserve duty
    • Green to Gold Scholarship have to become active duty
  • Branch
    • Needs of the Army is also first
    • Top 10% cadet is guaranteed to get their first pick
    • Nurse Cadets that pass the NCLEX will be branch into the Nurse Corps
 
USAR and ARNG basically get to “pick” their branch. Cadets are able to select the location/unit they want to serve with. The unit has to accept the Cadet (new 2LT), which usually comes down to whether or not there is a vacancy. Some units, such as some aviation units, have a selection process.
If a Cadet really wants a specific branch this is a great option.
 
For AFROTC scholarship winners, you are required to serve 4 years on active duty. For NROTC scholarship winner, it depends on the option. Navy Option has a 5 year active duty obligation. Marine Option has a 4 year active duty obligation. Nurse Option has a 4 year active duty obligation.

The obligation on active duty will be extended for graduates that are slotted for pilot slots in the Air Force, Navy, and USMC. The last I read was the Navy and USMC pilots have an 8 year active duty obligation. Air Force pilots have a 10 year active duty obligation.
 
foxtailsean said:
Personally I would say it was overwhelmingly better than any other AROTC battalions in the country. I contacted Wake Forest as well but they weren't that impressive as Vanderbilt's Go Gold Battalion neither was UMiami's battalion. Besides the fact that Vanderbilt is a great school that is up there with the Ivy leagues, the recruiter as well as the Cadets told me that there's like 90%+ chance of getting the first branch choice when commissioning. That's better than West Point which only has 70% chance of Cadets getting their first choice branch and 95% chance of getting "one of the three top choice branches" and is simply impossible to happen in other AROTC battalions in the nation. Also, since Vandy campus is about an hour away from Fort Knox KY, one cadet there even said you could get Air Assault out of your way during winter break! He added that because you only need to compete within the battalion which is about 100 cadets in size, it is so much easier to get an Air Assault, Airborne School slots compared to West Point (I know, he was biased and was trying to make me choose Vandy over West Point). But overall, I'd say Vanderbilt Army ROTC is one of the best ROTC battalions out there based on my research.
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Remember he’s a recruiter. His info is bunk. Individual performance dictates everything you said minus special schools. Do well at crappy state school and apply yourself and you’ll get what you want. Slack off at Harvard and you won’t. I knew the PMS there a few years ago- solid guy. So I’m sure its a great program.
 
tgtl said:
Is it also true that for purposes of OML and branching, all schools are equal? If you are at an Ivy League school with a GPA of 3.0 you could be ranked below someone at a regional university with a GPA of 3.3, for example. I understand that there are other factors that come into play but my understanding is that the GPA is not weighted at all based on the competitiveness of the college.
Click to expand...
Correct. GPA is actually trumped by physical and leadership values on the point scale. 4.0 at Harvard but 181 on the APFT will be ranked lower than someone with a 3.5 but 300 somewhere else.
 
airborne1030 said:
For AROTC, here's the basics as I know them. Ultimately, the higher you rate on the OML, the greater your chance to get the branch you want and to serve on active duty. This may have changed over since I last check, which was in 2018.
  • An MSIV's placement on the OML determines whether you're selected for Active Duty or Reserves/National Guard. It also determines your branch.
  • What goes into the OML (Bold Typecategories are worth the most)
    • Academic Outcomes (Accessions GPA - through junior year, CLA+, Academic Discipline, Language/Cultural Awareness)
    • Leadership Outcomes (PMS Observations, PMS OER - Rating Potential, PMS OER - Ranking, Advanced Camp, Cadet Training/Extra Curricular, Maturity & Responsibility -
    • Physical Attributes (APFT - Fall/Spring, Athletics - Varsity, Intramurals, Community Teams)
  • Active Duty or Reserve Duty
    • GRFD Scholarship guarantees reserve duty
    • If you volunteer for reserve duty, you will be selected for reserve duty
    • Green to Gold Scholarship have to become active duty
  • Branch
    • Needs of the Army is also first
    • Top 10% cadet is guaranteed to get their first pick
    • Nurse Cadets that pass the NCLEX will be branch into the Nurse Corps
Click to expand...
Talent Based Branching now means a good interview and doing well on a branches “talents” means more than OML for branching now.
 
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