Trying to choose between NROTC and AFROTC

OP: You are focused on the wrong things. MOS and duty station are not guaranteed. Particular jobs/ careers after serving are not a sure thing. Unlike the civilian world, the military has required levels of physical fitness. Minimum physical fitness standards are set for each branch of the military and posted on line. They also have height and weight standards. Entry programs (ROTC, OCS, boot camp) will bring you up to the minimum and ensure you stay there. With ROTC, it is expected you come in capable of meeting the standards but if not, you will be encouraged with extra sessions. Ultimately, in any entry program you meet the standards or you are gone. What separates one young and healthy person from the next? Desire, commitment, and willpower.
 
So you want to fly jets? Great! If you don't get jets what do you want to fly? Well if it's large cargo, that says Air Force. Helos are bigger on the USN side. What about E2/Cs? If landing on a carrier sounds amazing, great. What happens if you get bad eyes and can't fly? It sounds like Air Force careers sound more appealing to you. Air Force has better quality of life. Navy probably has a better nod to bases. You don't have to figure it all out today. Apply to both, see what shakes out.
 
That's what I'm confused about, If I could do both AFROTC and NROTC that'd be perfect but idk... and to the question of if I couldn't fly jets, what would I want to fly, I LOVE the E-2C Hawkeye recon plane that the Navy has, and the only real helos I'd like to fly would be for the Navy or the Marines, but before I even make any plans I need to get into shape and graduate high school and then work on graduating college, so doing both AFROTC and NROTC would most likely not be an option for me as I've heard that they both require classes and I don't want to be taking classes from the early morn 'til late at night.... any suggestions?
 
You can only do one. Apply to both. Visit both types of dets at the schools you want to attend. Ask lots of questions. ROTC is an extension of the services. Talk to current Cadets, Mids, officers. The decision will work itself out.
 
Thank you for your advice, all of you... It's good to know that there are good people in the world willing to help people figure things out when going into the military.
 
Also, I have mulled it over in my head, but I would like some outside opinions, what if I try say NROTC in college, and if I decide I don't like the Marine Corps or the Navy, or I just can't keep my stuff together, I wait and do OCS/Air Force OTS after college? Would this be a good idea, I've heard a lot about Navy OCS and how people have been slotted as aviators and end up as NFO's due to the dreaded end of OCS eye test and something called the "NAMI-whammie" So obviously that worries me, and as for Marine Corps OCS, I've heard it's really hard to get into and you can't just sign up for it after college like Air Force OTS and Navy OCS and wait for a spot to open up. I'm so unsure of everything, any advice on this would be immensely helpful. Again thank you all so much, not only for your service to this community, but also to this nation for some of you, and I'm sorry for asking so many questions, I bet you're getting annoyed with me by now.
 
Learning how to do a comparative analysis, determining your decision factors, making and then executing a decision - part of maturation into a young adult. Choosing what roads not to take is also part of that.

Research, research, research primary sources. If you're the analytical type, develop a spread sheet with factors, create a scale, assign values, grade the factors. See if that guides your thinking. Or find a dart board...

Focus on what you can do now: excel in challenging academics, enrich your leadership, push yourself into top shape. Be open to new paths.

Be grateful you have paths!
 
Just to given you some clarity on AF OCS. You don't just sign up and wait for a spot to go to OCS. You meet a rated board as an applicant, AND if you score high enough than you are selected to go to OCS as a rated student. Not everyone gets accepted there are people that have applied multiple times before getting a rated slot.
 
Just to given you some clarity on AF OCS. You don't just sign up and wait for a spot to go to OCS. You meet a rated board as an applicant, AND if you score high enough than you are selected to go to OCS as a rated student. Not everyone gets accepted there are people that have applied multiple times before getting a rated slot.

+1

OCS/OTS are highly competitive in their own way. Intake is directly related to Service Academy, ROTC, Enlisted Commissioning Programs and the needs of that service. If there are enough bodies in a commissioning year pipeline from those sources, OCS/OTS intake will adjust downward accordingly. It serves as an adjustment tool. The services can afford to pick the best of the best from applicants. They often recruit from tech schools, schools without ROTC, and shop for diversity with the performance factors they are looking for. You will have to beat out that guy/gal from MIT with a killer GPA, perhaps a tri club athlete too, who wakes up senior year and decides, hey, I think the Air Force would be cool.

Not trying to be Debbie Downer. Any path is going to be hard work.

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step." Lao Tzu
 
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Just to give an example for AF OCS. My friend's DS applied for the July board his rising senior summer in college about 3 years ago. He put down pilot only. Board met and he was offered only CSO. He was told by the recruiters that if he did not take CSO he could never apply again for the rated board. It was that simple. He decided to go the CSO route. He is a navigator in the C130 buying his time to apply for pilot training (xtraining). Typically you can do this around the end of your 1st tour. Thus, for him if he gets the approval, which is highly likely, he will be an O3 when he starts UPT.

Additionally, as MJ stated boards ebb and flow due to the pipeline coming out of UsAFA and AFROTC. Several years back the AF actually cancelled a board because they had enough people. They host two boards a year, thus it was 50% reduction for OCS.

As stated each path is unique with their own pros and cons regarding how to navigate through the system.
 
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