Should I do the 4 year ROTC scholarship application if I do not want a scholarship?

AROTC-dad said:
Nope. Not even close.

LOL. You will work your *** off.

You will give up some perfectly good weekends for FTX where you may get bitten by all sorts of bugs, get filthy dirty and come back exhausted only to have to wake up Monday at 0500 for PT.
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Oh ok, so it’s still physically challenging? Even the first year?
 
armypanda_ said:
I know this should be a simple concept, sorry.
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ROTC cadets eventually commission just like West Pointers.

Both programs are designed to produce commissioned officers to lead soldiers into combat.

Hence the MS-I year and the WP Plebe year both offer physical challenges to prepare cadets for future leadership of platoons, companies and battalions.

The MAIN difference, is that most Army ROTC cadets get some "normal" college life wheras West Ponters are active duty military 24/7.
 
AROTC-dad said:
ROTC cadets eventually commission just like West Pointers.

Both programs are designed to produce commissioned officers to lead soldiers into combat.

Hence the MS-I year and the WP Plebe year both offer physical challenges to prepare cadets for future leadership of platoons, companies and battalions.

The MAIN difference, is that most Army ROTC cadets get some "normal" college life wheras West Ponters are active duty military 24/7.
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Right, I think it’s just hard for me to determine where the military life stops at a civilian college with ROTC..
 
If you take an ROTC scholarship and later decide that you want to get out to go to grad school, you have to have 8 years of active duty to get full GI Bill benefits (same with Service Academies). If you don't take the scholarship, you receive full GI Bill education benefits after 3 years of active duty.
 
Do your parents know you are passing up applying bc they can pay? They may have an opinion on that 😂

Rhetorical question. No need to answer.
 
justdoit19 said:
Do your parents know you are passing up applying bc they can pay? They may have an opinion on that 😂

Rhetorical question. No need to answer.
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My 2 cents....I could afford to pay for my DS's college. He wants to be a Marine and applied for a scholarship. He was awarded the scholarship and will serve for X years. If you can get a scholarship, get it.
 
Direct from the Army website:

Do commissioned Officers take the ACFT?​


Yes, if you join the Army on a path to commission as an Officer, you will take the ACFT as a cadet, and every year after.
 
EEBTTF said:
My 2 cents....I could afford to pay for my DS's college. He wants to be a Marine and applied for a scholarship. He was awarded the scholarship and will serve for X years. If you can get a scholarship, get it.
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Same here but Army!
 
EEBTTF said:
My 2 cents....I could afford to pay for my DS's college. He wants to be a Marine and applied for a scholarship. He was awarded the scholarship and will serve for X years. If you can get a scholarship, get it.
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I’ve been thinking about this. A scholarship is more than the financial piece. It’s a recognition of the years and years of hard work. The time, energy and effort put in by the student. And in a less direct way, parents as welll who spent time, energy and effort into planting the seeds and tending to the roots of development. Especially early on.

A scholarship is recognition and reward for the work done thus far. And especially with an ROTC scholarship, which is a NATIONAL competition from the very beginning, against other people who have worked hard to get to this point. I’ve always thought an ROTC scholarship as a true ‘best of the best’, right off the bat, as there is no medical or nomination filter initially. And a military officer has done an interview with the candidate, and they have a good idea of what it takes to be an officer. It’s a competition! And I’m a competitive person aparantly 😂

I get what the poster is saying. And it seems noble. But to me, it’s similar to saying ‘no thanks, I don’t need it’ to a raise given in recognition of performance in a job.

I’ve been trying to put my finger on why this seemed strange to me, and I think I’ve identified the root of it!!

Good luck to OP. Lots of different journies to the ulitimate goal! This is a new one! Not right or wrong. Just different than the norm.
 
armypanda_ said:
I have mentioned before that I don’t think I need an ROTC scholarship, and don’t want to take that money that could be going to someone else. However, I received an email that says I should apply for a 4 year ROTC scholarship from goarmy.org, and I feel like just submitting an application would get my name out there and start the ROTC process.

Any other suggestions on how to complete signing up for ROTC? I don’t really understand ROTC at all, the only things I saw was a check mark on the common app.
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If your only reason for not doing the scholarship is your feeling that you financially don't need it, not knowing your personal situation, but if you don't have $200k in a 529 or other college savings, I'd go for it. Family personal and financial situations can always change unexpectedly. Earning the scholarship puts you in control. Some colleges provide free room and board if you earn a scholarship, while some do not. Your family's financial situation will give you more options than another student who needs free room and board. If you're already applying to an academy, the ROTC application will be easy by comparison.

In our college search, we found a pretty big difference between ROTC at "colleges" and ROTC at Senior Military Colleges. At non-SMC nobody in admissions or tour guides had any clue about ROTC other than "they wear uniforms on Tuesdays and do PT." My son opted for a SMC where ROTC is deeply engrained in the culture. He's in his first year at Norwich and they are kicking his butt there. He loves it and wouldn't change anything, but it is really intense.
 
My kid had every option available to him and he was focused on the best education to get his commission in his desired branch. If you are not worried about the money, pick what is right for you and how you want to get commissioned. At the end everyone comes out a 0-1 and onto their journey.
 
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