SMP contract.

R

reeker

5-Year Member
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Nov 2, 2011
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I have a couple questions regarding the SMP contract.

1) If I decide to join the reserves and go to basic training during the summer before I attend college, and start school in Janurary (after basics and ait)...will I be able to sign the SMP contract as a senior in high school?

2) Does the SMP help with gaining admission into a college?


Thank You!
 
Welcome to the forums:smile:

It has been explained to my DS that he cannot contract SMP until the fall of his sophomore year of college. He will have sophomore academic standing with his college at the end of this quarter(lots of AP credits)but is still not eligible to contract until next fall(he'll attend BCT this summer and also have taken the MS1 year of ROTC and he understands that BCT technically fulfills the MS1 course, but his school still requires MS1 for their SMP cadets).

Check with the ROO at a school you are considering to make sure what their situation might be.

Doing split op shouldn't really impact your college admissions either way. Talking with the ROO would clarify this too - some ROTC programs do have input into admissions decisions while others do not.
 
Thank you for the inofrmation!

My recruiter just called me telling me that I would be doing split option and not SMP. He had the SMP and the split option mixed up.

So... I guess I can do split option, join ROTC and then as a sign an SMP contract as a sophomore!
 
reeker said:
Thank you for the inofrmation!

My recruiter just called me telling me that I would be doing split option and not SMP. He had the SMP and the split option mixed up.

So... I guess I can do split option, join ROTC and then as a sign an SMP contract as a sophomore!
Click to expand...

One thing to be careful of:

If you complete both BCT and AIT prior to contracting SMP with ROTC your sophomore year you could be available for deployment before reaching your sophomore year. Make sure you read your contract and ask all the questions regarding deployment before you sign the papers. You don't want to find yourself getting an order to deploy (Unless of course you want to), before you contract with ROTC.

I would also talk to the ROO at the ROTC battalion you plan to attend, ask him all the same questions and go over your plans and the plans the recruiter has layed out for you. Believe it or not, recruiters do not always know the ins and outs of ROTC, there job is to get you to sign on the dotted line.
 
Ignore the enlisted recruiters, talk to the ROO of your local university and he can hook you up with their local NG/Reserve SMP liaison NCO. The regular recruiters know little to nothing about ROTC or the SMP program.
 
Completely agree with Aglahad, DS was specifically told NOT to talk with local recruiters so he would end up assigned to the Guard unit closest to his school(3 hours from home). This helps with weekend drills - he is with all his ROTC cadets and they car pool etc... Also, the ROO has a great relationship with this group of recruiters.

Since you are attending BCT this summer, before freshman and AIT in the fall of what would be your 1st semester freshman year, make sure exactly when the SMP contract would be offered. The possiblity of deployment is real and you need to understand the timeline very carefully. Also, be careful which MOS you are assigned, DS is 88M(truck driver) because this is a MOS they can "over fill" with little impact on standard enlisters. DS ASVAB was a 98 and still truck driver, he will not attend AIT, but still, if something happens and he isn't offered SMP contract he must fulfill the Guard contract under this MOS....Make sure you understand the details:thumb:
 
If at all possible, SMP at a unit that has an officer job that you are interested in. Don't SMP at a QM unit if you want to be an Aviation officer.
 
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