USMA vs NROTC

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courvid

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Good morning all, my DS just received word that he has been accepted to USMA (and we couldn't be more proud). He was also granted a 4 yr NROTC scholarship (which honestly he was excited to use). Now he has a difficult decision to make (with no bad outcome). The question is, can anyone give some PROs & CONs to each route? Obviously, one will ultimately be Army and one Navy which is really where is decision will probably be made. But, what are the real advantages to attending an academy vs ROTC to help inform his decision? Thanks.
 
I think this is 100% a personal decision with no right or wrong answer. I think it should be based on which service or type of job more than which school. And I would assume your son has some ideas about this.

IMO the biggest advantage, in general, for most grads of an academy comes more post AD as opposed to while being on active duty.

Civilians those that do hiring often see SA grads as special just for being SA grads.

The USMA should be , in general and for most, a much harder 4 years
 
The question is: what does he want to do when he grows up? Does he want to be a leader in the Army or does he want to be in the Navy and go to sea? Also, which school? Is he headed to MIT or Harvard or Princeton?
Everyone here will say, "Go ARMY!" hands down but if he wants to be in the Navy (go to sea, fly jets) and go to MIT or an Ivy or Stanford, then by all means, do NROTC. Also, is he looking at getting married in the next 2-3 years? He can be married in NROTC but not at USMA.

There you go.
 
DS NROTC cons: you don’t get as many learning opportunities that jump start your naval career during summer as those in the academy, you still have a fair amount of expense to cover out of pocket during college (room board, healthcare out of pocket expenses) etc. pros: free summers allow for internships and jobs that academy summer commitments can’t accommodate. Some in DS unit did FBI, CIA internships etc.DS learned financial management skills by managing summer housing with summer income on his own; fun factor was high in NROTC- DS did fraternity (Luce not keen on that but at least he was philanthropy officer), Coachella., study abroad in Europe, investment club etc. Less time devoted to military than the academy. Key consideration, at the end of it all: do you want to be on a ship???? Or on the ground? Aviation is not guaranteed.
 
@Lucy is spot on. We have twins, one in NROTC and one at USMA. The USMA experience is 24/7/365, has restrictions on freedoms (at least in the first two years) and you are Active Duty Army. NROTC is "Part Time" usually three times a week for maybe two or three hours then you are a civilian the rest of the time. Not nearly as much structure in regards to physical training, and limited Summer Training opportunities (depending on the school). You only wear your uniform on those days you have class, and do not get Active Duty status.

Most ROTC Programs have much greater flexibility for the student to experience the "normal" college life. SMC's are the exception and are more intense in terms of physical and military training. Academies exert much more control over students and require more time spent on training and preparation.

It is a choice that your student needs to make, some enjoy the structure of an academy, others the freedom and growing of a civilian college. They need to research both and determine which one they are more in tune with and which Service they would rather serve in after graduation. How one gets to Commission is not as important as what one wants to do AFTER Commissioning...:)
 
This is just my experience in NROTC, but our unit's weekly schedule usually goes something like this:

Mon-Wed-Fri: PT (Navy options only attend PT on Friday if they failed the PRT)
Tues: drill
Thurs: briefing
Tues-Thurs: naval science class after drill or briefing

There are also volunteer events on weekends and sometimes during the week as well. (And if no one signs up, a few folks get voluntold.) We've had more mandatory events this month than we usually do as well. Also, 2 hours of study hall at our unit building are required for all college programmers or anyone taking calc/physics. I obviously can't speak on the USMA experience, but I hope this helps a bit!
 
I should have been a little more specific, he's looking at NROTC at Norwich University (where he will be in the corps of cadets). So, even if he goes NROTC it's more of a 24/7/365 life than at a "regular" college with NROTC.
 
If he really wants to go to Norwich and be in the Navy...than that is the way to go. But really, if he wants the service academy experience and is on the fence about the Army or the Navy, then go to USMA and dream big.
 
Many excellent answers have already posted here - I was in a similar situation last year debating between pursuing West Point or selecting ROTC at Norwich. Aside from the most important question of whether DS wants to go Army or Navy, USMA has MANY MORE excellent opportunities for free travel and internships all around the world that you really cannot get anywhere else. The professional development invested into each Cadet at West Point is astonishing and if you ask, you can find nearly any opportunity you'd like for travel and interships.
 
If his heart is set on serving in the Navy, I think he might very well be miserable at WP if only going there for the prestige. That being said, the reputation of WP in the civilian world and opportunities at West Point are significant . As a plebe, DS has attended briefs by a 4 star general, met cadets from around the world, and has significant summer training opportunities. He loves it and says routinely how lucky he is to be there. Then again he is all Army and at this point is thinking about a career in the Army.

I suggest your son take a visit if possible to experience WP and talk with plebes who will be very honest in talking about their experience--good and bad-- at WP. (I am not sure what time frame WP gave you in responding to his appointment)

Good luck to you and your son on his decision!
 
“I turned down West Point to go to Norwich”

In the future he will need proof of this decision because no rational person would believe it.

( unless of course he does not want the rigors of West Point. Then he is not picking Norwich over WP he is just turning down WP. Personally I’d want something easier than West Point as well if it were me)

And I say this as a Navy vet with four generations of sailors in the family for those that might think it
Army bias.

Beat Army

And if it is Navy over Army as a service then why apply to West Point and not the USNA?
 
Small Team Bacsi said:
“I turned down West Point to go to Norwich”

In the future he will need proof of this decision because no rational person would believe it.

( unless of course he does not want the rigors of West Point. Then he is not picking Norwich over WP he is just turning down WP. Personally I’d want something easier than West Point as well if it were me)

And I say this as a Navy vet with four generations of sailors in the family for those that might think it
Army bias.

Beat Army

And if it is Navy over Army as a service then why apply to West Point and not the USNA?
Click to expand...
He did (applied to both academies), he didn't get in.
 
Small Team Bacsi said:
“I turned down West Point to go to Norwich”

In the future he will need proof of this decision because no rational person would believe it.

( unless of course he does not want the rigors of West Point. Then he is not picking Norwich over WP he is just turning down WP. Personally I’d want something easier than West Point as well if it were me)

And I say this as a Navy vet with four generations of sailors in the family for those that might think it
Army bias.

Beat Army

And if it is Navy over Army as a service then why apply to West Point and not the USNA?
Click to expand...
This is more common than you might think and there was a brief debate in this house when it came down to Norwich or USMA. After Beast and the first semester there was even some regret. USMA is a 47 month eye opener.
 
Small Team Bacsi said:
“I turned down West Point to go to Norwich”

In the future he will need proof of this decision because no rational person would believe it.

( unless of course he does not want the rigors of West Point. Then he is not picking Norwich over WP he is just turning down WP. Personally I’d want something easier than West Point as well if it were me)

And I say this as a Navy vet with four generations of sailors in the family for those that might think it
Army bias.

Beat Army

And if it is Navy over Army as a service then why apply to West Point and not the USNA?
Click to expand...
Oh my goodness, Small Team Bacsi....yes, this, exactly this! 'I turned down West Point to go to Norwich'--said no one ever!
 
Yes-also be aware that passion is a strange beast. DS pie hole streamed “I wanna be a naval officer” from age 8 and on and on and on…and the reality at 22 is different than he thought or could comprehend. I would think long and hard about turning down USMA-but having said that, I would think also if your heart ❤️ Is not in it-it would be very hard to make it there.
 
Could be one of those odd ducks who commissions Navy from USMA. There are more than a few!
 
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