Switching from AF to another Service ROTC program

H

HGAZ

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Jan 10, 2020
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My son was offered a type 7 AFROTC scholarship last month. However, he already has full academic scholarships for the best in-state schools so he doesn't need to accept it if he stays in-state. He did apply to MIT and Yale, but he would not make enough money in the Air Force to pay back the student loans, so that eliminates the Type 7 AFROTC for those schools as well.

But what about reapplying to Navy or another service? Would he be able to apply for a ROTC scholarship for another branch of service once he's at school? We were told he was more than qualified for the AF type 1, but that his interview must not have gone well. My son is student body president for the #1 school in the state (13th in nation), Eagle Scout, varsity athlete, so he has leadership skills. Adults love this kid, so I'm certain his personality isn't off-putting. I think with a little preparation, he could do well on another ROTC interview for a different service. Am I correct to assume that the services compete for talent? Any advice would be appreciated.
 
HGAZ said:
But what about reapplying to Navy or another service? Would he be able to apply for a ROTC scholarship for another branch of service once he's at school?
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If Army is of interest to your son, I would encourage him to reach out to the ROO at his college (If they offer Army ROTC). Many Army ROTC schools have campus based ROTC scholarships that the battalion (detachment) has authority to hand out.

Five years ago, my DS was nominated but turned down by USNA and USMA. He was accepted to The Citadel but turned down for the NROTC/MO scholarship, so the cost of out of state tuition there was prohibitive.

He decided to attend his more affordable local state university but they only offered Army ROTC (whose scholarship he didn't even apply for in HS). He "walked-on" and joined Army ROTC as a non-scholarship cadet. Before his freshman fall semester was done, the battalion selected him for a 3 year campus based AROTC scholarship (later extended to 3.5 year). He is now an Army 2LT and graduated 100% debt free.
 
Fantastic! We will look into it. We are a career AF family so my son doesn't want to attend a service academy for college after having no choice but to live on base for the past decade. I don't blame him. Looking at another service ROTC program might be perfect for him. That way he doesn't feel like he's following totally following dad (a USAFA grad).
 
I'm at the old end of Gen X, but I, too, came from a career AF family and went AROTC. (Dad was a WP grad in the pre-USAFA days.) Dad never quite got his mind wrapped around why I volunteered to "jump out of a perfectly good C-130." It was a point of pride. :)
 
Talked with DS about the Army. He's going to do some extra research, but his initial response was that the Army does not utilize their engineers for engineering. Actually, that's even his concern about the Air Force, but was hopeful the Space Force would have some viable options for him. I think he will choose a different path entirely, which is fine.
 
@HGAZ None of the services necessarily utilize their engineers for engineering. One's job in the service often had absolutely nothing to do with their major. It's all according to what's available, the needs of the service, and where one ranks on the OML. Pretty much the same process for all services.
 
kinnem said:
@HGAZ None of the services necessarily utilize their engineers for engineering. One's job in the service often had absolutely nothing to do with their major. It's all according to what's available, the needs of the service, and where one ranks on the OML. Pretty much the same process for all services.
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True....which is why there were so many history majors at the Air Force Academy who just wanted to be pilots. Why work so hard at engineering when you don't need to? It's a different age now. So the AF says it wants highly qualified STEM candidates, but for what purpose? To just be able to think and lead scientifically, but not actually use their skills? Kids work too hard, and school is too expensive to gamble away their newly minted skills. Kids don't want to "start over" after their military service.
 
HGAZ said:
True....which is why there were so many history majors at the Air Force Academy who just wanted to be pilots. Why work so hard at engineering when you don't need to? It's a different age now. So the AF says it wants highly qualified STEM candidates, but for what purpose? To just be able to think and lead scientifically, but not actually use their skills? Kids work too hard, and school is too expensive to gamble away their newly minted skills. Kids don't want to "start over" after their military service.
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Aircraft are very technical systems, whether flying, designing, testing or maintaining. Hence the emphasis on STEM for AFROTC. The same applies to Navy. Anyone attending a service academy is still taking a lot of STEM courses, regardless of major.

It's the knowledge gained on how to think about problems and work on systems, among other things, that are valuable. Those soft skills gained from engineering can be applied to any job, in the military or without. In general I don't think those soft skills atrophy. The technical details are always changing and one needs to constantly relearn the current stuff to stay competitive in these fields technically. Hell, I had to do it constantly in the software field for 40 years. Actually, someone in the military who takes a STEM major will probably end up in a management position, overseeing engineers, when they leave the military. They'll be able to lead while speaking, and understanding, the lingo.

I would add one shouldn't take on a STEM major if that's not what they are into. I would also add that if one is absolutely committed to actually being an engineer then the military is probably not the route to take. Just one man's 2 cents. YMMV.
 
kinnem said:
Aircraft are very technical systems, whether flying, designing, testing or maintaining. Hence the emphasis on STEM for AFROTC. The same applies to Navy. Anyone attending a service academy is still taking a lot of STEM courses, regardless of major.

It's the knowledge gained on how to think about problems and work on systems, among other things, that are valuable. Those soft skills gained from engineering can be applied to any job, in the military or without. In general I don't think those soft skills atrophy. The technical details are always changing and one needs to constantly relearn the current stuff to stay competitive in these fields technically. Hell, I had to do it constantly in the software field for 40 years. Actually, someone in the military who takes a STEM major will probably end up in a management position, overseeing engineers, when they leave the military. They'll be able to lead while speaking, and understanding, the lingo.

I would add one shouldn't take on a STEM major if that's not what they are into. I would also add that if one is absolutely committed to actually being an engineer then the military is probably not the route to take. Just one man's 2 cents. YMMV.
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Thank you for your perspective! I have shared your comments with my son.
 
AROTC-dad said:
@franknd is correct!

To apply for the 4 Year High School Army ROTC scholarship, an application must be started by 04 February 2020 @ 1159pm EST.

If you have started an application by 04 February 2020, you have until 04 March 2020 @ 1159pm EST to complete your application.

Source:
https://hs.usarmyrotc.com/dana-na/auth/url_22/welcome.cgi
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He's applying! He's been doing some research and is pretty excited now about the options and how they compare to the AFROTC program. He's been talking with a buddy who's doing AROTC now. I am so glad I joined this site. AF hubby is deployed at the moment so we can't ask him much and get a timely response. Thank you!
 
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