<p>Does an officer coming out of the Academy have an advantage over an officer coming out of the NROTC in terms of promotions, active duty placement, life after graduation, or anything else? I want to major in Chem E but it is not offered at the Academy. What is a better option, Academy or NROTC?</p>
<p>The answer to your first question is "no".</p>
<p>The answer to your second question can only be answered by you. What are you looking for, beyond just Chem E?</p>
<p>Caiendoparatu, you don't mention your current school situation. Are you a high school senior who has to choose right away? Are you a junior in high school? Zaphod's question is exactly right...followed by...how much do you know about the Service Academies in general? Your question has too many variables to just answer one way or another. Please tell us a bit more about yourself, and you'll get some better opinions from us. And answer most of all, why are you thinking of asking about USNA in the first place?</p>
<p>One clarification of my earlier answer: In response to "or anything else", the answer COULD be "yes", but the circumstances vary.</p>
<p>Again, you need to narrow the question down, and prepare to ask (and answer) a series of them.</p>
<p>I am a high school senior. I have a NROTC scholarship to go to Carnegie Mellon University, I have to choose right away. My dad's a marine. Besides ChemE I am interested in physics and aeroE. I really want to be a Naval officer and either way I will be joining the Navy. I have been doing a lot of research on the Academy but I dont know much about the after graduation options. My BG officer told me that the Navy had a program where I could spend my 4 years active at the Naval Research Labs, I want a career in research science, if I finish extremely high in my class. Is this true? What other paths are available?
Please tell me if there is anything else you need to know.</p>
<p>Hey Caiendoparatu ...congratulations on your appointment by the way! </p>
<p>Look, if you want a career in research science, MORE than you want to be an Officer in the United States Navy....maybe you belong at Carnegie Mellon. You have to think about how you want to spend your college years....in a civilian college, where you basically call your own shots towards the pursuit of your goals...where you have alot of options for classes and will know about 'sleeping in' as a matter of course. :-)</p>
<p>......... or is your heart interested in the challenges/struggles/joys/accomplishments/achievements of a service academy life for 4 years, with it's discipline, teamwork, opportunities and personal sense of dedication because it's what YOU want to do? Don't just think about your course load, think about your life-style for the next 4years. You have to be willing to start at USNA knowing no matter how many dreams you have for your 4 years of college - you may or may not arrive at the end with your options open for a slot in Naval Research. How important is your knowing that before you go USNA?</p>
<p>Those who have an appointment to USNA have the ability to make it at the Academy. They wouldn't have offered you the appointment if they didn't think you could succeed. </p>
<p>So it's up to you.</p>
<p>And know that if you choose USNA - it's a world, a way of life that can not be duplicated ANYWHERE else, no matter what you do in either ROTC or OCS. This is not to knock those many talented and wonderful young people who do choose that route. It is simply a statement of fact. Ask any USNA alum and they will confirm this for you. </p>
<p>By the way, is your dad a Marine Officer?</p>
<p>My dad is a Staff Sgt. I applied to the Academy and NROTC because of the level of discipline. I don't want to go to a party school, I want to have fun while working hard and learning. Since I dont drink I'd like to know, is all the talk about Mids drinking true? I loved the Academy when I visited it and I know I could live that lifestyle, it's a world I want to be a part of, but I also dont want to give up on ChemE since it is what I want a career in. I plan to earn a SciD or a PhD and become a research scientist. Will I be able to do this in the Navy, can officers be assigned to scientific research? Either way I am going Navy, that's not even a question!</p>
<p>"is all the talk about mids drinking true?"-well this is a tough question. i'd say its not nearly as bad as a civilian college. but yes, its definitely a factor.</p>
<p>I'm glad that a mid has weighed in on the drinking question....Thanks Wheelah!</p>
<p>Even though I am only a mom, I think I have a perspective to offer on this subject.</p>
<p>We have launched 4 other children into college. University of Redlands, Biola University, UCLA/then Rice University for grad school and UCSD. At Biola, which is a Christian university they had a somewhat less reported incidence of both drinking and sex. Students have to sign statements to the effect that they will NOT participate in these activities. Oh, and DANCING is included by the way ( I'm not joking). </p>
<p>However, at all the other schools, alchohol in the dorms was endemic. I attended UC Irvine in '71-'75 and alchohol was a constant part of my dorm life and activities. Every weekend, and most nights people were drinking heavily even then. So this idea of college drinking is nothing new. Oh, and sex in ALL its permutations was there in my dorm too. You name it, I saw it all around me. College life in my dorm, the first co-ed dorm at my school was as wild as anything I come across today.</p>
<p>What IS different at USNA is that there is a standard that people are supposed to adhere to, and THAT's why we hear more about the alchohol there then say, Harvard or Colombia or USC or any other place.</p>
<p>If you are a prospective student at ANY college in this country you WILL have to deal with people around you drinking and partying and sexing and pushing any and all rules. It's a fact. It's what YOU do that matters and what the school's standards are around you that matter. When people ask me: "aren't you WORRIED about putting your DAUGHTER there at the Naval Academy right now?" ( with the Lamar Owens stuff going on, etc. etc. ) I tell them if anything I feel SAFER putting my daughter at USNA than the other schools ( minus Biola) that my children attended, because drinking and the rest is still WRONG at the Academy and not encouraged...and because there are standards that all have to aspire to. Not one college freshman at UCLA was asked to adhere to an Honor concept, I can assure you. My daughter at USNA will be. And by God's grace she - and the vast majority of other incoming Plebes will choose to live up to that duty, honor, country motto of our Naval Academy.</p>
<p>Zaphod,</p>
<p>According to the link below, effective with the class of 2005, graduates of West Point will be issued regular Army commissions vs reserve commissions. Is this also true for Naval Academy graduates? If so, I wonder if some of the policies mentioned in the article will also go back into effect ----"regular" commissions from a service academy vs "reserve" commissions from ROTC? </p>
<p>Yes it is.</p>
<p>Theoretically, one who gradutes a military academy will be the same as one who does ROTC or OTS.</p>
<p>However, im not sure how that does in practice. My cousin is in the navy and went through Officer Training School and has worked his way up to a Leutenent Commander. He said that if it was between two people of same rank, time in service etc and one went through OTS/ROTC and one through Academy, the one who went through the academy would get the position.</p>
<p>Thats just one persons account so take it with a grain of salt.</p>
<p>So I guess that means that the answer to the posters question at the beginning of this thread is that yes, now potentially there can be some differences between an officer with a regular service academy commission and one who went through ROTC.</p>
<p>so getting "regular" commissions from a service academy vs "reserve" commissions from ROTC is true? What about options as to where you can be stationed or what programs you can apply for? I really want to go to the Naval Research Labs after graduation.</p>
<p>I had not heard that they were switching back to regular commissions. If that's true, then it's about damned time. I remember when they started giving USNA grads Reserve commisions, and it infuriated me. If they've finally come to their senses, then good for them.</p>
<p>The difference is important because whereas Reserve officers have to request permission, as it were, to remain in the Fleet after their Divo tours, those with Regular commissions do not. I don't remember the details, but I do remember my NROTC shipmates sweating the issue, while my USNA brethren never sweated it.</p>
<p>Your assignments will be based more upon your Service Selection and some luck than where you're from.</p>
<p>Look, you need to ask yourself which opportunity, USNA or Carnegie Mellon, will best prepare you for your future. One will not get you better postings thann the other. You have to ask what YOU will get out of each place, and which will be better for you.</p>
<p>I will say this, though; you need to decide what you want to do long-term. Is a career in the Navy your goal? If so, then I'd pick USNA any day of the week. If you're planning to do five-and-dive, then you need to look at what you're going to do afterwards. In some cases, I'll recommend USNA, in others, I'll advise CM.</p>
<p>Just so you know, I have a cousin who went to CM, and now he writes video game code for Microsoft. Not bad for a little punk. ;)</p>
<p>so the NROTC will still be getting "reserve" commissions then? Is it hard to request permission to stay in the Fleet? As a Naval officer can I be a research scientist? Do naval officers do that type of work, can I be assigned to that kind of job?</p>
<p>Zaphod,
I had the honor of dinning with a RDML in King Hall who is part of some Information Technology branch in the Navy...apparently you can join this sect after you get your quals. There is a similar route in the Marine Corps. </p>
<p>Any IT/CS wannabees out there? Definitely one of the most useful majors at USNA right now (especially for group II)! </p>
<p><a href="http://www.military-information-technology.com/%5B/url%5D">http://www.military-information-technology.com/</a> </p>
<h1>From USNA.com - US Naval Academy Alumni Association:</h1>
<p>ALL ACTIVE-DUTY OFFICERS TO GET REGULAR COMMISSIONS; MAY 1 CHANGE WON'T AFFECT PAY, BENEFITS</p>
<p>Navy Times 032805 (C4-6)
Copyright 2005 Army Times Publishing Co.</p>
<p>All Rights Reserved </p>
<p>Navy Times </p>
<p>March 28, 2005 Monday</p>
<p>SECTION: NEWSLINES; Pg. 23</p>
<p>LENGTH: 498 words</p>
<p>HEADLINE: ALL ACTIVE-DUTY OFFICERS TO GET REGULAR COMMISSIONS; MAY 1 CHANGE WON'T AFFECT PAY, BENEFITS</p>
<p>BYLINE: By Andrew Scutro; Times staff writer</p>
<p>As of May 1, all officers on active duty will have regular commissions, dropping the "R" off the USNR designation for thousands of Navy officers with reserve commissions, according to the Office of the Chief of Naval Personnel.</p>
<p>The change in law affects all the armed services but is essentially an administrative action and does not affect pay or benefits, officials said.</p>
<p>Navy personnel officials say the change has nothing to do with demands on the active and reserve forces brought on by the war in Iraq or the war on terrorism. Instead, making all officers on active duty "regular" Navy officers is seen as a means to eliminate duplication and increase efficiency. The change is codified in the National Defense Authorization Act of 2005, approved by Congress in October. </p>
<p>"This furthers the Navy's efforts to create one aligned and integrated force for the 21st century under our Human Capital Strategy," said Vice Adm. Gerry Hoewing, chief of naval personnel, in a statement.</p>
<p>This change reverses a 1997 action that gave reserve commissions to all officers coming into the Navy from the Naval Academy, Officer Candidate School and ROTC.</p>
<p>Those officers now will be given regular commissions.</p>
<p>In the past, those seeking a regular commission had to submit papers to the biannual "future augmentation selection board." Roughly 600 officers - mostly lieutenants - sought regular commissions each year through augmentation under the current rules.</p>
<p>About 80 percent were approved for regular commissions based on performance assessment. Officers granted a regular commission were subsequently obligated to two years on active duty. This change obviates the need for the augmentation board.</p>
<p>About 20,000 in the officer corps have a reserve designation that will change with their switch to regular commission May 1.</p>
<p>Full-time support officers, selected reserve officers, active-duty special work officers and reserve officers who train on active duty once a month to meet reserve requirements are not affected by the change.</p>
<p>They will retain reserve commissions.</p>
<p>The regular commission is also contingent on adherence to federal law requiring an officer being able to complete 20 years of service before age 62, having U.S. citizenship and a moral character.</p>
<p>Officials at the personnel office say the process will be as "transparent as possible" and will require no additional paperwork on the part of individual officers. The changes will be made electronically.</p>
<p>It is not clear how the policy will be implemented in the event that reserve officers are recalled involuntarily during a large-scale mobilization.</p>
<p>Roughly 800 officers per year are commissioned into the Navy from each primary accession source: the Naval Academy, ROTC and OCS.</p>
<p>The change back to regular commissions across the board for those entering the Navy is the result of a study commissioned by the Defense Department. The Navy Science Board report, completed in 2000, recommended the action.</p>
<p>LOAD-DATE: April 5, 2005</p>
<p>Caiendoparatu-
I can't see a serious bid for USNA this late in the game. If you are that undecided....go NROTC. You don't want to go to USNA half-heartedly.</p>
<p>Or...If I'm wrong about motivation, let fate decide....put on a blind fold, and "pin the tail on the donkey" so to speak...or flip a coin! ;)</p>
<p>I also had a NROTC Schollarship and was choosing between USNA and College. I didn't really want to major in anything at the academy, they didn't have my sport, I couldn't party, I would never sleep, and the classes would be really hard for me. But I went any ways because I knew that I would never have another chance to go, and I could always get into a normal college if I hated it. Turnes out I love it here! The only thing I regret is not playing my sport. Think about it. Plus, the Academy gives you a family for the rest of your life where ever you go if you graduate.</p>
<p>Preach it, brother!</p>
<p>What sport do you do that they don't have? I thought they had everything you could ever hope for.</p>