VTCC AMA

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greenfield1

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Joined
Sep 27, 2021
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Wanted to offer myself as a resource for anyone interested in the Corps of Cadets at Virginia Tech. There wasn't a ton of information on it outside of the Corps website (which I encourage everyone to look at first) when I was researching but ow that I've got a few years as a cadet under my belt I'm hoping I could kind of fill that gap. Happy to answer anyone's questions about NCW, life as a new cadet, Virginia Tech itself, etc.

I will say that joining the Corps has been one of the best decisions I have ever made. I have loved (almost) every moment, made the best friends in the world, and been able to succeed academically thanks to the structure of the Corps. Go Hokies!
 
My DS and DDIL both graduated from the VTCC and VT in 2021. DDIL was VPI and DS was NROTC. They loved VT and Blacksburg. They made friends there that they will have for the rest of their lives. They've even traveled across several states to be in each others weddings.
 
Wanted to bump this again since New Cadet Week begins in about 3 days. Questions welcome!

Good luck to the Class of 2027. Take it day by day. Your cadre are excellent. This place wants to see you succeed. You will be just fine.
 
Hi - I have scholarships to both Army and Air Force ROTC and I have been accepted to V Tech. Do you see any pros or cons to either the Army or Air Force ROTC programs. At this point I am equally interested in both branches so I am curious about the individual programs. Thank you.
 
Sully16 said:
Hi - I have scholarships to both Army and Air Force ROTC and I have been accepted to V Tech. Do you see any pros or cons to either the Army or Air Force ROTC programs. At this point I am equally interested in both branches so I am curious about the individual programs. Thank you.
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Along these same lines, when going to visit VT, is it "ok" to talk to both the services that awarded scholarships, to learn more and to help with decision making? Seems like it would be encouraged, but I don't want to assume. My DS is in the same situation but with different branches.
 
DS had a VTCC army guy call him yesterday, even though he indicated he was Marine Corps (and now has the NROTC-MO scholarship). So it sounds like all branches will talk to them already to help them decide.
 
2028Mom? said:
DS had a VTCC army guy call him yesterday, even though he indicated he was Marine Corps (and now has the NROTC-MO scholarship). So it sounds like all branches will talk to them already to help them decide.
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Thank you!
 
Sully16 said:
Hi - I have scholarships to both Army and Air Force ROTC and I have been accepted to V Tech. Do you see any pros or cons to either the Army or Air Force ROTC programs. At this point I am equally interested in both branches so I am curious about the individual programs. Thank you.
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The Army battalion is currently ranked the #1 AROTC program in the nation. There are over 500 cadets involved, you have great access and opportunities for summer training programs (I have friends who have been to Air Assault, Airborne, CTLT, etc., there have also been cadets who have gone to dive school). Alumni will come back and land helicopters on the drillfield for cadets to tour. I guess a con would be that since the battalion is so big it can at times be difficult to stand out for summer slots but as long as you put yourself out there and have a good GPA/ACFT doors tend to open for people. You will be very well prepared for Advanced Camp especially with the added experience from the Corps of Cadets.

AFROTC is also ranked highly nationwide. They have less cadets than Army but are still a fairly big detachment. I think their cadre tend do to rotate through a little more than Army. Field training selection rates are generally pretty high, of course you need to keep GPA and PFA scores competitive, my friends who have been to field training said they felt very well prepared. They do lots of base visits, I think they've been to Shaw and Moody in the last year. There was also an opportunity this past fall for incentive flights on a C-130.

Both programs have high rates for first choice selection of branches/AFSCs. Being at an SMC with big battalions you again get really good access to a lot of unique training. Both units have teams dedicated to preparing cadets interested in special operations. Cadet leadership positions (battalion commander all the way down to team/element leaders) in both units rotates each semester so you have two chances to hold positions each year and get hands-on leadership experience. Cadre in both units are fantastic, they all care about the development of each cadet and putting them in the best place for commissioning and life after ROTC.
 
bethf said:
Along these same lines, when going to visit VT, is it "ok" to talk to both the services that awarded scholarships, to learn more and to help with decision making? Seems like it would be encouraged, but I don't want to assume. My DS is in the same situation but with different branches.
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I would say yes absolutely talk to everyone you can. Definitely want to get all the information before you make a decision. If he does a spend the night your DS will also be able to talk to cadets in all the branches and can get some extra knowledge from them.
 
greenfield1 said:
The Army battalion is currently ranked the #1 AROTC program in the nation. There are over 500 cadets involved, you have great access and opportunities for summer training programs (I have friends who have been to Air Assault, Airborne, CTLT, etc., there have also been cadets who have gone to dive school). Alumni will come back and land helicopters on the drillfield for cadets to tour. I guess a con would be that since the battalion is so big it can at times be difficult to stand out for summer slots but as long as you put yourself out there and have a good GPA/ACFT doors tend to open for people. You will be very well prepared for Advanced Camp especially with the added experience from the Corps of Cadets.

AFROTC is also ranked highly nationwide. They have less cadets than Army but are still a fairly big detachment. I think their cadre tend do to rotate through a little more than Army. Field training selection rates are generally pretty high, of course you need to keep GPA and PFA scores competitive, my friends who have been to field training said they felt very well prepared. They do lots of base visits, I think they've been to Shaw and Moody in the last year. There was also an opportunity this past fall for incentive flights on a C-130.

Both programs have high rates for first choice selection of branches/AFSCs. Being at an SMC with big battalions you again get really good access to a lot of unique training. Both units have teams dedicated to preparing cadets interested in special operations. Cadet leadership positions (battalion commander all the way down to team/element leaders) in both units rotates each semester so you have two chances to hold positions each year and get hands-on leadership experience. Cadre in both units are fantastic, they all care about the development of each cadet and putting them in the best place for commissioning and life after ROTC.
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Thank you very much for taking the time to answer my question. Your input and knowledge are appreciated! 500 Army ROTC cadets - that is a big group!

Regarding GPAs - what would you classify as a good one? I will be taking engineering, which I believe is fairly challenging academically, so I am just curious.
 
I would say that a 3.0+ is considered "good"/competitive in most majors. For engineering if you come out of the first year with a 3.0 I believe you are guaranteed your choice of specialty (aero, mech, chem, etc.) Engineering at VT is definitely very challenging especially in the first year. The engineering to political science pipeline is a common running joke in the Corps. But you will be provided with ample opportunities to succeed if you take advantage of ECQ, office hours, study groups, upperclassmen who have taken those classes.
 
I see many freshmen trying to hunt for roommates. I'm guessing that isn't needed or allowed for VTCC? Are the dorms divided by military branch at all? Are meals with the companies?
 
They do not choose their roommates. Dorms are by VTCC company with each consisting of a mix of AROTC, AFROTC, NROTC, NROTC-MO, DCTC (the new Defense Civilian Training Corps), and VPI Battalion (its Citizen-Leader Track) cadets. Roomates are not necessarily in the same ROTC or program (if DCTC or VPI).
 
NovaDriver said:
They do not choose their roommates. Dorms are by VTCC company with each consisting of a mix of AROTC, AFROTC, NROTC, NROTC-MO, DCTC (the new Defense Civilian Training Corps), and VPI Battalion (its Citizen-Leader Track) cadets. Roomates are not necessarily in the same ROTC or program (if DCTC or VPI).
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This information is correct but I do want to clarify that DCTC is a part of VPI Battalion. All cadets in DCTC are also in VPI.

But yes, you do not choose your roommate. They will be assigned within your company. I have lived with cadets from every branch except Marines. Once you are an upperclassman, you have some degree of choice over your roommate - incoming COs will often send out a survey asking who people want to live with - but those are not guaranteed and can change depending on # of freshmen, available rooms, drops throughout the year, etc.
 
greenfield1 said:
Wanted to offer myself as a resource for anyone interested in the Corps of Cadets at Virginia Tech. There wasn't a ton of information on it outside of the Corps website (which I encourage everyone to look at first) when I was researching but ow that I've got a few years as a cadet under my belt I'm hoping I could kind of fill that gap. Happy to answer anyone's questions about NCW, life as a new cadet, Virginia Tech itself, etc.

I will say that joining the Corps has been one of the best decisions I have ever made. I have loved (almost) every moment, made the best friends in the world, and been able to succeed academically thanks to the structure of the Corps. Go Hokies!
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I just have some questions about the Corps of cadets, I enrolled at Virginia tech in the Corps of cadets, and I was wondering what the most important things to do to prepare over the summer for next fall at Virginia Tech.
 
I don't know if there's one single most important thing to do. Everyone prepares for college in different ways. I guess if I were to do it again I'd spend more time with my friends from high school and definitely more time with my siblings. I didn't really realize until a few weeks into school how much I would miss being able to see everyone I love every day. Another thing is work on your PT. Run a lot. Run when it's hot. Being able to comfortably do 3-5 miles will put you in a good spot for most ROTCs. Pushups, situps, planks. But mostly if I were to start the whole thing over again I would spend more time with my friends. I've seen my best friends maybe 3 times in the last 3 years and I wish I would've hung out with them more before we all moved.

Feel free to ask any more questions you have.
 
CalCom2023 said:
I just have some questions about the Corps of cadets, I enrolled at Virginia tech in the Corps of cadets, and I was wondering what the most important things to do to prepare over the summer for next fall at Virginia Tech.
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Run and then when you think you have run enough for the week, go for another run. My DD is a 1st yr cadet and she runs a lot. If you are planning on contracting, the Army designates VTCC more 3yr AD Scholarships than most any other school. VTCC was recently ranked the #1 Army ROTC program in the Nation.
 
greenfield1 said:
I don't know if there's one single most important thing to do. Everyone prepares for college in different ways. I guess if I were to do it again I'd spend more time with my friends from high school and definitely more time with my siblings. I didn't really realize until a few weeks into school how much I would miss being able to see everyone I love every day. Another thing is work on your PT. Run a lot. Run when it's hot. Being able to comfortably do 3-5 miles will put you in a good spot for most ROTCs. Pushups, situps, planks. But mostly if I were to start the whole thing over again I would spend more time with my friends. I've seen my best friends maybe 3 times in the last 3 years and I wish I would've hung out with them more before we all moved.

Feel free to ask any more questions you have.
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For the dining contract, what would be your recommendation for a dining plan? Do the cadets all tend to eat together at a certain location or is it more open?
 
CalCom2023 said:
For the dining contract, what would be your recommendation for a dining plan? Do the cadets all tend to eat together at a certain location or is it more open?
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I get the smallest every year. If you run out you are able to add more money but I have never run out of dining dollars. If you are a person who likes to eat a lot and/or doing lots of exercise your mileage may vary. There are no mandatory meals where all cadets have to eat together. There is a mass rush to Turner (dining hall with bagels and "blue plate" ex. eggs, bacon, etc.) after formation so that would probably be the closest thing. During the day everyone has different schedules so people kind of do their own thing for food. I do get dinner with my friends probably 2-3 times a week.
 
Is it possible to change to ROTC from the citizen leader track, I am considering Army ROTC.
 
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